Is it just me, or does it seem like every week there’s a new bourbon experience coming to Louisville? I’d say we have definitely earned our moniker of Bourbon City. And I welcome it all and feel like bourbon tourism hasn’t slowed a bit.

But when I experience something bourbon-related that is truly one-of-a-kind, I feel like I need to shout it from the rooftops — or just write about it on this here website because I’m afraid of heights. A few weeks ago, I was invited to a top secret event after-hours at the Frazier History Museum, and it involved bourbon (of course) and bluegrass music.

Called “Bourbon Through Bluegrass,” the fun, informative and very entertaining event featured a bourbon tasting and history lesson that was told through bluegrass music. Led by the walking bourbon encyclopedia that is Bernie Lubbers, as well as his sidekick and bluegrass icon Steve Cooley, the event is part concert, part bourbon tasting and part Kentucky History 101.

Lubbers is known as “The Whiskey Professor” and has been a respected brand ambassador for Heaven Hill for more than 13 years. He’s a champion for bottled-in-bond whiskeys, all of which you can find tattooed on his arms.

And Cooley has played bluegrass since the ’70s, sharing stages with the likes of Grandpa Jones, Bill Monroe, Sam Bush and so many others — plus he has some Grammy nominations under his belt as well.

How Can You Go?

The good news is, it wasn’t just a one-time gig. “Bourbon Through Bluegrass” will be ongoing and open to the public (for ages 21+) on Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday mornings at 10 a.m. Tickets are $125 and include a welcome cocktail, four whiskey and bourbon pours, the 90-minute experiences and a self-guided tour of the Frazier History Museum afterward.

If you’re a history buff who isn’t into bourbon, don’t worry — you’ll get just as much out of the session as the person you gift your samples to (pick me!). Lubbers and Cooley effortlessly weave stories of Kentucky’s heritage and bourbon traditions throughout traditional bluegrass songs of the 1800s and 1900s.

Since I’m more of a bourbon aficionado than a bluegrass buff, I enjoyed the whiskey that was chosen specifically to highlight the ups and downs of Kentucky’s bourbon industry. And Lubbers enchanted the audience with stories behind the brands, why he chose them, and how they play an important role in the past, present and future.

This would be the perfect thing to take your mom or dad to, and if they don’t drink whiskey, well then I guess it’s your lucky day. “Bourbon Through Bluegrass” is the exact thing Louisville needs to further brand itself Bourbon City, and it’s a great alternative to the plethora of tasting rooms and distillery tours.

For tickets, click this link.

If you live in Kentucky, love bourbon, enjoy trying new whiskeys and are one of the first 5,000 people to read this here blog, you just might be a great fit for Bourbon Limited, an exclusive new bourbon club curated by the folks at the Frazier History Museum.

The subscription-only club offers one-of-a-kind bottles from some of Kentucky’s top distilleries, as well as craft brands, to its members through the mail. While there is no membership fee to join, the bottles will cost you about $200 for each release, which will occur roughly every two to three months.

If there happens to be a release you don’t want, however, you might lose your spot in the club if you decide to pass on it. That’s the biggest difference between this mail-service club and the ones offered by distilleries like Maker’s Mark and Jim Beam.

But if you’re up for trying bourbons that run the gamut, Andrew Treinen, president and CEO of Frazier Museum, says they’ve got some special bottles lined up from some of Kentucky’s best distilleries.

Also, he emphasized that these bottles will not be available to the general public in stores or even at the distilleries, and that each distillery they’ve partnered with so far has big plans for their unique bottles for this club.

If you’re wondering why a history museum is hosting a bourbon club, then you haven’t been paying attention. The Frazier History Museum is the starting point of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, and it has an entire floor (No. 3) dedicated to Kentucky’s native spirit.

Plus, the gift shop sells bourbon and very cool bourbon-related items, so if you haven’t been for a visit in a while, you should check it out.

But let’s get back to Bourbon Limited. Treinen says in a news release: “The members-only club will serve as a showcase for all the things that make bourbon so unique and uniquely American. It will provide participants with a wealth of inside information — and the stories that bourbon lovers love to share with their friends. And every now and then, members can expect a little something extra in appreciation for their support.”

If you’d like to join, just click the link here and sign up. You’ll have to enter a credit card to reserve a spot, but it won’t be charged until you approve it for the first release. Details on that will come soon, Treinen says.

As for the distilleries involved, that is somewhat of a mystery, and the curators are in the process of adding more each month. From a quick look on the website, some of the initial partners include Wilderness Trail, Blue Run, Peerless and Four Gate, and I’ll throw in Rabbit Hole because I have some inside information. Anything else you’re gonna have to feed me bourbon.

So am I joining Bourbon Limited? Well, I already beat you to it.