点评:I had sampled Ingram bourbon before and enjoyed it (it's produced at a distillery that I really like), and having visited many other distilleries with their conventional rickhouses, I was intrigued to see barrels of whiskey aging on a barge on the Mississippi River. It was pretty cool. Our tour (on a Thursday in October) consisted of just the four of us. As it was the last tour of the day, and we are relatively knowledgeable whiskey fans (which makes it more fun for the guides, I've found), our visit extended beyond the standard one hour. Our guide, a former bar owner and a whiskey enthusiast, was very knowledgeable as well. We did the Barge to Bottle Classic Tour, which at $25 per person is pretty typically priced.
The view of the river from the visitors center on a bluff above is exceptional; we're contemplating a return visit and an overnight stay at their inn, where overnight guests are served dinner prepared by a chef from the region.
Be advised that visiting the barge requires climbing into a van and walking a few yards down a steep paved bank (and walking back up; walking down was trickier for me) and navigating a few stairs. If you're not able to do that, you could probably still get a glimpse of the barge (and that panoramic view from on top of the bluff!) and enjoy a sampling of their whiskeys at the very nicely appointed visitors center.
As this distillery is located in a rather remote, rural area, visiting this distillery is probably best for adults who are interested in seeing other attractions in the region.
The Columbus-Belmont State Park (which commemorates a place where Confederate forces stretched a huge chain across the Mississippi River in an effort to prevent Union gunboats from reaching the South) is just a two-minute drive away from Ingram, so you can enjoy two attractions if you visit there.
Located about a half-hour to the north is Wickliffe, Ky., near where the Ohio River flows into the Mississippi River (best seen by crossing the Ohio River into Illinois); there is a 90-foot cross towering above the Mississippi at Fort Jefferson Hill as well as the Wickliffe Mounds, which was used centuries ago by Native Americans for both ceremonial activities and burials of the deceased.
A little over an hour to the south is Reelfoot Lake State Park in Tennessee.
翻译:我以前尝过英格拉姆波本威士忌,很喜欢那种口味(它产自我非常喜爱的那家酿酒厂)。由于我参观过很多拥有传统酒窖的酿酒厂,因此看到密西西比河上的驳船里正有威士忌桶在陈酿时,我感到十分好奇。真的相当酷。那次参观(10月的一个星期四)只有我们四个人参加。由于那是当天的最后一场导览,而且我们都是对威士忌略知一二的爱好者(据我发现,这对导游来说也更有趣)。我们的参观时间超出了原本规定的一小时。我们的导游曾是酒吧老板,也是威士忌爱好者,他学识渊博。我们参加了“从酒桶到酒瓶”经典游览项目,每人25美元的收费也算在正常范围内。
从高处的游客中心眺望河流,景色美不胜收;我们正考虑再次造访,并在该旅馆过夜。旅馆会为入住客人提供由当地厨师烹制的晚餐。请注意:要参观那艘驳船,需要先爬进一辆面包车,然后沿着陡峭的铺砌河岸行走几码远(再走回去;对我来说,往下走更困难些),之后还要上下几级台阶。如果您无法做到这些,或许仍能在设施精良的游客中心瞥见那艘驳船(以及从悬崖顶上俯瞰到的全景!),还能品尝到他们出品的威士忌。
由于这家酿酒厂位于较为偏远的乡村地区,参观这家酿酒厂最适合那些有兴趣游览该地区其他景点的成年人。
哥伦布-贝尔蒙特州立公园(该公园为纪念南方邦联军队曾在密西西比河上拉起一道巨链以阻止北方联邦的炮艇进入南方而建)距离英格拉姆仅两分钟车程,因此前往那里可以同时游览两处景点。
向北约半小时车程便是肯塔基州的威克利夫。在俄亥俄河汇入密西西比河的附近(最佳观赏方式是渡过俄亥俄河进入伊利诺伊州);在杰斐逊堡山丘上有一座高90英尺的十字架耸立在密西西比河上空,此外还有威克利夫土墩遗址,几个世纪前美洲原住民曾在此举行仪式并安葬死者。
向南驱车一个多小时便可抵达田纳西州的里尔富特湖州立公园。