West End Tavern

At West End Tavern, we serve the 3 Bs flight: Bookers, Basil Haydens, and Bakers all coming off the line of Jim Beam. They each have characteristics unique to taste profiles, too. Bookers is 120 proof, straight from the barrel, uncut and unfiltered. It brings on the heat so you can cut it with a drop of water, as Booker Noe suggested. Basil Haydens rye is a heavy whiskey aged for 8 years and bottled at 80 proof. Finally, theres Bakers, named for Jim Beams grandnephew. Coming in at 107 proof, this bourbon is described as dangerously drinkable. All-in-all, Jim Beam is HUGE and the rick houses are grand . . . they have so much whiskey coming off the line and are building more and more houses to store it in, the newest being the size of a football field. We ended our tour in the tasting room, a super high-tech version with each person having a digital card to swipe at the dispenser to ensure a precise pour of your favorite hooch (or soon to be favorite!). We left Jim Beam and headed towards the bourbon capital of Kentucky: Bardstown. Also declared one of the best small towns of America, we sure felt the enchanting draw as we pulled into town. And man was it in celebration mode! Peoples bourbon-excitement was in full swing with lively lines for the craft show and the restaurants. One restaurant not to miss would be Mammys Kitchen – Ultimate Fried Bologna & Cheese, anyone? We then traveled a mile outside of Bardstown, rolling through the country and vast pastures of Kentucky, to the Heaven Hill Distillery. All the master distillers of Heaven Hill are members of the Beam family. Their most well known labels are Evan Williams and Elijah Craig, but they hold a share of some unique sought-after bourbons amongst the seekers. In 1996 a massive fire destroyed the production plant, so Heaven Hill took over the Bernhiem distillery; however, the aging and bottling still take place on Heaven Hill. My favorite bourbon on the Hill is Parkers Heritage: every edition is