Kentucky: Visiting the home of Muhammad Ali, The Louisville Slugger, and the Mint Julep
Kentucky Farm, Lexington Horse
Bourbon whiskey, horse racing, and Muhammad Ali — these were the three things I knew about Kentucky and any one would have been enough reason to visit.
Kentucky has been called the “North of the South”, a moniker that accurately describes its location.
It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; Virginia to the east; Missouri to the west, and Tennessee to the south.
Kentucky may almost be in the north, but it has a clear southern feel — not just the accents, but the southern dishes you will spot on every menu, all fried green tomatoes, hominy grits, slow-cooked brisket, and of course barbecue.
Kentucky’s geography is the reason for its two most famous exports: Horses and whiskey.
There is just one limestone shelf in the continental USA, and it is in the centre of Kentucky.
That limestone is said to give Kentucky the best quality water in the US which, of course, is a key component in bourbon and also helps provide excellent nutritious grass (blue grass) for horse breeding.
Louisville’s location on the Ohio River gave it early prosperity and the city reminded me of New Orleans thanks to the cast iron house ornamentation on the main streets.
Every corner has a cocktail bar and you will even find them at the back of innocuous store fronts, recreating the tradition of the prohibition-era speakeasy.
Nulu is the newest area of downtown Louisville to be developed, with old buildings being converted into art galleries, craft shops, restaurants, and trendy apartments.
I visited two of the many craft brewery taprooms in the district and had the best Korean food I’ve ever tasted in Nami restaurant — chef proprietor Edward Lee has been invited to cook in the White House for Joe Biden.
Other meal highlights in Louisville included the Hot Brown sandwich in Browns Hotel (an enormous, but very tasty smoked turkey and baked cheese sandwich), the steaks in Repeal restaurant at Hotel Distil, and the fried green tomatoes at the Frickled Pickle Express food truck.
Fans of baseball also flock to Louisville to visit the museum of the Louisville Slugger, the most famous of all baseball bats. You won’t miss it thanks to the 120ft tall baseball bat outside the door.
Mohammad Ali is undoubtedly Kentucky’s most famous son, and he will never be far from your mind in Louisville. To begin with, you will likely arrive in Kentucky at Muhammad Ali International Airport in Louisville.
Murals of Ali are all around the city, and there is a self-guided walking tour which will take you to his childhood home, his first gym, his high school, and to the Muhammad Ali Center near the centre of Louisville.
The Muhammad Ali Center is both a multicultural centre and a museum dedicated to the life of Muhammad Ali and his guiding principles. It is is well worth a visit.
Founded by Ali’s wife, Lonnie Ali, in 2005, there are three levels of exhibits and galleries with an amphitheatre and a full size boxing ring.
Even if you don’t visit the centre, you can’t escape Ali. I visited the gorgeous Clayton & Crume leather store in Louisville and was asked if I wanted to see the upstairs room where Ali used to train as the building housed a gym in the 1960s.
After Louisville, we drove in our Ford Mustang convertible rental to Bardstown, the capital of bourbon.
Bardstown has its own bourbon museum and we found some excellent whiskey bars, including the Volstead Bar which has over 1000 bottles of bourbon on its shelves.
There were also dive bars and music venues to explore and, given its status in bourbon land, it really is worth a visit.
The Jesse James gang were fond of the area and robbed banks in towns nearby, having a famous shoot-out in Bardstown in 1877.
Frankfort may be the state capital, but it has a population of just 28,000 people with a small but attractive downtown area including some historical buildings to visit. Of course, there is at least one Irish bar — but, no, I didn’t visit it.
Lexington is the second city of Kentucky and my main reason to visit was the Town Branch distillery, created by Irishman Pearse Lyons and his family.
Pearse died far too young in 2018, but his wife and sons are still running the business.
Lexington has a famed art gallery which includes a Rembrandt and a Picasso but, once again, we spent most of our time eating and drinking. Eppings on East Side is particularly recommended.
I was primarily in Kentucky to travel the Bourbon Trail and experience the region, but southern hospitality is a very real thing.
Everyone I met in Kentucky wanted to talk to me about where I had come from and was keen to offer advice on the best bars and restaurants and, of course, their favourite bourbon.
Kentucky bourbon came to fame when settlers moved from Pennsylvania to Kentucky (not then part of the US) to avoid the whiskey tax introduced by Alexander Hamilton to help pay for the Revolutionary War following independence from England.
Farmers realised that corn was much easier to grow than the traditional rye crop they were used to, and soon a formula was created for the best bourbon.
All bourbon must be at least 51% corn, usually distilled in a continuous still (unlike the pot stills we use in Ireland). The rest of the mash bill is made up of barley, plus a smaller quantity of rye or wheat.
The Kentucky Bourbon Trail was created in 1999 and now has 2.5m visitors annually. The trail covers 46 distilleries and extends throughout the state, but also includes museums and other attractions.
It is best to begin in Louisville and at the Frazier History Museum, which I found fascinating as it traces the history of bourbon from its early days through prohibition, when whiskey was sold as “medicine”, to the current day.
Must-visit distilleries there include Evan Williams, the family-owned Peerless distillery, and the newly-opened Michter’s Fort Nelson Distillery.
Bardstown, the bourbon capital, is surrounded by lush farmland and forestry. Willett was my highlight in this region, which has one of the best restaurants in the state.
I also recommend Heaven’s Hill and Jim Beam, where I had the best brisket of my trip. Maker’s Mark and Four Roses could also be on your list.
In Frankfort, a visit to the legendary Buffalo Trace distillery is essential (its also free). In nearby Versailles, you will find Woodford Reserve.
Finally, in Lexington, you need to visit the Town Branch Distillery founded by Irishman Pearse Lyons — which has a sister distillery in Dublin.
A clear connection between Ireland and Kentucky is horse racing.
Kentucky’s limestone soil and blue grass is considered perfect for breeding.
The Kentucky Derby is held on the first Saturday in May every year at Churchill Downs racetrack, Louisville, and is one of the world’s most valuable and most watched races.
First run in 1875, it celebrated its 150th race in 2024.
Irish horses have run in the race, but we have never had a winner — partly to do with timing (British and Irish flat racing season is only beginning), but also to do with difficulties in qualifying.
Run on the flat on a dirt track, the course is quite different to their usual terrain.
Lexington (Kentucky’s second city) also has Keeneland racetrack, which has live racing in the spring and autumn including the $1m Blue Grass Stakes every April.
Churchill Downs holds live races in May, September, and November, and there is a museum on site.
If you can’t visit on derby day, any bar in Kentucky will serve you a Mint Julep — the traditional derby drink.
There are no direct flights to Louisville. I flew Delta to Atlanta and then a short flight to Louisville. It is also possible to fly via Chicago with Aer Lingus.
Check out:
- Kentuckytourism.com;
- Gotolouisville.com;
- Visitlex.com (Lexington);
- Visitbardstown.com (Bardstown);
- Kybourbontrail.com.
- Leslie was a guest of Kentucky Tourism with accommodation sponsored by Louisville Tourism, Bardstown Tourism, Buffalo Trace Distillery, and The Manchester Hotel Lexington.