Welcome to THE BOURBON REVIEW!

A Drink with Fred Noe

f all the amber spirits that tender creative ways to relieve a man of his dignity when ingested to happy excess, bourbon proffers perhaps the most by-gawd American way to make merry. Hell, even Congress agreed, designating–in two of their rare moments of lucidity–bourbon as “America’s Native Spirit” in a 1964 declaration, and in 2007, noting September as National Bourbon Month. It’s a drink purely American, forged of happy accidents and pioneering ingenuity. It’s charring the inside of an old white oak barrel to get out the stink of fish after traveling downstream on the Mississippi River. It’s ornery pioneers settling in Kentucky after the Whiskey Rebellion and wondering what to do with all that strange native corn. It’s a patient palate and porch-sipping men whose stories and history splash into more than five million cases of the stuff a year. And for almost any bourbon drinker worth his weight... read more

How Bourbon Met Kentucky

ENTUCKY and BOURBON. Could someone…anyone… please explain how two words can fit so well together? Perhaps not in the fashion world, but like melted butter on a hot roll, this blue and brown combo make the perfect pair. Now for an even tougher challenge: try imagining them apart. You might find that tackling this issue is about as easy as envisioning the Rockies without a blanket of white snow covering its peaks, the Caribbean without its beautiful blue waters, or even Kentucky without those speedy majestic beasts known as horses. The uniqueness that each of these elements bring to their environment cannot be coined nor measured. From this arises yet another interesting question - how would Kentucky change without its beloved bourbon? Please do not misinterpret the words thus far as suggesting Kentucky would be worthless without it, quite the contrary. You must admit however that there is a certain... read more

he Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery has a four generation history. The Van Winkle family’s involvement in the bourbon industry began in the late 1800s with Julian P. “Pappy” Van Winkle, Sr. He was a traveling salesman for the W.L. Weller and Sons wholesale house in Louisville, traveling around the state by horse and buggy. Pappy and a friend, Alex Farnsley, eventually bought the wholesale house and also purchased the A. Ph. Stitzel Distillery, which made bourbon for Weller. They merged the two companies and became the Stitzel-Weller Distillery. Their prominent brands were W.L. Weller, Old Fitzgerald, Rebel Yell, and Cabin Still. In May of 1935 at the age of 61, Pappy opened the newly completed Stitzel-Weller Distillery in South Louisville. He had a heavy influence on the operations there until his death at the age of 91. His son, Julian, Jr. took over operations until he was forced by... read more