Lexington, KY

Yesterday we made it to our second stop on this leg.of the race: Lexington Kentucky!! We stayed at the Manchester hotel which is a very new boutique hotel which opened only a couple of months ago. 

 After a quick check-in, we dropped off our bags in the room and went out exploring. The hotel is only about a half mile from the distillery district. We walked down to that area and went to Wise Bird Cider. 

 We ordered some food from their food truck and both had a delicious grilled chicken sandwich with apple slaw, warm brie and hot honey!! A winning combination. We also tried a few ciders. My favorite was the Harrison which was earthy (as described) and not sweet. Most of the ciders are European style which means they are drier unlike many American styles, such as Samuel Adam's Angry Orchard which tend to be sweet.  

We then walked down to have our first spirit tasting of this trip at the Barrel House Distillery.

 They had some.very good vodkas, runs and of course rye and bourbons. And there was a special one where they had to write you a"prescription" like they did during Prohibition. That saved you a dollar when you ordered.it from the bar.  

We then went to the James Pepper distillery and tried some of their bourbons and ryes. 

 My favorite was the Bottled in Bond Rye. I was familiar with that term from.paat visits to Kentucky's Bourbon Trail. I only thought it referred to a bourbon or rye that was at least 100 proof. It also refers to a requirement that the bourbon or rye is distilled and bottled at the same location and is ages in "government" approved barrels. The exact defibrillator of such barrels appears to be open to interpretation. 

After the Pepper distillery,, we didn't need any more bourbon and visited Ethereal Brewing. They had a great selection of beers so it was hard to choose. 

 The sours were all very good, especially the Tropical Sour. My favorite was actually the Blueberry Crunch. It was like the best Boo Very cereal you could ever have. We also got a few crowlers to go.  

We then were a little hungry so we headed to Goodfellas pizza. It was very popular!! We didn't want a whole pie of the same flavor so each ordered two slices. And they were NY-sized!! Really tasty pies!! My favorite was the one with broccoli which gave it an interesting crunch. 

After our pizza it was time to walk back to the hotel. Today we have our last, and shortest leg of the race. We expect to be in Westfield Indiana by Noon.