Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton Lakes National Park

Completed in 1927, the Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta is one of the great Canadian railway hotels. Interestingly, it was actually built by an American railway company, the Great Northern Railway. This landmark property became the sole Canadian link in the Great Northern's chain of resort hotels. Fittingly, the Prince of Wales was used as an attraction for affluent tourists visiting from Glacier National Park in Montana.

Today, the Prince of Wales Hotel is still a big draw, not only for the structure itself, but because of the unbelievable views the location offers. Unlike many other historic properties in the Rocky Mountains, the exterior of the Prince of Wales appears almost unchanged from how it looked when it was first completed. The architecture echoes that of a European alpine chalet, and the original timber-framed interior still remains. Appropriately, the Prince of Wales Hotel was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1995.

Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton Lakes National Park ca. 1930s

Prince of Wales Hotel in Waterton Lakes National Park ca. 1930s

Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co. | Louisville

From wine to whiskey and a handful of great craft beers, my road trip through the American South had already presented quite a few tasting opportunities. Heading north I heard about the Kentucky Peerless Distilling Company in Louisville and thought it would be a fun place to visit to sample their popular Lucky Kentucky Moonshine.

With a heritage dating back to the 1880s, the story of the Kentucky Peerless Distilling Company is pretty fascinating. I won't rehash it, but you can read up on it here. I was also impressed with the work they did on this old warehouse in downtown Louisville, and how recent the revival of the operation was. They filled their first barrel of bourbon in 2015, and if all goes to plan their first rye whiskey will be ready sometime in 2017 and their first bourbon in 2019. 

In the meantime, Kentucky Peerless has a variety of moonshine flavors that they sell under their "Lucky" brand. I enjoyed sampling a few while I was there and took home a bottle of their Green Apple Pie Moonshine for later. Sadly, production was temporarily stalled the afternoon I popped in so I couldn't take their tour, but the staff was friendly and more than happy to share a few stories anyway. The Kentucky Peerless Distilling Company gets a thumbs up from me!