Recently, I decided to take a spontaneous trip to the great city of Nashville Tennessee. My plan was two fold: vist my friends at The Crowned Heads, and check out the Jack Daniels Distillery. Crowned Heads Founder John Huber then told me of a cigar-pairing event he had coming up at Willett Distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky. When a Nashville man tells you about Kentucky whiskey, you know it has to be amazing. I proceeded right to Google Maps and figured out that it was a two-hour drive from where I was and considering how good Willett is, it was a no brainer. I slept on this thought and, first thing in the morning, decided to purchase a ticket to an 11:00 o'clock tour. I got in my car and started my trek. I made no stops on the way; my sole purpose was to make my tour on time or better yet, possibly a little early so I could buy up everything in the gift shop.
When I got off the exit for Bardstown and saw signs for the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, I started getting very excited like when I was a kid on the way to Six Flags as soon as you saw those roller coasters in the sky you could barely sit still! My GPS was doing some weird things like going down side streets, and all I kept thinking was am I in the right place? Then I rounded a corner. Up on a hill, a giant rickhouse was staring me down. I drove about 10 minutes more until I saw a metal gate with the Willett insignia. On a hot and humid day in July, I had reached the promised land. I drove through the property and parked outside the visitor center. With plenty of time to spare, I got out of my car to notice that the air was filled with the most amazing whiskey, caramel, and barrel smell I have ever encountered imagine nosing a fine bourbon for several hours.
I decided to take some pictures before heading into the building and checking in for my tour, only the woman behind the counter told me I'd missed it! Wait! I'm an hour early! What gives? I asked. Deducing that I'd come from Nashville, she clarified that I'd driven into a new time zone. But, luckily, because I was just one person, she was able to add me to the next tour without no problem (and this was extremely nice of her because, at that point, they were already booked solid til 3 p.m.). And with my now-regained lost time, I was able to spend an hour taking more photos and shopping the store, where I bought a nice bottle of Family Reserve rye and a T-shirt.
When the time had come to start the tour, we all lined up in front of the distillery's main door, which featured handles crafted to look like the original copper still.
Once inside, the first thing explained is the method used to get the corn and grain into the brewery from outside: a giant device that essentially takes the material out of a dump truck and pipes it directly into a grinder. They then mill the grains and corn into a powder, which when mixed and cooked, creates a beer or a mash, each distillery has its own unique recipes or mash bills. In order for the whiskey to be called bourbon, the law states that the mash bill must be 51% corn, although it's commonplace for the corn percentage to be higher; it usually lies between 60% and 80%. Once the mash bill is put together, they add special limestone water that originates from an underground spring. All of this is mixed together in a mash cooker that creates an oatmeal-like substance.
After the mash is cooked and cooled down, it is added to a fermentation tank on the second floor of the distillery. I was lucky enough to be there when one of the tanks was filling; the smell reminded me of sweet corn bread.
Once the fermenter is filled, a special yeast is added along with spent mash or stillage, and this is where the term sour mash comes from. The sour mash helps to prevent off flavors and infection while fermentation is occurring. The entire fermentation period takes about three days, and it is during this time that a distiller's beer is created. Once fermentation is complete, it's time to actually distill the beer in the original copper still.
Now, let's talk about distillation. With gauges and pipes and hatches all over the place, the column looks like something right out of a steampunk comic book. The column is over 60 feet tall, with holes bored into its floor and special tubes that line the inside to feed it the liquid. The liquid then starts to condense and vapor is formed. The vapor then moves up the column still as the alcohol content climbs. The alcohol is removed at the top of the still and water that contains grain particles comes out the bottom.
After the first distillation, the alcohol can go through a doubler, which is a simple copper pot. As an alternative for a different type of whiskey, the doubler can be bypassed and the once-distilled sprit can be fed directly into the copper pot still. This step improves the taste of the raw whiskey. The now twice-distilled whiskey flows through a condenser and is led to a spirit safe. From there, the white dog which is pretty much moonshine goes into a cistern room, where the newly made whiskey is toned down in strength with spring water. The whiskey is then placed into freshly charred oak barrels for aging.
Once the whiskey is added to the barrels, the barrels are manually rolled into the original rickhouse via a rail system, a method used in all manner of weather barring thunderstorms (as the rails are metal, they want absolutely no chance of a fire injuries to employees).
Clad in metal to force extreme temperatures on the barrels inside, the rickhouses are five stories tall with each story equipped with three barrel-storage tiers. There is a lot that goes on inside these rickhouses, which are essentially a microclimate that changes constantly based on the weather. Willett is situated on top of a hill that allows an almost constant breeze to flow through the property. Based on the desired temperatures for various parts of the house, different windows are opened at varying times. For instance, in the summer, the degree of heat varies from floor to floor; on the top, it's substantially hotter than it is down on the bottom. This results in the bottom barrels creating a whiskey lower in proof. Conversely, on top, much more whiskey evaporates to make the condensed liquid very rich and complex with lower yields. Generally, every year, the barrels lose anywhere from 3% to 5% of their content into the warehouse's atmosphere, and that is what is called the “angel share.
The aroma inside these warehouses is so special and unique; if I worked there, I would go in and inhale at least once a day. Another interesting thing to note is that there are full hamhocks suspended inside the rickhouse, placed there by a chef friend of the Willett family. Left there for two sweats (the term used for one year), the ham absorbs the angel share of whiskey floating throughout the warehouse and will later be prepared for the future patrons of an onsite bed and breakfast that is being constructed.
After the tour, we were brought into a room for a tasting, and even given a sweet Glencairn etched whiskey glass to keep as a souvenir. I will soon elaborate on what I sampled, as well as suggest cigar pairings, in the next article. But for now, I hope you enjoyed my journey through what I like to call my favorite distillery. I look forward to visiting more great spots throughout the country, and especially to sharing more stories.