Continued from Monday.

Friday was our unscheduled day, which turned out to be a dangerous thing.

Shelves of bottles of Antique 107 available at MSRP.

Sometimes an unscheduled day becomes wasted time. Sometimes it becomes the day you stumble into the best moment of the trip.

We started by venturing over to Buffalo Trace, and that is where things got very interesting.

When we checked in, we were told there was a surprise offering: a guided speakeasy tasting. Scott immediately asked the important question.

“Is Freddie involved?”

That would be Freddie Johnson, the legendary Buffalo Trace ambassador and Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame inductee.

Our speakeasy tasting with Freddie Johnson!

Amazingly, yes. Freddie was involved.

We jumped at the chance, then headed to the gift shop to meander for the 90 minutes before the tasting. That ended up being dangerous, too, because the shop was selling Weller Antique 107 for about $60.

Try finding it at that price almost anywhere else.

After stowing our bottles in the car, we readied ourselves for the tasting with a legend.

• 

  Scott and I with Freddie, post-tasting.

  We were led to a speakeasy setup Buffalo Trace has created on the second floor, and inside, Freddie was waiting. He walked us through a tasting of standard Buffalo Trace products, including Wheatley Vodka, Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Blanton’s and Sazerac Rye.

Then came the treat.

Freddie had us sit on the sofas at the back of the room, then brought out the cherry on top: small pours of William Larue Weller.

The prized vault at Buffalo Trace. If want to give me a Christmas present, maybe the key to the vault?

William Larue Weller shares the same wheated mash bill as Pappy Van Winkle, but instead of being proofed down, it is bottled uncut and unfiltered at barrel proof. Pappy may live in the penthouse a little longer, but William Larue Weller is still in the same luxury building — and it may have the better view.

Whatever the exact comparison, this much is true: it was maybe the best thing we tasted all week.

And it was served to us by Freddie Johnson.

That is not a normal Friday.

Three more tastings awaited us that day: Castle & Key, Woodford Reserve and Bluegrass Distillers, which also makes Elkwood Reserve.

Bottling our own jug of Green River bourbon in the speakeasy.

All of the whiskey was great, but Bluegrass came with an added bonus. One of their distillers gave us an impromptu behind-the-scenes tour, then let us sample their white dog — or maybe blue dog, since it was distilled from blue corn.

For an unscheduled day, Friday ended up being one of the best parts of the trip.

Sometimes the itinerary is helpful.

Sometimes the bourbon gods just smile on you.

Saturday was partly scheduled and partly unscheduled, this time in Louisville.

We ended up booking a tasting at the Green River tasting room because we wanted the opportunity to barrel our own. At the last minute, I also found a tasting at the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience.

That is where we started.

The speakeasy in the basement at Evan Williams.

The Evan Williams tasting was a speakeasy experience in the basement. Our host only identified himself as “The Colonel,” and the tasting included five different Heaven Hill products: Pikesville Rye, Evan Williams Single Barrel, Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond, Evan Williams 12-Year and Larceny Barrel Strength.

We were already familiar with most of the spirits, but the ambiance and show made it worth the visit. The Colonel told the story as if we were in 1932 and reminded us that when you went to a speakeasy, the whiskey was free.

You were paying for the entertainment.

From there, we went next door to the Green River tasting room for another speakeasy-style experience. Again, the spirits were familiar, but the atmosphere made the stop worthwhile. Plus, we got a fifth dram: their current single barrel, barrel-proof offering.

That one was not just good.

That one was good enough that Scott and I both walked away with a bottle.

After that, we spent the rest of the day visiting places to taste what they had to offer: Bardstown Bourbon Company, Pursuit Spirits and Buzzard’s Roost.

Again, there were great bourbons and ryes everywhere we went. But one of the best parts of the day was the conversation, usually with new friends we made at the bar.

That became one of the themes of the whole trip. Yes, the whiskey matters. Obviously the whiskey matters. But the people you meet along the way are a big part of why these trips become memorable.

A good pour is better when it comes with a good story.

A relaxing final sip on the back porch at Maker’s Mark.

By the end of Saturday, we had enjoyed a great last full day of the trip.

But then there was Sunday.

And Sunday brought more memories.

We ventured down to Maker’s Mark and walked the grounds a bit before doing a tasting at their bar. We watched a few people dip their personalized bottles in wax, and we decided that would be something we would have to do.

Next year.

A horse made from barrels at Log Still Distillery.

After a quality flight there, we headed south toward Tennessee, but first we stopped at Log Still Distillery in Gethsemane. Great stuff, but by that point, the car was already full of whiskey, so there were no bottles after the flight.

I highly recommend that place, especially for their concert series, which is starting later this month.

Then it was farther south with one more stop in Franklin, Kentucky, at Dueling Grounds Distillery, which also served pizza in addition to its bourbon.

That is not a bad combination.

Their Linkumpinch four-year single barrel bourbon was so thick and rich that I could not resist. I bought one more bottle to take home and enjoy Sunday night while we watched Game 6 of the NHL Finals.

And that was it.

Six days on the trail.

I do not know how many sips of bourbon, but I know countless memories were made, along with a lot of new friends.

Figuring out which bottles to take home was like figuring out which of your children you loved more than the others. Some bottles will remain with Scott until we see each other again, probably in August.

Until then, I will take seven children home and allow them to remind me why people love taking these trips every year.

We will begin looking forward to next year’s trip soon enough.

Actually, who am I kidding?

We have already begun.

I can’t wait.

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Copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt.