One of our favorite events is Bourbon, Beer and Butts, held in Alys Beach on the Friday night of the 30A Wine Festival. It is such a great opportunity to learn what the distillers are up to across the country - we were able to taste so many unusual and rare bourbons.

The most interesting taste was High Wire Distilling Company's Revival Sorghum Whiskey (88 proof) which retails for $53. It is distilled from Sorghum grown on a Mennonite farm in central Tennessee. With hints of smoke, vanilla and maple syrup, it makes for a great dessert cocktail on its own. We also enjoyed Opici Family Distributing's Brown Sugar Bourbon which retails for $32.

And top culinary talent came to town!

Hands down the crowd favorite. Next time we are in Charleston, South Carolina, you can bet we will pay Rodney Scott's a visit for more of those fall-off-the-bone flavor-packed ribs!

Acre Restaurant is our favorite place for a southern-inspired Sunday brunch when we are in Auburn, Alabama. We were happy to see they made the trip down to the beach.

The breweries did not disappoint either, with many creative craft beers to try! One of our favorites was Grayton Beer's belgian dubbel style Dubbel Barrel, aged in Belle Meade bourbon casks and crafted in collaboration with Nelson's Green Brier Distillery in Nashville, Tennessee. Clove, caramel, toffee, vanilla and dark fruit are not what I expect to get out of a beer - but it works well!

Blackberry Farm Resort is one of the top rated properties in the world and has been a long time favorite of ours for a quick escape to the Great Smoky Mountains. And now, the word is out about their brewery! We used to love their beers while staying on the farm, happily, now their beers are available in 36 states. We enjoyed both the Imperial Saison and the Smoked Lager.

Marc Broussard and his band got everyone up on the dance floor - or maybe that was all the bourbon and beer kicking everyone in the butt.

We picked up a lot of great bourbons and whiskeys so check back soon for our Battle of the Bourbons Tasting Party!