A Short Trip Through the Bourbon Trail - The Drive to Kentucky and the Liquor Barn

Welcome to the first stop in our 'A Short Trip Through the Bourbon Trail' series. This post covers the drive from Ohio to Kentucky, as well as a stop at the Liquor Barn... one of the best liquor stores in Kentucky. To view the entire series and follow along, click here.

The Drive

The trip started after work on a Friday. We left Columbus with the final destination of Lexington. We got Tobey and Baby Leo ready for the sitter and were on our way.

Tobey and Baby Leo

The drive is very straightforward and flat. We made our first stop in Cincinnati for dinner and then set the navigation to Liquor Barn in Lexington.

Liquor Barn

This was our first time at the Liquor Barn and it exceeded every expectation that we had and reminded us again how stupid and archaic the Ohio liquor laws are that limit supply and demand and suppress the amount of tax money the state could take in.

We were like a kid in a candy store... There were so many brands we had never seen or don't have the opportunity to try in Ohio. The Liquor Barn also has their own house brand (Flatboat) of bourbon and bourbon cream as well as a ton of store picks.... neither of which we have in Ohio. 

Aside from their amazing selection and friendly service, Liquor Barn also had a tasting area to try various spirits before buying. Check out the pictures below... well over 50% of the bottles are not available to us... 

One of the coolest features was their store picks. For those in Ohio, these are basically what the State of Ohio Liquor Control raffles off every month... except in Kentucky, they are simply readily available. No auctions, no waiting in line, just a ton of single barrel store picks. 

Store Picks

The rest of the pictures show the sheer size of the selection as well as just how many brands aren't available in Ohio. 

Way cheaper than Ohio

Impossible to get

Not available in Ohio

Limited Edition Bottle, not available in Ohio

Sold in Ohio, but impossible to find

Not sold in Ohio

Bottom Shelf

Thankfully, not sold in Ohio

Not sold in Ohio

Not sold in Ohio

Not sold in Ohio

Bourbon Budweiser!

Not sold in Ohio

Not sold in Ohio

 So many brands not available in Ohio

So many brands not available in Ohio

 So many brands not available in Ohio

 So many brands not available in Ohio

 So many brands not available in Ohio

So many brands not available in Ohio

Hard to find in Ohio

Hard to find in Ohio

Middle, not seen in Ohio

So many brands not available in Ohio

So many brands not available in Ohio

Night 1 Summary

We ended up spending a few hundred dollars on things we can't buy in Ohio... not to beat a dead horse, but this is tax revenue that went to Kentucky instead of Ohio. The liquor barn exceeded our expectations and the drive wasn't too bad from Ohio. As we headed to the hotel, night one was an unequivocal success.