I am not actually a fan of the mint julep as I find it too sweet. I like Bass Ale myself.
Elijah Craig was the founder of Georgetown, KY, my hometown, which was then within Bourbon County. Later Scott County was formed out of a part of Bourbon County, with Georgetown as the county seat of the new county.
Some really great bourbons include Knob Creek, named after the creek that was associated with the property of Mary Todd Lincoln's home (or something like that), and Maker's Mark, which is the brand with the red wax on the top of the bottle. Woodford Reserve is supposed to be good too but I've never had it. But if you're going to mix bourbon with Coke then something less fancy like Jim Beam or Wild Turkey is just fine. Save the expensive stuff for drinking straight.
The best story I have regarding bourbon is this...
I visited Japan in 1992. On my way to my destination of Kochi, on the island of Shikoku, I got as far as Osaka by plane and from there had to take a train and finally, a bus. I had a three or four hour stopover in Osaka before my train left, so I found a little bar/restaurant. Once inside, I was immediately noticed by the locals, who asked me where I was from. When I replied that I was from Kentucky, three men exclaimed in near-perfect unison, "Ahh! Bourbon!"
