Maker's Mark

Casey arrived and then Dad arrived and at first the weather was so cold and wet that we didn't really want to go anywhere. However, eventually Dad and Casey and I ventured forth to Maker's Mark. (It rained most of the way there and most of the way home, but not during the tour.) I didn't think about the fact that it was after Christmas, so all of the workers were on a well deserved vacation. We did enjoy the tour anyway and to my surprise, they now give you a taste at the end of the tour. The guide explained that when they built the new gift shop (another surprise for me) they applied for a variance to be able to serve alcohol (Maker's Mark, like many of the distilleries in Kentucky, is in a dry county). The young woman giving the tour assumed Casey was old enough for a taste Casey politely refused and we later let her know that Casey was only 18 - the tour guide looked quite surprised and commented on Casey's as Casey is much taller than the tour guide. Not a good measure of age! They gave a small taste of the distilled liquor prior to it sitting in the barrels - sort of a moonshine, but with more grains than moonshine, and small taste of the finished bourbon. For all us - including Casey and the kids - there were bourbon candies. The alcohol in the candy is only 4% - so it is legal for those under 21. The first picture is where the alcohol goes as it is distilled, the second picture is some of the custom made shutters, the third is an outside shot of one of the buildings with mist from the rains and the fourth shot is of the some of the empty tasting glasses and bourbon candies. By the way, bourbon is carbohydrate free, but the bourbon candies are not.