Bourbon City Bistro, Bardstown, KY, USA

Ordered at the Bourbon City Bistro, a restaurant located in Bardstown, Kentucky, about an hour outside of Louisville.

Who would have thought bourbon distilleries would be so interesting? Well, probably a lot of people, but either way, I had no idea what “bourbon tasting” or the Kentucky Bourbon Trail had in store for us. I had been to many wineries where you stand in front of 5 different glasses and sip each, and I had been to a slightly boring Bacardi tour in Puerto Rico, so maybe this would be a combo of each? We shall see…

Deep into the heart of what the hotel told me was “God’s Country” and far away from any cellphone reception, our first stop was the Makers Mark distillery. This was not an easily accessible destination; the Makers Mark distillery and those surrounding it were not for the casual Louisville tourist, they were for the bourbon fans who wanted to rent a car and take the winding, scenic drive through the countryside to find their favorite bourbon maker.

I was more than impressed with our Makers Mark visit; this was the best organized tour of a distillery I have ever been on. They went through the whole process in great detail and with excitement and charisma, making the hour-long tour fly bye. They had answers for every question and we literally saw how the bourbon was made; it was my first time ever seeing (and feeling!) the fermentation process. Great job Markers Mark – I don’t drink bourbon, but if I did, I’d drink Makers.

We drove the local town, Bardstown, in search of lunch after taste testing 3 different types of Makers Mark and ended up at the Bourbon City Bistro, a local looking dining establishment. I wanted meat. I craved meat. I needed beef now more than ever, but the Classic Bistro Club Sandwich was staring at me from the menu, tempting me with its list of ingredients. What to do? I was confused, and then our bachelor of the weekend, Ricky, saved the day, declaring he’d split the club with me while I ordered the Bistro Burger – thank you Ricky!

Sweet teas on the table (our waitress could not believe some of us had never had sweet tea before – then again, everything about us out-of-town folk seemed to surprise her) we waited patiently for food as our bellies growled from the late night before compiled with the early bourbon trail start we had set out for. We were hungry men, needing something solid and satisfying in our stomachs.

Another triple-meat feast, the Classic Bistro Club was packed with your standard sliced turkey and ham, and complete with real American bacon you dream of experiencing in God’s Country. A thin layer of swiss cheese to add some gooeyness to the bread without the need of much mayo, and a nice slice of tomato and leafy lettuce, this was a great club and exactly what one would look for in a classic version of this sandwich. All the ingredients packed in your typical white bread you’d find on a grilled cheese, I couldn’t have been happier filling my stomach with half of this club, and was quite jealous Ricky had the remainder; my burger was a bit of a bust.

The Bourbon City Bistro did not stop there – after speaking to the manager for only 90 seconds, he offered to take us to his friend’s bourbon distillery where the owner would give us a private tour. “Really?” we all looked at each other in surprise, wondering what we had to buy to get such a treat. The quick answer: nothing, everyone we had met so far in Kentucky wanted nothing more than to introduce us to great times expecting nothing in return.

We were taken to Willett Distilleries, also known as Kentucky Bourbon Distillers where we met what appeared to be the owner and went on an hour tour of the property. Just incredible to see how this world-famous family run distillery operated in comparison to Makers Mark; between the two, we had the best tours I could have imagined and the best introduction to bourbon and rye one could have. Thank you Bourbon City Bistro for introducing us to Willett – it was a fantastic experience that added more than value to our meal.

And with that, we were headed back to Louisville for a night not to forget, and a club sandwich menu at 4am that beat anything I had ever seen…

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