Most Beautiful Small Town in America

Spring is slow coming to Indiana, so we headed south, to Kentucky,

 where Spring is bustin' out all over!

Our travels took us to Bardstown, Kentucky, named 

"Most Beautiful Small Town in America" by Rand McNally in 2012.

 Its also the Bourbon Capital of the World.

Those are pretty big pants to fill, but Bardstown lives up to its titles.

Everywhere you look there are lovely historic homes. 

 Not just the large homes, but all the homes are immaculately maintained.

It is the second oldest town in Kentucky.

 The courthouse is the center of a quaint downtown,

including a whiskey museum and civil war museum.

There is a dinner train & carriage rides as well.

This tavern has been there for years, serving bourbon, of course.

 Which leads us to bourbon, Bardstown other claim to fame.

A common sight around Bardstown are the rickhouses storing & aging bourbon.

There are 5 distilleries in and around Bardstown.

 This trip, we visited the Willett Distillery and learned about their process.

Corn, water, rye & malted barley are cooked and fermented with yeast in large vats.

This one was really bubbling as it fermented.

This is the signature copper pot still at the Willett Distillery.

When the master distiller deems the "white dog" is the correct proof, 

by checking these pots, 

it is put in barrels,

and stored in a rickhouse for a minimum of 4 years.

Then the lucky tourists get to buy some of this!

If you get the chance, visit Bardstown.

Its truely beautiful.