In this sixth part of My Amazing Bourbon Trail Road Trip, I continue my exploration of The Bourbon Trail as we leave Louisville and make a short drive to Lexington, KY and eventually on to Charleston, SC. In case you missed them, check out the previous posts here:
My Amazing Bourbon Trail Road Trip – Part 1
My Amazing Bourbon Trail Road Trip – Part 2
My Amazing Bourbon Trail Road Trip – Part 3
My Amazing Bourbon Trail Road Trip – Part 4
My Amazing Bourbon Trail Road Trip – Part 5
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It was sad to leave Louisville and its memories (and distilleries!), but we needed to make our way on to Lexington, KY. The drive was short from point to point, but we made a few stops along the way because we had plenty of time. These stops were not planned originally, but just a part of our spontaneous nature. Our first stop was Castle and Key Distillery in Frankfort. We pulled into the parking lot and as we are walking toward the distillery from the parking lot we noticed the beauty of the grounds right off the bat.
As we approached the entrance, a helpful staff member recommended we walk the grounds to take in the full beauty of the distillery grounds. There is a beautiful stream running through the property, and we walked all along the stream and the walking path through the gardens. Absolutely gorgeous! We finished our walk by grabbing a gin and tonic and relaxed by the river in a beautiful white gazebo.
Our next stop was another detour to Versailles, KY to visit Woodford Reserve. I had heard this was a stunning distillery, so I definitely wanted to visit since I had the chance. It was a short drive through the beautiful countryside until we reached the distillery.
As expected, outside was beautiful and large, and inside was a very classy facility with a beautiful fireplace and lots of group event space. I opted for a reserve tasting of four bourbons.
My tasting was excellent, and I was able to taste a Woodford Reserve Double Double Oaked bourbon, which is one of their rare products that I believe is only released once per year. Note this is not the double oaked version found in liquor stores. Double Double Oaked comes in 375ml bottles for about $80 when available but sold on the internet market for about $250. If you happen to have one of these, please feel free to mail it to me!
And then there was the most expensive bourbon I have ever seen for sale in a glass case: The Kentucky Derby 150 bourbon for $15,000. Also, if you have one of these lying around, please feel free to send it to me!
Leaving Woodford Reserve, we made our way into Lexington and checked into our hotel.
During our stay in Lexington, we took a fantastic tour of the many ranches and horse training facilities that cover the land. Part of that tour was a tour of Keeneland Racetrack which was absolutely awesome. We were able to see horses being trained for racing and learned more about the horse racing world.
After Lexington, we made our way to Knoxville, TN. For us, Knoxville was a resting place between all of the excitement we were experiencing. We left Knoxville the next day and made out way through the Smokie Mountains towards Charlotte, NC. The Smokie Mountain drive was beautiful, and it allowed us to find a couple of gems new to us: Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. We drove through these two towns barely able to keep our eyes on the road.
We did stop in Gatlinburg so I could write a mountain coaster. It was fun and the first time I have ridden one of these types of coasters.
After leaving Gatlinburg, we made our way through the Smokey Mountains and had one great stop on the trip which was at Adventure Distilling Co. in Cosby, TN (ie. out in the middle of nowhere!). We went in for a sit down tasting of local moonshine “with the locals” and had a wonderful time. We tasted about 8-10 moonshines altogether, and walked away with a jar of Peach Moonshine as it was our combined favorite. ‘
We also got a private tour of the still in the back of the building, which is an original still and not one of the newer ones you’ll find at most distilleries. This one can still be broken down in less than an hour and moved elsewhere, just like back in the prohibition days!
On our way out, we sat on a big flat rock by a stream, enjoyed some lunch snacks, and then continued on our way to Charlotte.
We opted to take another detour along the way and stop at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC. It was quite a journey to get there and it was in the end – disappointing.
First off, the pricing to visit is astronomical. On the day we visited, grounds-only tickets were $80 each, with an additional $15 per person to use the trolley to get to the winery. Tickets to get inside the house are $90 per person and up.
We decided to just go into the visitor center, and unbeknownst to us, they had free wine tasting! Yes, free wine, much of which was produced onsite! We bought a bottle to bring home with us as a souvenir of our trip. It has not been consumed.
We left the Biltmore and completed our drive to Charlotte, NC where we enjoyed a night of rest and relaxation, and a great dinner at Duckworth’s Grill and Taphouse downtown. So many beers on tap, and a great sports bar option.
The next morning was an exciting one! We walked across the street from our hotel to the NASCAR Hall of Fame, where we toured the entire facility and had a blast. I was able to train and drive in a simulator which made my visit even more memorable. I would definitely recommend to anyone to visit the hall of fame if you are in Charlotte.
The next day, we rose early as usual and started our journey to Charleston, SC.
Charleston, SC was expected to be one of the highlights of the trip after leaving the Bourbon Trail. It certainly did not disappoint. It was my first time there, and we stayed downtown just off Market Street in a small boutique hotel called The Andrew Pinkney Inn which in itself was a fantastic place to stay with included breakfast and an included wine and cheese happy hour every day.
Our first evening we made our way over to one of the oldest taverns in Charleston: Big John’s. There we enjoyed a drink and some amazing bacon and fries. They bring the bacon out and then use a small torch to hand fire the bacon tableside. Best bacon I’ve ever had!
Throughout our three days stay in Charleston, we got much accomplished. We had a fabulous dinner at Hank’s Seafood Restaurant and one at Church and Union which is a converted church, did a horse and buggy tour of the city in addition to a second tour on a bicycle rickshaw, and used water taxis to make our way over to the naval museum and to get a view of the city from the water.
The naval museum was a treat as there was so much to explore inside the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Yorktown and the battleship U.S.S. Laffey.
All in all, it was an amazing city to visit and without a doubt we will be back there to visit again.
Sad to leave Charleston after three days, we made our short drive down the coast to Savannah, GA – another first for both of us. My next post, My Amazing Bourbon Trail Trip – Part 7, will highlight our time in Savannah and the remainder of our trip back home to San Marcos, TX.
About the Author
A native of Texas, Ken “Texan” Pierce is a renowned alcohol aficionado with decades of experience in the Texas wine, whiskey, and beer industry. With a vast number of alcohol production resources right in his back yard in the Texas Hill Country, Ken has made it his mission to promote and advance the Texas winemaking, distilling, and brewing industry across the country. Ken holds certifications from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) for wine and is a Certified Texas Wine Ambassador. His ability to identify tasting notes and pairings makes him a respected authority within alcohol enthusiast circles. When he’s not reviewing the latest craft spirits, you can find Ken playing his guitar, trying to sing, and sipping on a Texas libation.