Travel: Kentucky distilleries different as night and day but both produce tasty libations

FRANKFORT, KY — McCracken Pike is a narrow and quiet country road that follows Glenns Creek through Woodford County like a faithful hound dog.

The pike is also the scenic setting for two distilleries that, while just a mile apart, are as different as that hound dog from a thoroughbred race horse.

The two distilleries, Castle & Key and Glenns Creek, were each founded in 2014 at the sites of historic distilleries that had been closed for decades.

Visitors who arrive for a tour or tasting will find two vastly different experiences — each delightful in its own way.

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Castle & Key Distillery

I first stumbled, accidentally, on what is now Castle & Key Distillery (www.castleandkey.com) about 10 years ago, when the former site of the Old Taylor Distillery sported a gigantic “for sale” sign and an impressive crop of rank weeds and feral raccoons.

Despite the obvious inattention, the property, which had closed in 1972, was still impressive, with a main building that resembled a turreted castle.

I joked with friends about buying the place, but knew the capital needed to turn it around was way way out of my league. Fortunately, two local investors who did have the necessary bucks purchased the property and have created one of the loveliest bourbon destinations anywhere.

I visited for the second time in the spring, where I learned that the limestone castle, built in 1887 by legendary bourbon baron E.H. Taylor Jr., was just the beginning of the marvels the property holds.

“Colonel” Taylor had the foresight to design the distillery and surrounding acreage to accommodate and entertain visitors, making it perhaps the very first bourbon tourism destination.

Taylor even had his own private rail line from Frankfort to bring in guests. Today, the Taylorton Station depot has been completely refurbished and is home to the distillery’s own walk-up bar, Counter 17, the perfect place to order a cocktail to take along on a walk through the beautiful grounds.

The distillery sits on the banks of burbling Glenns Creek, where modern visitors, such as those in the 19th century, can sit, stroll, and enjoy a sip of their favorite beverage.

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Visitors will also see the beautiful Springhouse, designed in the shape of a keyhole and providing water for the distillery as it did in Taylor’s time.

More strolling takes visitors through the original classical Sunken Garden and along a new professionally designed Botanical Trail planted with botanicals and herbs used in the distillery’s seasonal gin.

At the far reaches of the grounds is another historic building, Warehouse B, a 534-foot long brick rickhouse that holds up to 36,000 barrels of whiskey and is the largest structure of its kind.

Next to the castle, which holds the distillery proper, is the historic Boiler Room, converted into a beautiful visitors center and gift shop.

Castle & Key began selling its first bourbon just this spring, but good luck finding it — bottles sell out almost instantly. The distillery also produces very good rye whiskey, vodka and gin.

The grounds are open to the public free of charge during business hours. Visitors can also book a variety of tours and experiences, including yoga in the Sunken Gardens.

Glenns Creek Distilling

Glenns Creek Distilling (glennscreekdistillery.com) was founded on the site of the former Old Crow distillery by David “Old Cranky Dave” (it’s on his business card) Meier.

Visually, Glenns Creek is the opposite of pastoral Castle & Key; the vibe is more mad-scientist-meets-Home-Depot than Rhenish-castle-with-pleasure-garden.

The buildings at Glenns Creek are much more utilitarian and date from after World War II.

“There’s nothing fancy on this property,” Meier said.

“And it had been neglected for 30 years.”

Meier had been a production efficiency specialist in the automobile industry and was looking for a manufacturing operation to buy, he said.

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“I didn’t get into it because of a lifelong love of bourbon, but the challenges were intriguing, and the thought of making pencils every day seemed boring.”

Meier was, it seems, the ultimate bourbon “outsider,” which allowed him to bring a fresh outlook to distilling — one that’s perhaps more practical if less, let us say, “romantic.”

Glenns Creek, in fact, bills itself as “Bourbon without the BS.”

“A lot of things I was told you couldn’t do, turns out you can,” Meier said.

“There are two ways to get into distilling,” he said.

“One way is expensive, the other is really damn expensive."

Meier chose the first path, designing and building his own “Franken stills” for about $2,000 each, a fraction of the cost of the fancy stills found in many distilleries.

Distilling is actually less complex than often advertised, Meier said.

“People did this a long, long time before science came along. It’s one thing to know about chemistry, another to do something about it.”

The distillery uses yeast captured from an original Old Crow fermentation tank on-site, but that might be more important to the story than to the flavor, Meier suggested.

“I’ve tried 50 kinds of yeast and they’ve all worked just fine. We’re not making beer. You can’t make whiskey like you make beer.”

The distillery produces a variety of interesting and tasty bourbons, rye whiskeys and rums.

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“We’re small, so we can try something if we want to,” Meier said. “And every so often we have an “aha” moment.”

Visitors to Glenns Creek have a variety of touring and tasting options, including a “Guinea Pig” tour featuring an hour with a distiller, tastings including “experimental” varieties and a deep dive into bourbon facts and myths.

Steve Stephens is a freelance travel writer and photographer. Email him at sjstephensjr@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Kentucky distilleries differ in style but both produce quality bourbon