Book Review: The Bourbon Journey
The Kentucky Bourbon Trail is Mecca for bourbon enthusiasts. Those residing in the Commonwealth of Kentucky are apt to take for granted the ease with which distillery tours can be planned compared to those who travel a great distance to the Bluegrass State. When not well-versed in the landscape of Kentucky, it can be a daunting task to plan a high-quality bourbon tourism trip. Coming to the aid of travelers, Mark Meade’s The Bourbon Journey: Kentucky Travel Guide is a tremendous resource.
Meade opens the book with a basic introductory discussion of bourbon that doesn’t provide any groundbreaking information for well-established enthusiasts, but will certainly be helpful for those with a casual interest in American whiskey. The Bourbon Journey then quickly moves beyond the bourbon basics and gets into the heart of planning a pilgrimage.
Numerous excellent bourbon travel guides exist, but Meade manages to add very important information that the other books neglect. How do the seasons in Kentucky’s climate impact tour experiences? How far in advance do tours need to be booked? Are there certain times of the year that are better for touring? What are the risks of visiting during the Kentucky Derby? What are the benefits of catching a tour with a bourbon tourism company? Did you know that the Kentucky Bourbon Trail spans two different time zones? If a tourist is not intimately familiar with Kentucky, these are all bits of knowledge that could be lacking, but highly important when planning the best experience possible.
The Bourbon Journey is in part an accounting of the author’s personal tourism history in Kentucky, as Meade details his own tourism experience at numerous distilleries, big and small. The brief history provided for each distillery largely follows the established marketing story, but the biggest value is the discussion of what to expect at each of the distilleries. What are the tour options offered? Does the distillery offer allocated gift shop offerings? Is there an on-site restaurant? Is “bottle your own” offered? After recapping the distilleries, the author finally gives his impressions of his best overall experiences.
Bourbon pilgrims will no doubt be spending a lot of time at distilleries, but plenty of time will also be spent in Kentucky while not within one. So: What else is there to do in Kentucky? What’s the local food scene? Where should a tourist grab a drink after dinner? The Bourbon Journey assists travelers in a planning a complete trip to Kentucky even after the tours have ended.
If you’re pondering coming to Kentucky to experience the heart of bourbon and don’t know where to start, The Bourbon Journey is an excellent tool. Meade provides valuable logistics insights that many other books have failed to consider. If you want your bourbon pilgrimage to go as smoothly as possible, you’ll want to grab this book.
A- / $7 [BUY IT NOW FROM AMAZON]
The Bourbon Journey: Kentucky Travel Guide
$7
