Anywhere you go around the world, if you tell people you are from Kentucky, they think of one thing: Kentucky Fried Chicken. Unfortunately. But any whiskey enthusiasts you encounter will recognize Kentucky for a much more important reason: bourbon.

While bourbon is not exclusively made in Kentucky, something like 95% of it is produced here in our state. It is renowned for its smoothness and complexity and is the defining ingredient in classic cocktails such as the Manhattan and the Old Fashioned. This week we celebrate this incredible whiskey at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival in Bardstown – “the Bourbon Capital of the World.”

The festival, running from Tuesday the 13^th to Friday the 18^th, is six days of tastings, food pairings, seminars, mixology classes, displays, and tours. A complete list of events and attractions and their costs can be found via the link in the above paragraph, as well as a downloadable brochure and schedule.

Photo courtesy of the Kentucky Bourbon Festival website.