46.85% ABV
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Bardstown, KY
Road to Statehood – A History Lesson
In the mid-1700s, explorers from Virginia like Dr. Thomas Walker, who discovered the Cumberland Gap through the Appalachian Mountains, led expeditions through the wilderness to what is now eastern Kentucky. His surveys of the land and discovery of a natural passage heading west laid the groundwork for future expeditions like that of Daniel Boone, who in 1769 led a group through the gap found by Walker. Boone eventually established the Boonesborough settlement, one of the first settlements in what would eventually become the state of Kentucky. It got messy, as the roots of the word Kentucky are believed to come from a Cherokee word meaning, “dark and bloody ground.”
The reference to dark and bloody is related to the fact that the area was a fertile hunting ground for tribes, but the land did indeed turn quite dark and bloody as a result of the numerous battles and wars between the frontiersmen and the native tribes. In 1778, Boone was captured by the Shawnee and was held captive for the better part of a year. He was even adopted into the tribe and given the name “Big Turtle.” Upon hearing of an impending invasion on Boonesborough, “Big Turtle” escaped captivity and rode for four days to alert the settlement of the attack. Upon arrival he was unrecognizable to the frontiersmen of the settlement, but not to his cat, who promptly jumped on his lap, proving that he was in fact Daniel Boone. The Shawnee soon arrived and the siege of Boonesborough began. It lasted ten days until the Shawnee eventually retreated.
After the victory, Boone made his way to his family in North Carolina and brought them back to Kentucky along with scores of other settlers, including Captain Abraham Lincoln, Honest Abe’s grandfather. At this point in time, most of the area we know today as the state of Kentucky was Kentucky County, which was part of Virginia. Soon, the population growth forced Virginia to split Kentucky County into three smaller, more manageable counties, Jefferson, Fayette, and Lincoln respectively. Over the next decade as more and more people moved to the area, the counties were divided further into Madison, Mercer, and Bourbon counties.
Regardless of how many subdivisions were created, the settlers still felt disconnected from Virginia’s center of power and governance in Richmond, creating a desire to separate and gain statehood. Multiple conventions and petitions to the Virginia General Assembly resulted in Kentucky gaining statehood on June 1, 1792.
Barton 1792 Distillery
The monumental year is celebrated on every bottle of 1792 Whiskey, a product of the Barton 1792 Distillery, located in Bardstown, Kentucky. The historic distillery was founded in 1879 as the Tom Moore Distillery. Today Barton 1792 is owned by The Sazerac Company and occupies over 192 acres that house 29 barrel-aging warehouses, a still house, fermentation tanks, and a bottling operation. Under the leadership of Danny Kahn, the master distiller, Barton 1792 has produced a series of award-winning bourbons including the 1792 Full Proof Bourbon, which Whisky Magazine deemed the “World’s Best Bourbon” in 2019 and the 1792 Small Batch, which won Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2020.
Pairing by: Erik Calviño
Tasting Notes: 1792 Small Batch
This bourbon opens with an interesting nose, which develops impressively as it sits in the glass. Fruity notes of cherry, citrus, and raisin jump out of the glass along with the more traditional caramel and vanilla, balanced by fresh oak and grain in the background. The flavors of cinnamon, rye spice, and fruit make their way up from the caramel sweetness. Rye spice and black pepper make an appearance on the finish.
Cigar Pairing: Viva La Vida
Typically, a whiskey will influence the cigar much more than the other way around, but this one is a bit different. The Viva La Vida offers up a combination of earth and pepper complemented by notes of roasted almonds and mocha. Enjoyed alongside the 1792 Small Batch, taking a sip after a puff results in a ramping up of the whiskey’s caramel, vanilla, and heavy cream. It adds a layer of body and complexity to the whiskey while the cigar just cruises along, mostly unchanged.
