Bourbon Trail

back

COME ALONG FOR THE RIDE

This is where the intro will go. If you want an intro, that is. It's probably a good idea, though. Just to let people know what this is all about.

JEFFERSON'S BOURBON TASTING NOTES

AROMA: Fresh and smooth with velvety peach and vanilla.

TASTE: Very soft start, smooth and sweet with hints of berry and citrus.

FINISH: Delicate and warm with a return of vanilla, cream and toast.

About Jefferson's Bourbon
Founded in 1997, Jerfferson's is the brainchild of Trey Zoeller and his father Chet, a famed bourbon historian. They were continuing a family tradition that dates back to Trey's 8th generation grandmother who was the first woman on record in the bourbon business; she was arrested in 1799 for the "production and sales of spirituous liquors."

To personify the brand, they chose Thomas Jefferson, known for his curiosity and experimental spirit. This is a mindset to which Trey has dedicated himself: Pushing the boundaries of the definition of bourbon, upholding tradition yet always discovering new possibilities.

FOUR ROSES YELLOW LABEL TASTING NOTES

AROMA: Fruit, floral essences, gental spice and honey.

TASTE: Crisp, yet soft and smooth, fresh fruit, hints of pear and apple.

FINISH: Mellow, long and pleasant.

About Four Roses Yellow Label Bourbon
The Legend: It began when Paul Jones, Jr., the founder of Four Roses Bourbon, became smitten by the beauty of a Southwestern belle. It is said that he sent a proposal to her, and she replied that if her answer was "Yes," she would wear a corsage of roses on her gown to the upcoming brand ball. Paul Jones waited for her to answer excitedly on that night of the grand ball, and when she arrived in her beautiful gown, she wore a corsage of four red roses. He later named his Bourbon "Four Roses" as a symbol of his devout passion for the lovely belle, a passion he thereafter transferred to making his beloved Four Roses Bourbon.

WOODFORD RESERVE TASTING NOTES

AROMA: Rich dried fruit. Hints of mint and oranges covered with a dusting of cocoa, faint vanilla and tobacco spice.

TASTE: Rich, chewy, rounded and smooth with complex citrus, cinnamon and cocoa. Toffee, caramel, chocolate and spice notes abound.

FINISH: Silky-smooth, almost creamy at first with a long , warm satisfying tail.

About Woodford Reserve
The art of making fine bourbon first took place on the site of the Woodford Reserve Distillery. The distillery, now a National Historic Landmark, was established along Glenn’s Creek in Kentucky's Woodford County by Elijah Pepper and is one of Kentucky’s oldest and most historic working distilleries. Woodford Reserve’s unique recipe balances the sweetness of corn with the spice of rye and nuttiness of malt.

WILD TURKEY 101 BOURBON WHISKEY TASTING NOTES

AROMA: Toasty oak, zesty citrus and butterscotch.

TASTE: Full and rich with notes of cigar box sweetness, pepper, caramel.

FINISH: Long and rich with spice and toast notes.

About Wild Turkey 101 Bourbon Whiskey
In 194, a hunter and distillery executive named Thomas McCarthy brought a private supply along to enjoy with some friends on an annual turkey hunt. They liked it so much that the next year they asked him to bring along some of that “Wild Turkey” bourbon. He honored his friends’ good taste by turning their nickname into a legendary brand.

EVAN WILLIAMS BOURBON TASTING NOTES

AROMA: Light with deep vanilla and mint.

TASTE: Notes of oak, brown sugar and caramel. Vanilla, cinnamon and oak are omnipresent.

FINISH: Big, with heat on the finish.

About Evan Williams Bourbon
Named after Evan Williams who opened Kentucky’s first distillery along the banks of the Ohio River in 1783.

LARCENY KENTUCKY STRAIGHT BOURBON TASTING NOTES

AROMA: Fresh bread and toffee with a note of butterscotch.

TASTE: Buttery caramel and honeyed notes with a rich mouthfeel.

FINISH: Long, gently sweet and savory.

About Larceny Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Larceny Kentucky Straight Bourbon has its origins in the long and colorful history of John E. Fitzgerald and the Old Fitzgerald brand. According to lore, John E. Fitzgerald built a distillery on the banks of the Kentucky River in the 1870s and sold his fine Bourbon to rail lines, steamships, and private clubs. The Old Fitzgerald brand was first registered in the 1880s by S.C. Herbst, and was eventually sold to Julian P. “Pappy” Van Winkle during Prohibition. Pappy moved production of Old Fitz to his distillery where it became the first great wheated Bourbon.

ELIJAH CRAIG BOURBON TASTING NOTES

AROMA: Delightfully complex with notes of vanilla bean, sweet fruit and fresh mint.

TASTE: Smooth and warm, pleasantly woody with accents of spice, smoke and nutmeg.

FINISH: Long, sweet, slightly toasty.

About Elijah Craig Bourbon
The history of Elijah Craig is the history of Bourbon. Reverend Elijah Craig was a Baptist preacher and active character in 1800s Kentucky. He was an educator, road builder, land speculator, and built the first paper and wool mills in Georgetown, Ky., but it was his gift as a distiller and entrepreneur that established his place in history as The Father of Bourbon. Elijah Craig has been credited with being the first distiller to age his whiskey in charred oak barrels.

BULLEIT BOURBON TASTING NOTES

AROMA: Gentle spiciness and sweet oak.

TASTE: Mid-palate is smooth, with tones of maple, oak and nutmeg.

FINISH: Long, dry and satiny with a light toffee flavor.

