Bourbon Trail Day 3

Frankfort, KY, is a ghost town on a Sunday afternoon. Travelling from Lexington to Louisville, we thought we would stop in Frankfort for a bite to eat. What we found was a ghost town. There were no restaurants open, no coffee shops, even the downtown churches appeared empty. Frankfort was a interesting mix of small town America and modernist government architecture. Large concrete office buildings are across the street, or railroad tracks as the case by be, from an early 20th century downtown. I expected to see Andy and Opie hanging outside the barbershop. But no one was hanging in downtown.

With little to do we headed out to Louisville and the Buffalo Trace distillery. We learned a little more about distilling but not very much. The most interesting fact was the same about of revenue expected from a barrel of bourbon regardless of the age. So if $100 is needed for a barrel of bourbon, when the 50% evaporates after 10 years of aging, then they charge twice per bottle for the aged bourbon. It’s the same bourbon going in, but the value is based on the amount coming out. So when you pay $50 for a shot of Pappy Van Winkle, you aren’t necessarily get a better tasting product. You get a rarer product. The evaporation of the bourbon is part of the rarity that is factored in. I say drink cheap bourbon and just more of it. If there is a flavor difference you won’t be able to tell after the second shot. Your taste buds will have already been fried.