It’s the end of summer and the football teams are all having try outs from grade school on up to the professionals. Each year they go through the basics from putting on the pads and helmet to the essentials of blocking the opponent to…Read More

It’s the end of summer and the football teams are all having try outs from grade school on up to the professionals. Each year they go through the basics from putting on the pads and helmet to the essentials of blocking the opponent to running the plays that the coach’s worked on since last season. But, before you let football grip your heart and your mind and take up every Friday and Saturday night, stop looking forward to the upcoming season.
At the same time, the boys of baseball are nearing the end of the regular season and teams are preparing for post season play, while others are just looking forward to the year being over. These players also went through Spring training where they worked on the basics of running, catching, stretching, hitting and base stealing; just like they had done every year since they began playing the game.
Louisville has the Bats, the Cincinnati Reds Triple A farm team. They play all home games at Louisville Slugger Field and as of recent, they are in 1st place in their division. So, they will make the playoffs, or the hopes of the fans is that they will finish the season winning and go to the playoffs. For many of the players, they are hoping that they get called up to the majors and ride the Red’s team into the major league playoffs.
You could feel the excitement in the air as my wife, Pat, and I walked towards the ticket office just outside Slugger Field. If you arrive early, there is plenty of free parking around the stadium and all of the streets are lit and patrolled by police cars; so there is hardly any trouble while you are watching the game. The upper level seats cost $11 each and that was an increase of $5 from 10 years ago when we sat in a similar spot to watch the River Bats play ball. At that game I took photos and they have been hanging on the wall of my office ever since. We’ve been to games since then and I’ve taken photos at all of them, but tonight I wanted some new photos for a new photo spread for the office wall.
Before going to our upper level seats, we bought a foot long hot dog, a big pretzel and some Nachos; and also some ice cold soft drinks, to not only wash the food down but to help keep us cool on the 90+ degree night. In our seats, we ate our food and watched the teams warm up. To the players it is so routine and vital to them not pulling a muscle; and to the fans watching, they looked like ballet artists.
The game for me I know is really two teams playing each other; but I love watching the battle between the batter and the pitcher. It’s the coming together of two separate and strong wills and the battle is fun to watch. Will the batter take the pitch or will he let it pass? If accepted, will it be swung on and missed, hit as a foul ball or will the batter connect for an hit, a double or a homerun? So many possibilities and if one slips on one of the basics that was worked on over and over in Spring training, will the other take advantage of the situation?
After 6 innings, the game wasn’t close. The Syracuse Chiefs were up 5 to 1 and their pitcher who had Tommy Johns Surgery last year, really had his bionic arm working tonight. He was too much for the Bats batters and they had one run to show for their efforts. My wife wanted to walk around and being the good husband that I am, I obliged her.
If you go to the game at Slugger Field, I recommend walking around the ballpark. There are no locked gates, no rules that are enforced unless you upset someone, but you can stop and sit anywhere in the park and enjoy the game from 360 degrees around the stadium. We stopped behind home plate where you can hear the umpire call "Ball!", "Strike!" and "Your Out!!" From down by 1st base we not only saw the pitcher and the batter from a good angle, but we saw a play at 1st base that I question was an error on the umpire. But, then they’re always right. Also, from this view we saw the sky change a range of pastel colors as the sun began to set. From the outfield, the bridges from Louisville to Southern Indiana were a spectacular contrast to the setting sun. also in the outfield there is a children’s play area complete with a Merry-Go-Round. And if you get hungry, you can watch the game from the outfield and enjoy it with a hotdog from the concession stands out there. In left field there is a grassy slope, where you can sit on the grass or lean back to enjoy the game and daze at the sky.
Slugger Field was packed that night and with the Bats being in first place it helps in filling the stands. But, even when the team was in last place and the summer was coming to an end and there was no hope for the team or any of the players to be called up, the fans still turn out. I ask "Why?" Plan on going to one of the remaining home games before the boys of football have their time and you too will discover the magic in the game of baseball. You too will find yourself slowing down and being drawn into the battle of the pitcher and the batter and all the worries, the fears of the week, of the future will evaporate at the call from the umpire behind home plate as he yells out "Play ball!"
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Zachary Taylor National Cemetery is located in the northeastern section of Louisville, Kentucky alongside Brownsboro Road. Thousands of cars pass by it daily and few stop and visit one of the 2 national cemeteries in the city; one of 7 in the state.…Read More

