STAR 2013 Tours

[MSTASam]

At the last STAR at Lexington KY a few years ago we toured one of the bourbon making companies, Woodford Reserve. Great tour BTW. So seeing this headline in the news today I have to ask: Will we have a fungus tour this time? Meanwhile maybe I'll stick to drinking beer! S

Kentuckians Take Distilleries to Court Over Black Gunk

In June, home and business owners in and around Louisville, part of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, filed class-action lawsuits in federal and circuit courts against five major distilleries, charging property damage and negligence.

The Louisville distilleries named in two suits — Brown-Forman, Diageo and Heaven Hill, manufacturers of Woodford Reserve, Bulleit Bourbon and Elijah Craig — plan to “vigorously contest” the claims, company representatives said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/30/us...ef=global-home

[stevegrab]

Didn't do the bourboun distillery tour in 2005, may do it this year. Don't care to tour a bunch of mold though.

[BlueRidgeGal]

Isn't nice to know that we live in a "sue" happy society? That black gunk has been a part of the distilling process forever, it forms as distilled spirits evaporate from the resting barrels causing a black mold on buildings and trees.

Mold or not, I thoroughly enjoyed touring the Kentucky bourbon trail a couple years ago and would highly recommend a visit to at least one of the many distilleries that offer tours while in the area. Heaven Hill and Maker's Mark were two of my favorites, but of course the best overall facility tour (IMO) was at Barton Distillery in downtown Bardstown - they bottle more than just bourbon/whiskey and you have the opportunity to see all the processes in one place with this tour.