Brewers vs Reds in Cincinnati 2010

If we stole just one of these barrels we could live like fat cats for weeks. There'd be so much bourbon we wouldn't know what to do with ourselves. But I bet we would drink and burn some songs. I wish we could record in here. The oak wood would absorb sound in ways we could never imagine and the whole place smelled like fine whiskey. I could live here in this place. But it is not my destiny to age here with the whiskey in one of these rack houses. We were told there was 30 or so of these rack houses on the Jim Beam property, with each one containing 20,000 barrels of fine Kentucky bourbon. Do the math if you wish, but I know that's more bourbon than I could ever drink in my entire life.

After the tour was over we got to sample some of the fine products that Jim Beam makes on this stretch of land. As you can see in the picture, the sample was just enough to get a taste and not enough to get you feeling groovy. This is America after all. They like to keep some sense of control, unlike our neighbors to the North at the Canadian Club distillery in Windsor, Ontario. They know how to party up in Canada. Since Kevin was at the time under 21, he couldn't sample the bourbon and instead had to settle for the bourbon flavored chocolate. Ah, to be young again... Nah.

A lot of places in the United States claim to be "God's Country". I would name one such example, but there are far too many to list in this small space. But if I were God I could see myself endorsing the Jim Beam land in Clermont, Kentucky as "My Country". There is something so beautiful and natural about this place that makes me feel right at home even though I've lived my entire life in Wisconsin. I really like it here.

Booker Noe was instrumental in guiding the Jim Beam brand to what it is today, as he was Master Distiller for 40 years before handing the job over to Jerry Dalton, the first non family member to be Master Distiller. Jerry doesn't have a statue and probably never will (Fred Noe took over in 2007) but Booker's sits outside in his favorite chair, with his best friend and a nice glass of whiskey in his hand. Not a bad way to be immortalized if you ask me. Sitting, drinking and looking over the beautiful property that you great relatives worked so hard to create.

Speaking of history, there was a graveyard on the property and if this was George A. Romero's Whiskey we could wake up the zombies and learn firsthand the history of this joint. But it isn't, so we had to just take the tour guide's word for it. I hope that he didn't lie to us.

There's all sorts of old timey history at the Jim Beam distillery. I'm sure every thing is modern where they actually make the whiskey (which is currently not accessible to the public) but everything else seemed like it was trapped in time. That made this place so cool.