Zachary Taylor National Cemetery is located in the northeastern section of Louisville, Kentucky alongside Brownsboro Road. Thousands of cars pass by it daily and few stop and visit one of the 2 national cemeteries in the city; one of 7 in the state. The gates are open sunrise to sunset daily.
The nationally registered cemetery is situated on 16 acres of land and the silence is magical once you pass through the gates and get out of your car. Sounds from the road and the nearby interstate are suddenly nonexistent.
Right inside the gate is the main office off to the right, which is open Monday thru Friday from 8 AM until 4:30 PM. Across from the stone exterior office is a short road that leads back to a covered pavilion where burial ceremonies are performed. So, there are only two roads in the cemetery, but all around there is much history present.
White tombstones, in neat rows are a stark contrast to the green grass which is manicured by a staff from the government. The markers seem to go on forever over the rolling landscape. Names, dates, ranks, the wars fought in are chiseled in the face of the stone. Some are buried from battle related deaths; others many years after the end of the war in which they fought. On the backside of the tombs are the names of spouses.
There are too many gravesites to look at individually, but I am consumed with the thought of what happened in these soldier’s lives. Represented by the dash on each tombstone, what story could be told if the dash could only speak. Stories of fear, lost lives, lost love, pain, tragedy, returning home, trying to forget, starting over – too many questions but all related to fighting for peace.
The cemetery was founded in 1928 by an act of Congress. Before that, President Zachary Taylor’s body had been moved here from Washington, DC and was interred on a half acre of the family grave site. The Taylor family asked Congress to take the title to the family burial site and they were turned down. The State of Kentucky gave 15.5 acres of land to bring the total acreage to 16. The federal government still refused and they did agree to maintain the land.
In 1883, the state built a granite shaft as a memorial to the 12th President. On top there is a life size statue of Zachary Taylor.
President Taylor was originally buried here in an earthen tomb with his wife Margaret Taylor, which is still present. 43 years later a mausoleum made of limestone was built and both bodies were moved. The inside of the new tomb is lined with marble, the front doors are made of bronze and they have double paneled glass through which you can see inside. The back has two windows, allowing light to illuminate the interior. The inscription over the door is "1784 Zachary Taylor 1850." In this case, the dash is the president’s name. What a story his life tells.
There are 13,486 interments in the cemetery. The men and women buried here served in 6 wars: Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, and the Persian Gulf War.
Near the entrance, beside the main office, there is a small section of tombs of soldiers whose bodies were never found. A Missing in Action flag flies over this area on a flagpole. A sheltered computer as well as a binder full of pages are present to aid in locating a person buried here in the cemetery.
Zachary Taylor is buried in the back along with his family members.
My wife and I were there for 60 minutes and two other cars came and went in that time period. All of the tombstones face the east, which means those on the right hand side of the road as you enter have their backs to the road, except for the tombs of the MIA soldiers. They get to witness the sunrise every day and they all fought for the day when that sun would rise and there would be peace over the land.
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Rather than to fill up three reviews with the details of the full process, I thought it best to tackle that as a separate topic. So to that end, I offer. . . How they make American bourbon whisky.In order to be called bourbon whisky…Read More

Rather than to fill up three reviews with the details of the full process, I thought it best to tackle that as a separate topic. So to that end, I offer. . . How they make American bourbon whisky.

In order to be called bourbon whisky in America, the law requires that a grain mixture using at least 51% of corn have to be used. Additionally, the liquid must come out of the evaporation process at least 160 proof and must be stored for a minimum of two years in new char oak barrels and that there would be no additives to give the product color or flavor. While clear “white dog” is the original alcohol product that comes out of the distillation process, the aging process (typically four to seven years) is what gives the golden brown coloring and the smooth caramelized flavor.

Distilling whisky has been part of the American fiber dating back to the 18th century. As local owners of stills started to sell the product, the business of making bourbon whisky was started. By 1911, there were nearly 200 distilleries in Kentucky. Unfortunately Prohibition (1920-1933) caused huge problems for the owner operators of stills throughout the country, shutting down those who chose to be in compliance with the law. Others continued to operate in the shadows, creating a significant underground economy at a time when the country was in significant financial distress.

After prohibition the country saw production restrictions and a number of industry consolidations that ultimately resulted in a dramatic reduction of companies in the bourbon business in Kentucky. Today there are just nine distilleries operating in the state. One may ask “Why Kentucky?” to which we learned that it is here that the best natural spring waters are available. The limestone found in the ground serves as a water purifier, assuring that there is no iron or any other minerals that can adversely affect the smooth taste of the bourbon.


