So, when I found myself back in Bourbon Country last month and my mom suggested we take a family pre

I drank my fair share of clear liquor in college. To the point where a good whiff of vodka, gin, or rum had my stomach in knots. Then, one night in Florida a friend s mom introduced me to bourbon and ever since I ve been throwing back the Beam, Maker s, and Evan Williams (hey, I was a poor college student once) in high spirits.
So, when I found myself back in Bourbon Country last month and my mom suggested we take a family car rental pre-Christmas trip out to the Jim Beam Distillery, called the Jim Beam American Stillhouse, I was all in.
Unlike most of of the other major distillers in the area, Jim Beam only opened itself up for tours to the public in the fall of 2012. The result is a beautiful complex of restored and reconstructed buildings on the original site of the Beam family distillery.
My parents, sister, and I arrived car rental early for the noon tour on an unseasonably warm Sunday. We wandered the grounds before the stillhouse car rental doors opened and took a look at the rack house where the bourbon is stored and aged, the rebuilt home T. Jeremiah Beam, and a statue of Booker Noe and his faithful four footed companion.
At noon the doors to the stillhouse opened and we purchased our tickets for $8 each. The tour began with a bus ride out to the the actual distillery. During the ride our very knowledgeable tour guide ran through the history of Jim Beam and introduced us to the company s motto- Come as a friend, leave as family .
The Beam family began making bourbon in Kentucky in 1787. Today, 95% of bourbon is made in Kentucky. And for good reason. First, Kentucky sits on a limestone shelf. The limestone helps to purify the water supply and it also aids in the fermentation process. Secondly, a lot of corn is grown in Kentucky, and a lot of corn is needed to make bourbon. Bourbon has to contain 51% corn to be considered as such, and it takes 14 square feet to make one 750 ml bottle.
The process of making bourbon is a long one. First, corn, rye, and malt are processed into a powder. This powder is the combined with a special yeast recipe. This causes the fermentation car rental process to begin- the yeast changes car rental the sugars into alcohol. At this point, with the large amounts of yeast, the air smelled like a brewery as opposed to a liquor distillery.
After 3 days of fermentation the distillation process begins. The remaining mash is pushed through 14 trays until it is liquid. This liquid is boiled at 200 degrees until it is at the correct proof to be barreled. Legally, bourbon has to be distilled at 160 proof or below. A higher proof means there will be less flavor and at Jim Beam they distill between 125-135. It is at this point that the smell becomes sweeter, more like liquor than beer.
Once distilled, the liquid is placed in a brand new, fifty three gallon, charred oak barrel. The char on the barrel gives the bourbon its amber color. car rental The bourbon is then aged for 4-9 years depending on brand, with the more expensive bourbons being aged longer.
Jim Beam prides itself on being environmentally responsible. All of the used barrels are used to make beer, whiskey, car rental and tobacco car rental after being emptied, and all the used grains car rental are dried and sent to farms to be used as animal feed.
The next step in the process is bottling. First, bourbon is shot through the bottle to disinfect the glass before it is filled and capped. Using bourbon instead of water to clean prevents the bourbon from being watered down.
After being capped each bottle is etched with a tracking code, dipped into black wax, stamped with a label, and shipped. car rental From each batch 2 bottles are stored for 2 years to assure quality car rental among all products.
Our second to last stop was a barrel rack house. This is one of the many facilities that Jim Beam uses to age their bourbon. The building was old, dark, and extremely cold. The smell of bourbon was strong in the air and I was concerned that the nearly century old beams would collapse and thousands of barrels of bourbon would crush me. Luckily, car rental we were only in there long enough to learn that there are more bottles of bourbon aging in Kentucky than there are people aging in Kentucky before moving on to the best part of the tour.
After one and half hours of learning all about bourbon and Beam, we were able to sample two Jim Beam products. Although I m not a huge straight bourbon fan, it was the perfect ending to a very educational and entertaining day at the Jim Beam American Stillhouse.
Visitor Information: The Jim Beam American Stillhouse is open for tours Monday-Saturday from 9-5 with tours every half hour from 9:30-3:30 (except 12:30) and on Sunday from noon- 4:30 with tours every half hour from 12:30-3. Closed on Sunday in January and February and on major holidays. The Jim Beam American Stillhouse is located at 526 Happy Hollow Road in Clermont, KY 40110. For more information car rental visit their website .
I'm Amanda. car rental I travel, I eat, and I write about it. My farsickness has led me to study abroad and work as an au pair in the land of pizza and pasta, teach English in a country where spicy fermented cabbage reigns supreme, and constantly plan trips in search of my next great meal.