It has been a productive week in Tennessee and Kentucky. The Mid South Stocker Conference was excellent and we had several producers commit to doing business with us. The setting for the Conference was beautiful (Montgomery Bell State Park).
Last night we headed for Bowling Green, Kentucky, and spent the morning visiting with customers and recording testimonials and then met with a prospective customer who is now a customer. We finished the evening back in Nashville with dinner at J. Alexander's in Brentwood, Tennessee, with a good customer and his wife. WOW! The food was out-of-this-world good! I highly recommend it. It is actually located near the Cold Springs Galleria just north of Franklin. Check out the link.
Yep, life is good.
Showing posts with label Kentucky. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kentucky. Show all posts
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Fort Williams -- Glasgow, KY
Last week in my Kentucky travels with Neal Odom, we came across Fort Williams in Glasgow. At first glance it appears to be merely a well-tended hill. However, it was the site of a Civil War battle.
Below are photos of the plaques describing the situation, the people and the battle. You can click on the images for a larger view.
The 6-pounder canon below overlooks the cemetery which contains a number of markers honoring individuals who were involved in the battle. The obelisk just to the left of the barrel is a monument to General Joseph H. Lewis, Commander of the Orphan Brigade which defended this site.
As we walked about the hill, it was interesting to note the placement of the artillery pieces. The hill was well defended from all but one approach.
The fortification consists of an earth berm supported by planking on the inside of the wall. A number of gun ports were cut through the bank and stabilized with planking.
Fort Williams was named for General Thomas Williams.
Below are photos of the plaques describing the situation, the people and the battle. You can click on the images for a larger view.
The 6-pounder canon below overlooks the cemetery which contains a number of markers honoring individuals who were involved in the battle. The obelisk just to the left of the barrel is a monument to General Joseph H. Lewis, Commander of the Orphan Brigade which defended this site.
As we walked about the hill, it was interesting to note the placement of the artillery pieces. The hill was well defended from all but one approach.
The fortification consists of an earth berm supported by planking on the inside of the wall. A number of gun ports were cut through the bank and stabilized with planking.
Fort Williams was named for General Thomas Williams.
Monday, June 8, 2009
A Detour on the Bourbon Trail
Last week's travels once again were in Kentucky. Neal Odom and I were traveling together making sales calls in the Central and East Central part of the state. One afternoon we found ourselves near the little town of Loretto and decided to drop in on one of the state's historical sites.
From the open vats, the slurry is then pumped to a 5-story tall copper distillation column. This is where the 12% alcohol slurry is distilled to a higher concentration. The distillation column sits to the right of the tanks in the photo above. Most of it is out of sight as it goes up through the floors of the Still House.
The distilled liquor is further refined and the proper amount of water is added to reach the final "proof" for the fresh bourbon. It is perfectly clear until aged in specially made white-oak barrels which are seen above. There are numerous warehouses storing the barrels of liquor in various stages of aging.
The entrance to the Still Room can be seen above. The first site is of the copper tanks where the distilled product goes.
The first step in creating Maker's Mark is to run the carefully selected grains through a roller mill. Then, the crushed grains are added to a pressurized wash tub which is seen above. This begins the process of converting the sugars and starches to alcohol.
From the pressurized tanks, the slurry of grains is then transferred to the open wooden vats seen above. This is where the first fermentation occurs. It is interesting to see the bubbles forming on top of the slurry from the gases produced in the fermentation process. Each batch contains a small amount of the previous batch which acts as "seed" for the new liquor.
From the open vats, the slurry is then pumped to a 5-story tall copper distillation column. This is where the 12% alcohol slurry is distilled to a higher concentration. The distillation column sits to the right of the tanks in the photo above. Most of it is out of sight as it goes up through the floors of the Still House.
The distilled liquor is further refined and the proper amount of water is added to reach the final "proof" for the fresh bourbon. It is perfectly clear until aged in specially made white-oak barrels which are seen above. There are numerous warehouses storing the barrels of liquor in various stages of aging.
Today, the finished product is bottled on site in the signature bottle dipped in red wax. In the earliest days, it was transported by wagon.
To learn more about the little distillery at Loretto, Kentucky, go to the Maker's Mark website linked here (warning, you must be 21 to enter).