The Process Itself

While the grain "recipe" varies from company to company, all must use a minimum of 51% corn. The remaining 49% is typically rye and barley, although in the 1950s Marker’s Mark changed their family recipe to replace the rye with the sweeter and more subtle wheat. Since that time, other distillers have created specialty bourbons that also feature wheat. Once the grains have all been milled or ground to a rather fine consistency, the malt is cooked. Once cooled, yeast is added to essential “eat” the sugars, expelling carbon dioxide as the huge vats bubble. No heat is used at this step of the process. The fermentation room where this takes place is very pungent smelling much like a frat dorm room on Monday after a weekend keg party. The mash is largely like beer, only without the fizz that carbonation creates.

After three or four days of fermentation, the mixture is separated so as to remove the grains from the liquid. This is the distillation step. Through an evaporation process, the gases rise and then condense into liquid. The first step product is also called low wine and typically is put through another distillation that results in the final product that will be barreled for aging. The remaining grain mixture is typically sold to local farmers as livestock feed.

Barrels are white oak and have been uniformly charred on the inside. The filled barrels are then warehoused in a “rack” configuration on their side. As the barrel and liquid temperatures fluctuate with the seasons of the year, the liquid penetrates the wood of the barrel in the summer. In the winter, the liquid retreats back to the interior of the barrel with little in the actual wood itself. This expansion and contraction is essential to making good bourbon whisky and why you will find distilleries in areas such as Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia where there are four distinctive seasons. Many distilleries rotate the barrels throughout the rack house in order to provide a more uniform aging process.

After the aging process has been completed, the contents of the barrels are emptied through a filtering process to assure the purest product is bottled. Once bottled, labeling, and packaging occurs. The bourbon is then ready for shipment.

You may wonder about what they do with the now “used” barrels. They are typically sold to distilleries overseas, particularly in the UK. When we took the Dewar’s Distillery tour in Aberfeldy, Scotland we were told they bought all of their barrels from American bourbon distilleries. At Jim Beam, visitors could buy used barrels (half or whole) for uses around the house and yard. During our tour at Marker’s Mark we learned of “redneck whisky” which is when someone buys and takes a used bourbon barrel and fills it up with water in hopes of soaking out the alcohol from the oak barrel. All I could think of was “YUCK!”

NOTE: All photos with this review are from the tour of Marker's Mark as they were the only distillery we visited that took us to see all of the steps of the process.Close

Jim Beam Bourbon has its roots in Kentucky, dating back to the 18th century when a farmer by the name of Jacob Beam distilled whisky for his own personal use. By 1795 he was selling his product to locals and establishing the Beam name synonymous…Read More

Jim Beam Bourbon has its roots in Kentucky, dating back to the 18th century when a farmer by the name of Jacob Beam distilled whisky for his own personal use. By 1795 he was selling his product to locals and establishing the Beam name synonymous with Kentucky Bourbon whisky. Today the Jim Beam Outpost provides visitors the opportunity to learn more about the distilling, Jim Beam the company and the legacy created by over 200 years with the same recipe and process as that first barrel of “Old Jake Beam Sour Mash” sold in 1795!

The Jim Beam Outpost is your starting and finishing point for your visit to learn about Jim Beam. We were immediately greeted with a friendly lady offering us homemade chocolate bourbon balls. It is also here that you can watch a video and read about the distilling process used to make Jim Beam Bourbon. There are several exhibits inside, as well as around the grounds adjacent to the Outpost. The walking tour will take you to the cooperage museum, a rare one-of-a-kind antique moonshine still and to see how the oak barrels are made. No tour to a distillery would be complete without a visit to the “rack house” where the barrels of Jim Beam Bourbon are aging in oak barrels.

Also on the property at the Outpost is the 1911 T. Jeremiah Beam House, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It has been fully restored, with the first floor accessible to visitors. The beautiful antiques, photos, and family heirlooms throughout tell the story of the family history. It is also in this building that samples are provided to guests of legal drinking age.

With the Beam Family name now Noe, today seventh generation Beam heir Frederick Booker Noe III oversees production to assure that whisky produced today is identical to that which was first sold back in 1795. On the front lawn of the Beam Family home is a life-sized bronze sculpture of Booker Noe, the grandson of Jim Beam. It was under his stewardship that Jim Beam flourished and became the number one American whisky. He passed away in 2004.

Back in the gift shop located inside the Outpost, visitors can purchase a variety of logo’ed items including barware, apparel, candies, and small gift sized packages of Jim Beam.

The Jim Beam Outpost is open Monday through Saturday, 9am – 4:30pm and Sundays 1pm – 4pm and tours are free.
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The Bourbon Heritage Center is the centerpiece of the Heaven Hill Distilleries located approximately 45 minutes from Louisville. Today Heaven Hill Distilleries is the largest private conglomerate in the business of liquor. It is here that visitors and bourbon aficionados can learn about the distilling…Read More

The Bourbon Heritage Center is the centerpiece of the Heaven Hill Distilleries located approximately 45 minutes from Louisville. Today Heaven Hill Distilleries is the largest private conglomerate in the business of liquor. It is here that visitors and bourbon aficionados can learn about the distilling process used to produce such brand names as Evan Williams, Elijah Craig, and Old Fitzgerald among several others.

