We met Master Distiller Greg Davis at 10am for our personal tour. Barton is not open to the public, but LeNell Smothers of LeNell's sweet talked Greg into it. We had a slight delay as BrendaJ tried to figure out how to get her keys out of her unlocked car, but then we were off!

This building displays the many years of distilling that have occurred on this site. The stonework is from the original Tom Moore Distillery in 1879. The brown brick upper stories were added next, and finally the adjacent red brick addition in 1946.

We hopped back in the car and Greg led us up the hill to the ironclad warehouses. Along the way he pulled over to give us a photo-op, the original spring that fed the Tom Moore Distillery. Barton has 28 warehouses. The oldest date from before prohibition and the newest ones were built about 35 years ago.

Our next stop was warehouse "Z" where an 8 year old barrel had been pulled down for us to sample. Sadly no one brought a glass along, but a coffee cup was offered to the cause. Much to my surprise the full strength bourbon did not melt the cup on contact. The cup was filled and passed around for all to sample. If you've never had whiskey right out of the barrel, I highly recommend it.

Next we climbed to the top floor to enjoy the view. The very top level in the warehouse is called the "crows nest". These barrels get the most heat fluctuation and "mature" the fastest.

The first picture shows one of the warehouse's plum bobs. As barrels are moved around the warehouse their tremendous combined weight can shift the entire structure. The plum bob is checked to make sure the structure is kept evenly loaded. The second picture looks down the shaft of the barrel lift.

We then drove back down to the main plant to see where the grain is received and tested. The long pole Greg is holding, called a grain thief, is used to take samples from a delivery truck for testing. The second picture shows a delivery of rye being unloaded.

Here is some of the distillery equipment. First the grain mill, next the huge motor and gearbox that stir the mash, and finally the column still.

Next we stopped at the fermenters. Barton has two long rows of fermenting tanks with a narrow building running down the middle. Each tank protrudes partially into the building but is mostly outside. Greg drew out a sample for everyone to taste.

We took a short break in Greg's office where he offered us a glass of white dog to sample. It was cut to 50% alcohol for proper nosing. This might be the best way to check the spirit profile, but I definitely prefer the taste of uncut spirit.

Our final stop was at the grain drying building. After distillation the remaining "spent grain" is dried and sold as cattle feed. It is actually higher in nutrients than the raw grain that arrives at the distillery. Greg calls the drying plant the "tail that wags the dog" since it dictates the throughput of the entire distillery. For instance, when Barton is distilling rye whiskey it tends to clog up the drying equipment. Since the drying plant efficiency is reduced they must slow down the entire distilling operation to match.

What a great opportunity to see the inner workings of a distillery that is not open to the public. Greg did mention that they had recently bought some adjoining land on the far side of the distillery. Barton is planning to build additional warehouses and a visitor's center on this property.

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