Forest Giants at Bernheim, Jim Beam, Bottle and Bond
Even after visiting Kentucky a number of times over the years, I hadn’t been to many Bourbon distilleries.
So, when my brother and sister-in-law asked me to accompany them to Kentucky, I was more than happy to jump in the car…
…grab some delicious kielbasa and ribs en route (Dickey’s Barbecue Pit)…
…and get ready for a bourbon-filled weekend adventure.
Before going to the first distillery…
…we took a little side-trip to Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest…
…where following large yellow footprints…
…led us to Forest Giants created by Danish artist Thomas Dambo.
After seeing Little Nis up close, it was hard to not venture on to find more…
…and we eventually came upon this curious area…
…with wind chimes…
…dragon skulls…
…and a huge Forest Giant holding flowers…
…named Mama Loumari.
Seriously, she was huge (see the people next to her?)…
…and there were even branches that made up her hair (very cool)!
The final giant was Little Elina…
…and while she wasn’t really “little”…
…she did seem like a child when you stepped far enough away…
…and kids loved to leave her trinkets to play with.
After our hike, we crossed the street to Jim Beam…
…where we greeted James Beam before continuing on to the gift shop…
…walking the grounds (Master Distiller’s Home)…
…and then finally taking Booker Noe’s lead to sit and relax a bit…
…with a little (Red Stag) bourbon on the rocks.
Once properly relaxed, we then headed on to Bardstown (my wife’s hometown), where we would be staying the weekend.
That evening, we had dinner reservations at the Bardtown Bourbon Company’s Bottle and Bond Kitchen and Bar…
…where we met up with my father-in-law and sister-in-law for a wonderful evening.
And, in case you were curious…
…I ordered some tuna tartare tacos with sriracha mayo and guacamole…
…along with some pan seared Brussels sprouts with bourbon bacon and Kentucky Blue Cheese…
…and they were both delicious!