This tourist attraction opened in 2004 and is largely focused on telling the history of the brand and the retail selling of unique branded items of their product line. The visitor center has more of an exhibit and museum feel to it, with lots of antiques, photographs, and picture walls telling the story. There is also a short (approximately 15 minute) film that is shown that reviews the distilling process here for all of their whisky products.

After viewing the film, guests are invited to take the walking “tour” across the street to one of the barrel storage houses. Given that there really isn’t much to see or learn “looking at a warehouse” we passed on that aspect of the tour. When the group we were in returned half an hour later, we were able to rejoin them for sampling in the Heaven Barrel Room. There was a circular bar with two samples being featured. Before we were encouraged to try each, we were asked to clear our sense of smell by sniffing a couple of scented vials. The first sampling they gave us was the Evan Williams “black label” seven year bourbon. The second was their Elijah Craig, a 12 year, 93 proof bourbon.

I think that all bourbon makers also have those yummy chocolate bourbon balls. We were also provided a sampling of them here at Heaven Hill Distilleries, although they were not quite as good as those offered at Marker’s Mark. Of course you could buy a box of the chocolate delights in the gift shop. Also in the gift shop were old style souvenir whisky jugs along with a variety of barware for your bar at home.

The tour and sampling are free. Posted hours are 10am - 5pm (Tuesday through Saturday). Sunday hours are 12am - 4pm during the months of March through December. The last tour is offered an hour before closing time. Please also note that tasting and retail sales of alcoholic beverages are prohibited on Sundays.Close

Marker’s Mark is proud of their old fashioned hand-made whisky distillery operation, with their legacy beginning as a family business in 1840 in Samuels Depot, KY. Today the seventh generation member of the Samuels family continues with the tradition, even if today’s product is different…Read More

Marker’s Mark is proud of their old fashioned hand-made whisky distillery operation, with their legacy beginning as a family business in 1840 in Samuels Depot, KY. Today the seventh generation member of the Samuels family continues with the tradition, even if today’s product is different than what was produced by the early family recipe. Marker’s Mark as we know it today really came into existence, however, in 1958 when the new brand name and recipe was launched. Bill Samuels, Sr. wanted to change the recipe to make a smoother sipping whisky. He tinkered with the grain mixture, ultimately choosing to replace the rye with locally grown winter wheat. The result indeed met with his desired outcome, creating a "gentler" tasting whisky.

His wife Marge’s contribution to the new product was its name, logo, and the distinctive red wax seal. As a collector of fine pewter, she was accustomed to looking for the "mark of the maker" on pieces and felt that their family whisky should also have such a mark. And because cognac bottles that she collected were sealed with colorful wax, she thought that would add a nice touch to their packaging.

Today visitors can step back in time to see how distilling took place in the 19th century, as Marker’s Mark uses much of the same manual equipment and processes of that era opting for a more traditional production and distilling method. We have taken many brewery and distillery factory tours, including others in Kentucky that are also featured in this journal. The Marker’s Mark tour, however, is one of the best...with the exception of perhaps the Dewar’s Distillery in Aberfeldy, Scotland.

During the course of the hour long walking tour guests have the opportunity to see corn and other grains crushed by a rollermill, protecting the flavor from scorching that occurs by modern day milling machines. From there, the mash is mixed to include yeast that has been in the Samuels family for five generations. The fermentation takes place in large cypress tubs that are over 12 feet deep and hold around 9,300 gallons of mixture. In the fermentation stage, each vat is at a different stage...either at one, two, or three days of fermentation. We were invited to dip our hands into the mixture in each to taste the evolution over the course of the four day process. Day one mixture was sweet almost like cereal, day two a bit like stale beer and day three was strong and rather sour. I guess that is why they call it sour mash!

From there the liquid is separated from the grain and then goes through a double distillation process creating a 130 proof clear alcohol liquid. Once barreled the maturation begins its five to seven year aging process. Marker’s Mark may be the only alcohol product that does not age for a specific or uniform time. They have 19 taste testers who sample barrels to assure uniformity in taste rather than time since seasonal fluctuation of temperatures from year to year can affect the ultimate taste.