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Photo Opportunities
Sometimes as I travel along I realize that I MUST get out my camera and preserve what I see for posterity.
Someone apparently was attempting to move this log cabin on a goosneck flat-bed trailer.
Someone apparently was attempting to move this log cabin on a goosneck flat-bed trailer.
The mishap must have made them change their mind. The FOR SALE sign speaks volumes.
I suddenly realized that this Tennessee "mobile home" just barely made it across the line into Kentucky before falling apart. There's gotta be a story here. Comments and captions are welcome.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Sales Calls and Customer Acquisition
I flew into Nashville on Tuesday evening in the midst of pouring rain. It did not bode well for the appointments that I had on Wednesday (yesterday). I hate driving in the dark in the rain on unfamiliar roads with high-speed bumper-to-bumper traffic but that is what I did. Thankfully, I reached my motel in one piece and checked in. After a bite to eat, I retired to my room , happy to be out of the rain.
Wednesday dawned with cloud cover, but no rain. The snow which had been forecast failed to materialize and the day turned out to be great. My big worry became a minor scheduling conflict between my appointments. I called the first one early hoping to move it up and low-and-behold, that was the way it happened. It was a 40 mile drive to meet him at his operation south of Nashville. I headed south on I-65 thanking my lucky stars that I wasn't in the inbound traffic that was backed up almost 15 miles south of Franklin in parking lot mode.
The appointment went even better than I had anticipated and I met not only with him but also one of his neighbors that he had invited over. Both of them are now new customers. I then headed north to my next appointment in Bowling Green, Kentucky. I arrived about 20 minutes early which was great because it gave me some extra time to prepare a couple of items that I felt needed to be added to my arsenal.
The meeting went extremely well and we parted with the agreement to take the next steps. I then called a contact in the area that I didn't have on my schedule and he invited me out to his place northeast of Bowling Green. It was well after dark-thirty when I left after a great visit.
As I hit the north edge of Nashville my cell phone rang. It was the veterinarian who does the work for my afternoon appointment. He had lots of questions and said that I had made a favorable impression. We talked for almost 30 minutes as I drove back to my motel. (I know, I shouldn't be talking on the cell phone while driving but the traffic was light at that time of evening.)
This morning I received a call from our home office to let me know that the veterinarian I had spoken with last night was ready to go ahead and utilize our services for his client. He had called before 8:00 a.m. We will be shipping him the items he needs to get started today.
Yep, it has been a good week so far. Three new customers picked up yesterday in an area where we are looking to expand. Now I'd better get off of here so I can catch my flight to New Orleans.
Wednesday dawned with cloud cover, but no rain. The snow which had been forecast failed to materialize and the day turned out to be great. My big worry became a minor scheduling conflict between my appointments. I called the first one early hoping to move it up and low-and-behold, that was the way it happened. It was a 40 mile drive to meet him at his operation south of Nashville. I headed south on I-65 thanking my lucky stars that I wasn't in the inbound traffic that was backed up almost 15 miles south of Franklin in parking lot mode.
The appointment went even better than I had anticipated and I met not only with him but also one of his neighbors that he had invited over. Both of them are now new customers. I then headed north to my next appointment in Bowling Green, Kentucky. I arrived about 20 minutes early which was great because it gave me some extra time to prepare a couple of items that I felt needed to be added to my arsenal.
The meeting went extremely well and we parted with the agreement to take the next steps. I then called a contact in the area that I didn't have on my schedule and he invited me out to his place northeast of Bowling Green. It was well after dark-thirty when I left after a great visit.
As I hit the north edge of Nashville my cell phone rang. It was the veterinarian who does the work for my afternoon appointment. He had lots of questions and said that I had made a favorable impression. We talked for almost 30 minutes as I drove back to my motel. (I know, I shouldn't be talking on the cell phone while driving but the traffic was light at that time of evening.)
This morning I received a call from our home office to let me know that the veterinarian I had spoken with last night was ready to go ahead and utilize our services for his client. He had called before 8:00 a.m. We will be shipping him the items he needs to get started today.
Yep, it has been a good week so far. Three new customers picked up yesterday in an area where we are looking to expand. Now I'd better get off of here so I can catch my flight to New Orleans.
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