Castle & Cairn

Trip Inspiration Almost seven years ago, I signed up for the Maker's Mark ambassador program, a free email list which comes with the novel kicker of being able to follow a barrel of Maker's Mark whisky through their production process. At six years and eight months of maturation, I got a notification that my barrel was ready and would be in the second season batch for 2025. While it might be a bit of a gimmick, I just had to go up to Loretto, KY for the free tour and specially labeled bottles (TBD on if it tastes any different than regular Maker's). A buddy and I decided to make a long weekend out of it, stopping into a handful of other distilleries nearby.  Itinerary Overview While we chose to stay in Bardstown, the bourbon capital of the world, I believe Louisville is increasingly the home base for most bourbon trips. That being said, I quite enjoyed the quiet and small town vibes of Bardstown. The drive from Atlanta, GA took about six hours on mostly state highways but w...

Chattanooga Whiskey - Downtown Experimental Distillery  Chattanooga Whiskey Company History Founded in 2011 with the goal of bringing whiskey distillation back to Hamilton County Tennessee, Chattanooga Whiskey Company started with sourced whiskey from Lawrenceburg Distillers of Indiana (LDI, now Midwest Grain Products or commonly "MGP" ) and became a grassroots spark point a year later under Tim Piersant and Joe Ledbetter with the "Vote Whiskey" movement.   Their efforts bore fruit in May of 2013 when Tennessee House Bill 102, “The Whiskey Bill”, passed with 57 House members in favor and 31 opposed. Governor Bill Haslam signs the bill  into law on May 16, 2013, making it legal to distill whiskey in all wet Tennessee counites. In 2015, Chattanooga Whiskey opened their currently functioning experimental location in the hip and happening part of downtown Chattanooga. The facility also hosts a generously sized tasting bar, basement barrel aging facility, and a small ba...