The anticipation for this trip has been building for months, but for my best friend Scott, it’s been pure, kid-on-Christmas-Eve excitement. Tonight, after my flight lands in Nashville, he’ll scoop me up, and we’ll point the car north to Kentucky. Windows down, music up, and the hum of the highway under our tires—the journey begins the second we hit the interstate.
On paper, this trip is about bourbon, but in reality, it’s about brotherhood. It’s a chance to add another chapter to a friendship that’s spanned more than three decades—and to start new ones. Scott, founder of our Mid-South Bourbon Club, is the connector on this adventure, bringing along two other members I’ve never met in person: Austin and Tim. We’re a quartet united by a love of good whiskey and Southern storytelling, hoping the journey might even spark ideas for a future project.
But first, the whiskey.
Day One: Old Forester and Bulleit
We’re diving straight into the deep end. Our first full day begins in Louisville with a tour I’ve been looking forward to for years: Old Forester.
As we step inside, the familiar scent of aging bourbon fills the air—oak, vanilla, and caramel, thick and sweet enough to taste before the first pour. For me, this isn’t just another distillery tour; it’s a pilgrimage. I admire everything they bottle, and my blind will feature a theme dedicated entirely to Old Forester. Walking the same halls where their whiskey has been made for generations, hearing the soft crackle of barrels being charred, watching amber liquid roll through the bottling line—this is more than a behind-the-scenes look. It’s research. It’s the opportunity to connect with a brand I’ve long respected, and to understand the craft on a deeper level before I put my palate, and my friends’, to the test later this week.
After soaking in the history at Old Forester, we’ll cross over to the other side of the spectrum with an afternoon visit to Bulleit Distilling Co. Their operation is sleek and modern, a contrast to Old Forester’s time-worn brick and oak, and I’m eager to see how they bring their bold, spicy expressions to life. And of course, we’ll be tasting along the way—purely for “research purposes.”
The Nightly Blind
The day will culminate back at our lodging—a different hotel every night, each one with a different story to tell—when the glasses come out and the bottles get bagged.
Each night, a different member will host a blind. I already know Scott’s theme: a wide-ranging Bottled-in-Bond flight—a perfect reflection of his desire to explore the full breadth of the bourbon world.
But more than any single pour, I’m looking forward to the conversation, the debates, and the inevitable laughter that spill out as the night stretches on. This is day one of a much-needed journey, and I have no doubt we’ll have plenty of stories to tell by the time it’s over.
On to Kentucky.
Copyright © 2025 Doug DeBolt.
