The House Of Bardstown

The other day I received a very cryptic invitation from Bardstown Bourbon Company. I was invited to come downtown to their tasting room and get on a bus and go to an unknown location. I could bring a guest and on this occasion I invited my nephew Matt Kohorst to come with me to the event. We met at our house and Matt drove us downtown to the Bardstown Bourbon Company’s new tasting room on Main Street in Louisville.

We walked in and they gave us a VIP wrist band and told us the bus would be leaving in about an hour, so to enjoy the cocktails, food and Bourbon pours until then. That we did while many other familiar faces arrived for the event. Susan Reigler, Sarah Havens, Steve Coomes were just a few of the people who were also invited to this event. Still, no one would say where we were going or what to expect when we got there. At about 7:00 we were asked to get in line for the bus. After a few minutes of people lining up for the bus, we began to load the bus and as we got on the bus, we were handed a Bardstown Bourbon Company key ring with a blank key on it. The bus took off into the rainy evening and everyone was still wondering where we were going.

It turned out to be about a fifteen minute drive to a house on Mockingbird Valley Road, next to Louisville Country Club. There the bus pulled into a gated driveway and up to the house. The house was lit by spotlights and looked very much like a disco party from the 1970s. Security checked our wrist bands as we entered and we were given a cocktail to drink. I did not catch the name of the cocktail, but I found it to be a bit bland in flavor. Matt and I started to wander through the house to see what this was all about.

It turned out that the house was separated into different themed rooms. We entered through the front door and then went to the kitchen where food was offered in the form of finger foods, cheeses, fruits and crackers. Just outside of the kitchen, there was a covered patio with a fire pit, a tiki bar and a band playing reggae music. The next stop was also connected to the kitchen and it was a jazz themed bar with a jazz band playing. Comfortable chairs and tables set the mood with reflecting pools just outside the room creating an atmosphere of a 1940s Bogart movie. Next, down the hall they had a karaoke room. Matt and I passed on that room. We then wandered downstairs to the “lab”.

The lab was a room where they talked about blending whiskeys to create flavor profiles. They had several stations set up and offered lab coats to those who entered. I found it interesting that several of the stations had food to pair with the whiskey they were pouring, including a grape, a dried cherry and pop rocks. They discussed how the food changed the flavor of the whiskey – sound familiar? Chef Ouita Michel should be proud.

After about an hour at the house, Matt and I decided to catch the bus back downtown. It was a fun event, but I think it would have been better if someone had explained a few things, such as “Why?” Did Bardstown purchase this house and is this going to a permanent place to hold events? There was a video playing downtown that said something about Louisville, Nashville and Dallas as homes to this event, but no one ever confirmed this to the group. I did get a chance to meet some new people, including Jason from Mash and Drum on You Tube. The food and drinks were good and Matt and I are both happy we attended. I guess I will have to wait and see if they repeat the event in the future.