husbands dream vacation

This past weekend Jason and I got to go on a mini vacation.  The Army was nice enough to drop a little lot of extra cash into our bank account just because we're PCS'ing and asked for it (if you're military and don't know about DLA, LOOK INTO IT)!  We decided to be irresponsible and not put it ALL towards our debt but instead stop in  Bardstown, KY after we left FLW.  I hate the stuff but bourbon is like candy to the hubs and since another chunk of that money went to buy me a Kindle, I put on my happy shorts and went to the bourbon capitol of the world (or so they say).  I actually had a REALLY good time and can't wait to go back!  We were in town for less than 24 hours but packed in a LOT of activity!  Here's a little recap of our trip:

Dinner at the Old Talbert Tavern where Abe Lincoln and Daniel Boone have supposedly dined

I ate a Kentucky Hot Brown for the 1st time (or at least my version of it, with no ham or bacon) and LOVED it!

Then the husband sampled some local bourbons and got a free shot glass to keep (yay for "free" souvenirs!)

We saw a bike rally for fallen soldiers

had fun with our shadows

and I got really excited that our hotel had a REAL key

The town has 6 or 8 bourbon distilleries that you can tour, but we only had a few hours, so we woke up bright and early the next morning (8:00 is early for us right now) to start our tours.

1st was Jim Beam

This was the list of supplies Beam ordered after prohibition ended

Us inside the old T. Jeremiah Beam house

We He sampled 2 of the bourbon's Jim Beam makes, one of which was the 4th highest alcohol content the factory had ever made.  It was a bit intense for 9am!  Then we went over to the Makers Mark distillery which I was excited about and was not disappointed!

They paint all their buildings black to hide the mold (at least that's what I think the tour guide said) and I love the way they look with the red shutters

Our tour guide was great and we learned lots of interesting information, like the 5 factors to qualify a whiskey as a bourbon (1. it must be produced in the US, 2. it must be made of at least 51% corn, 3. it must be less than 160 proof, 4. free of any additives and 5. it must be aged at least 2 years.) and that bourbon is called America's Native Spirit.  Also, after the barrels are used to make bourbon, they are sent to Scotland to make Scotch.  Yay for recycling!

We were allowed to taste it in the process

We signed up to be ambassadors, so we will get our name on an ambassador barrel like these

and had more samples

and the BEST PART....

I put on all this sexy protective gear

and got to dip my own bottle into their signature wax seal

I was most looking forward to this part of the trip and it was fun to learn how they do it!

I also found my almost dream kitchen ( I love the retro feel but want a slightly brighter blue)

and loved these little guys that were out on display

We only toured the 2 but we loved every minute of it and can't wait to go back and check out the others.  If you like bourbon (or even if you don't), this is a relaxing, low key vacation spot I would recommend!