Wine and Spirits Travel

It was the final day of the Bourbon & Beyond Festival, and I was ready for an exciting one, with interviews to do and bands new and old to see. My brother, Mark, and I checked out of our wheelchair accessible room at the Tru Hilton Louisville South and headed to the Kentucky Exhibition Center. The weather was still warm and humid, but it looked like we might be heading for some rain.   One of the acts I was most looking forward to was first up at Bourbon & Beyond. I had always been a fan of actor Kevin Bacon and was looking forward to catching his performance with his brother, Michael. The Bacon Brothers were fantastic, with Kevin as the lead singer. He also showed off his dance moves, especially when performing the title song from his most famous movie, “Footloose.” The growing crowd was dancing and singing along with them. It was quite a show. After they were done, I went back to the press area for a while to get my questions ready for upcoming interviews. I had met and...

My brother, Mark, and I both agreed we wanted to enjoy a good Kentucky barbecue meal in Louisville before we got started on the day at Bourbon & Beyond. I went online and searched for reviews. One place kept coming up: Shack in the Back . It was clear we picked the right place when we saw the crowd at 11:00 am on a  Saturday morning. It was even clearer when we tasted the food. I had a brisket sandwich, with a side of mashed potatoes and a side of corn. Mark went all out with the Sampler. It included brisket, pulled pork, ribs, and wings. He chose the mac and cheese and the green beans to go with it. We didn’t make it through all the food, though it wasn’t for a lack of trying. We had to get to the festival as I had interviews to do and music to watch. My first appointment was at Eastern Light Distilling. I was intrigued with this company and even more so after meeting with the owners.    Eastern Light is not “a” bourbon company. It is a group that is locally...

After all the problems with hotels the day before, we were settled into the Tru Hilton in Louisville and getting ready for a busy day at Bourbon & Beyond. I had made appointments between all the music. I was looking forward to it all. My brother, Mark, suggested lunch at Waffle House. He said it was on his bucket list. I hadn’t been in years and I’m never one to turn down waffles. It was actually very good, with big portions and reasonable prices.   We had no problem parking in the handicapped area and made it onto the grounds in time to pick up coffee in the press tent and watch Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway, followed by Bruce Hornsby. It was a good way to start this bright day. We then headed to the Big Bourbon Tent. We arrived a little early for our appointment with Tyler Rothenberg of Chicken Cock Bourbon and enjoyed the bluegrass while we waited. Tyler set us up with the two cocktails made especially for Bourbon & Beyond :    Wildflower in Paris - C...

The first year of Bourbon & Beyond  in Louisville, Kentucky, had been wonderful, albeit ridiculously hot. The music, food, and bourbon were fantastic, and I was able to do many interviews for stories. When I left Bourbon & Beyond the second year, it was in a muddy mess. The torrential rains in the hours before the end of day three left the long trip to the parking lot in my walker extremely difficult. Had I been in a wheelchair then, I would have been one of the people stuck for hours in the mud. With the memories of 2018, followed by the event being skipped because of COVID, I didn’t think I’d return. Then my brother, Mark, brought it up.   Mark lives in California and we don’t get a lot of time together so it gave me a pause. Then, there was a lineup filled with performers I really wanted to see, such as Sting, Dave Matthews, Beck, Melissa Etheridge, and Larkin Poe , whom I had interviewed at the first Bourbon & Beyond. My first step was to contact the media ...

It had been a busy and fun-filled three days in Louisville . The first annual Bourbon and Beyond Festival had been a blast, and we really enjoyed the downtown attractions when we first arrived. We had another great breakfast in the Executive Lounge of the Louisville Marriott East and packed up to go. Before we left Kentucky we had one more unique place to go, Mega Caverns, where you can take a tram ride and go ziplining underground. Mega Cavern claims to be the only place in the world with underground ziplines and I have yet to see any place argue that point. It’s certainly a unique attraction that shouldn’t be missed. Brittany and Jamie went ahead to complete the Mega Quest rope course and do the ziplines underground. I started a bit later for the tram ride, which took me through the caves. It was a unique experience since these caverns are about more than scenery of the caves and undersea fossils. They have been used for practical purposes, such as s t...

We enjoyed a nice spread in the executive lounge at the Marriott East Louisville before loading up on sunblock and thin clothing. Day two of the Bourbon & Beyond Festival in Louisville , Kentucky, played out quite different than the first. I was able to catch up on the food and bourbon aspects of the event, as well as hear some more incredible music. I met up with Dan Cohen of Jim Beam first thing in the morning. Although bourbon is in the title of the festival, I hadn’t had any to try yet. He brought Brittany, Jamie, and me over to the Beam setup behind the stage for a tasting. They were showing off Jim Beam and Jim Beam Black (I had hoped to try the Vanilla, but it wasn’t available yet). Black is a bit smoother and more taste-filled than the original. It’s aged longer, but in white oak, so it’s flavors of vanilla and caramel are more blended. Beam was also mixing to cocktails backstage for the VIPs and performers, the Jim Beam Black Smash (Jim Beam Bla...