World Whiskey Tasting

Expanding My Whiskey Horizons

Whiskey comes in many forms (Tennessee, Bourbon, Scotch, Irish, etc.) and comes from many places.  I am an enjoyer of whiskey, but it was not until glancing at the side of a Maker's Mark bottle that I considered visiting a whiskey distillery.  On the side of any Maker's Mark bottle is an invitation to visit their distillery, which is also a National Historic Landmark, in Kentucky.  Although a few years elapsed between the time I saw the invitation displayed on the side of the Maker's Mark bottle and when I actually visited the distillery, I finally made the visit as part of a side trip to California from Florida in 2010.

Maker's Mark Bourbon

Tasting Maker's Mark in process somewhere between the "mash" and "wort" stages.  Guests can taste the liquid at different stages to taste how the mixture evolves with time.  

Brewery Tours Across the Globe

Why Not Tour. .  a Brewery?

Touring a brewery, distillery, or really any factory is a standby way for me to pass a couple of hours while I am waiting for a flight or need a much needed break on a road trip.  Plus most tours offer samples.  Over the past four years, I have visited five breweries that I will compare and contrast here.  The breweries range over two continents and some very small islands.  However, they are brand names that most folks from the US will be familiar with.  I have listed them here from my personal least to most favorite. 

Budweiser Tour

The Budweiser brewery I visited was in Fairfield, California.  Fairfield is a little city between San Francisco and Sacramento, and I passed through it every time I went snowboarding the in the Lake Tahoe area (Lake Tahoe Snowboarding and More).

Outside the Budweiser brewery in Fairfield, California