Perhaps the most anticipated part of the Marker’s Mark tour is the bottling building where every bottle is sealed with the familiar red wax at the manual hand-dipping station. Here four women were working at a rate of 23 bottles per minute (each!) hand dipping each bottle as it comes down the line for packaging and shipping. Marker’s Mark only packages to meet that day’s shipping requirements so on some days there may not be any bottle dipping happening. But when it is, we’re told it is the buzz around the tour groups.

After the tour is completed you can go to the visitor center and retail store where you can buy your own bottle and hand dip it in the trademarked red wax. David of course had to do it, being a die-hard Marker’s Mark customer. There they also have a number of other logo’ed and "red wax" items for purchase...including beautiful seasonal packaging for Christmas.

Marker’s Mark takes great pride in their handmade heritage and high demand for quality. Throughout the tour we could see the pride at work by all who we met. The grounds were impeccably maintained as the buildings had a true turn of the century feel about them. We enjoyed seeing several of the older original buildings including what is believed to be perhaps the oldest remaining "retail whisky store" in America. The "Quart Store" dates back to around 1890 and was a place were locals could drive up and have their quart jugs filled with the whisky produced here by then distiller Charles Burks’ Mill & Distillery.

If there is any area for disappointment on this entertaining and educational tour, it would be that they do not have a license to permit sampling. I know that 11am seems to be a bit early to want to have a sip of whisky, but it would have been nice especially for those who were not regular drinkers of this outstanding Kentucky whisky. They did provide all guests with a sample of the homemade chocolate bourbon balls which were outstanding, along with some homemade pink lemonade to quench your thirst. Their hospitality was sincerely felt and appreciated.

If you are in Kentucky, you should really make the effort to take in the tour at Marker’s Mark. They are approximately 1.5 hours from Lexington, KY and about an hour from Louisville. Additional information including hours of operation may be found at www.makersmark.com. If you can’t make your way to Kentucky, you may catch the behind the scenes tour of Marker’s Mark Distillery on the Travel Channel show "Made in America" with John Ratzenberger. We’ve seen it twice and have enjoyed it both before and after being there in person. (Ironically, it was on TV the day after we returned home from our road trip that included Kentucky.)Close

Downtown617 Carter St.I left this thrift store, housed in a former supermarket, with a cart full of funky finds. The vast space is filled with vintage and current styles, shelves of shoes and bric-a-brac, furniture and books. Downside is there are no dressing rooms, upside…Read More

Downtown
617 Carter St.

I left this thrift store, housed in a former supermarket, with a cart full of funky finds. The vast space is filled with vintage and current styles, shelves of shoes and bric-a-brac, furniture and books.

Downside is there are no dressing rooms, upside is things here don't cost much more than a dollar or two so you can afford to take a chance.

I found an Ungaro suit and a Calvin Klien dress(in the current season's style) for $3 and $5! Neither looked like they'd ever been worn and had reassuring dry cleaning tags. These two bargains are just the tip of a titanic iceberg.

Unique is great for clothes and shoes, not so great for books/furniture/bric-a-brac.Close

Downtown/IndiannaSomething fascinating was underfoot everywhere I stepped at this site across Louisville's bridge to Indianna. I stood on the 387 million year old fossil bed and pondered things primeval. The rush of the rapids lulled me to sleep atop now stony snails and other fossilized…Read More

Downtown/Indianna

Something fascinating was underfoot everywhere I stepped at this site across Louisville's bridge to Indianna. I stood on the 387 million year old fossil bed and pondered things primeval. The rush of the rapids lulled me to sleep atop now stony snails and other fossilized marine life, (the falls are, literally, covered with fossils). When I woke, I thought I must still be dreaming; this place is almost too beautiful to be real.Close

DowntownCruising down the Ohio River on this, the oldest operating steamboat in the country, made me feel a bit like Mark Twain. My friends and I took a dinner cruise. No other experience during my stay quite matched the great food and nostalgic view of…Read More

Downtown

Cruising down the Ohio River on this, the oldest operating steamboat in the country, made me feel a bit like Mark Twain. My friends and I took a dinner cruise. No other experience during my stay quite matched the great food and nostalgic view of the rolling river. Its peaceful to drift by the lights of Louisville and Indiana on the still Ohio.Close

A couple of really good companies in Louisville don't have their own venues, so rent out locations like the Clifton Center and the Mex (a small theater space in the Kentucky Center for the Arts) for their performances. One of the best of these…Read More

A couple of really good companies in Louisville don't have their own venues, so rent out locations like the Clifton Center and the Mex (a small theater space in the Kentucky Center for the Arts) for their performances. One of the best of these is the Pleiades Theater Co. This group produces plays by and about women, all original and contemporary.

The Pleiades also sponsors a new play festival each year.Close