Our cold Saturday October morning in Kentucky started out near the town of Clermont, at the Jim Beam Factory Tour. After gathering in the visitor center we took a bus to the factory, starting in the area where the ingredients are mixed together for mash.
From there it was off to the fermentation area
Next up was the bottling line – where I bottled my own – even though I rarely drink whiskey. The bottle is still nearly full 4 years later.
For most though, they go into barrels where they are aged for years in large barns.
Resulting in a finished product.
From there it was back to the visitor center for a tasting event.
Our afternoon was spent at Mammoth Caves National Park, where we went on two tours.
The first was the standard tour, with electric lighting throughout (I had yet figured out how to photograph low light without a tripod)
Our second tour was a smaller group, using the old fashioned lanterns.
This tour was much more interesting, and really gave a different feel with the even lower levels of light. We were able to see where people ‘smoked’ their names of the ceiling in the 1800s.
RDZ Photography 