About Bulleit Bourbon
In 1987, Thomas E. Bulleit, Jr., fulfilled a lifelong dream of reviving an old family bourbon recipe by starting the Bulleit Distilling Company. Inspired by his great-great-grandfather Augustus Bulleit, who made a high-rye whiskey between 1830-1860, Tom left a successful law practice and risked everything to experience life on the frontier.

BULLEIT RYE TASTING NOTES

AROMA: Biscuit, spice, white raisins and dried apricot.

TASTE: Smooth entry with hints of vanilla, honey, spice and maple.

FINISH: Long, satiny and woody with a hint of light toffee.

About Bulleit Rye
A tavern keeper in 1830s Louisville, Ky., Augustus Bulleit was dedicated to a single goal: the creation of a bourbon unique in flavor. In 1987, Thomas E. Bulleit, Jr., fulfilled a lifelong dream of reviving an old family bourbon recipe by starting the Bulleit Distilling Company. This was inspired by his great-great-grandfather Augustus, who had made a high-rye whiskey between 1830-1860.

JIM BEAM TASTING NOTES

COLOR: Light caramel.

AROMA: Oak vanilla, spicy backdrop.

TASTE: Medium-bodied, mellow hints of caramel and vanilla.

FINISH: Toasted oak with some sweetness.

About Jim Beam Bourbon
James Beauregard Beam was distilling bourbon well before Prohibition, and when Prohibition ended, he was eager to do it again. At the news of Repeal, Jim Beam (as he was commonly known) turned to his son Jeremiah, his brother Park Beam and Park's two sons, Carl and Earl, and said, "Boys, time for us to get back to work.“ But the Beams were broke as Prohibition had not been kind to them. A family knack for success in the distilling business proved to be less than translatable to other endeavors, including a rock quarry and an orange grove. So, Jim had to scramble and find investors in Illinois to fund a new distillery. Once he got the money together, they built that distillery in 120 days. Even though Jim was 70-years-old, he was on site every day. The new distillery opened on March 25, 1935. Before Prohibition, the Beam family brand had been Old Tub Bourbon Whiskey, but to Jim's dismay, he learned that the rights to the name had been sold during Prohibition. Despite this setback, he was undeterred, and that's when the whiskey officially became Jim Beam Bourbon. Real man; real whiskey; true story.

The Beams can truly lay claim to being America's first family of bourbon .Jim Beam® Bourbon was founded in 1795 and has been operated by one family for seven generations. They have always created bourbon their way, aging it twice as long as the law requires. 225 years of experience goes into every bottle.

Jim Beam® is the world’s #1 selling bourbon and enjoyed by people across the globe.

MAKER'S MARK TASTING NOTES

AROMA: Woody oak, caramel, vanilla & wheat prevail in the nose.

TASTE: Sweet balance with caramel, vanilla & fruity essences.

FINISH: Smooth and subtle.

About Maker's Mark Bourbon
Over 65 years ago, Kentucky distiller Bill Samuels, Sr., made history by burning an old family whisky recipe that dated back to 1780. While his family was dumbfounded, he was convinced that the 170-year-old grain formula passed down through generations of Samuelses wasn’t quite perfect. So in 1954, Bill Sr. set about putting things right, and right he did. It started with the water, as the chosen site of the distillery had a spring-fed lake right on the grounds – a plentiful source of limestone-purified water. The bourbon? Instead of rye in the mash bill, Bill Sr. chose to use red winter wheat to create a bourbon with a flavor that finishes sweeter. Finally, each bottle would be hand-dipped in the signature red wax.

The end result was Maker’s Mark as we know it today, still carrying the name Bill Sr.’s wife Margie coined in 1954.

KNOB CREEK SMALL BATCH BOURBON TASTING NOTES

COLOR: Medium to deep amber.

AROMA: Rich vanilla and charred oak notes.

TASTE: Sweet, oaky, full-bodied flavor.

FINISH: Long, rich and robust.

About Knob Creek Small Batch Bourbon
When Booker Noe fathered the small batch bourbon movement over two decades ago, he created Knob Creek® to restore the standards of pre-prohibition bourbon. Knob Creek® is aged in only the deepest charred American Oak barrels to fully draw out the natural sugars. Knob Creek® is then bottled at 100 proof to reflect the big, full flavor and patience that defined pre-prohibition whiskey.

Knob Creek is named for Abraham Lincoln’s childhood home in Kentucky.

BASIL HAYDEN TASTING NOTES

COLOR: Golden brown.

AROMA: Charred Oak with sweet brown notes of vanilla and caramel with hints of dried fruit.

TASTE: Charred oak flavor that is complemented with sweet brown sugar, a touch of black pepper and dried fruit to round it out.

FINISH: A pleasant lingering charred oak finish with a touch of dried fruit.

About Basil Hayden
Late in the 18th century, Master Distiller Basil Hayden, Sr., left his Maryland home for the greener pastures of Kentucky, bringing his family and reputation with him.

Not yet privy to the old guard’s ‘rules’ of bourbon, legend has it that Basil set out to make a batch simply using the ingredients he had on hand, unaware of what the traditionalists might think of his mash. What resulted was a bourbon with a uniquely high-rye mash bill, combining the sweetness of corn with the spicy undertones of rye. The purists may have been displeased, but not the neighbors who tried it.

Over 200 years later, the Noe family pays tribute to Basil’s masterful discovery with a high-rye, small-batch bourbon that embodies the spirit of that very first recipe.

RETURN TO A DASH OF DIERBERGS MAIN PAGE

Subscribe To Our Newsletters

Choose to receive weekly specials, web-only deals, recipes and wine news.

Dierbergs Store Information

Find store hours, phone numbers, address and events for your Dierbergs!

Store Information

CAREERS

Always Hiring
Friendly Faces!

Learn More