#best bourbon tours in bardstown ky

[horsesnbourbon]

Top Must-Visit Bourbon Distilleries in Louisville & Lexington, KY

A visit to Kentucky's bourbon distilleries is a must if you're a whiskey enthusiast or are just interested in learning more about the complex manufacturing process and lengthy history of this famous American spirit. Kentucky is home to some of the most well-known bourbon distilleries in the world and is well suited for your bourbon distillery tours in Louisville KY and Lexington.

Why Visit Bourbon Distilleries in Kentucky? Kentucky is the origin of bourbon, not just any old spot to enjoy it. Rich soil, clear limestone water, and a state with a particular climate all contribute to Kentucky bourbon's distinctive flavor profiles. Exploring these distilleries provides an in-depth look at the passion, tradition, and skill that go into each bottle.

Top Bourbon Distilleries in Louisville

Evan Williams Bourbon Experience The Evan Williams Bourbon Experience, situated on Louisville's famed Whiskey Row, is a must-see when it comes to bourbon distillery tours in Louisville KY. It provides guests with an intimate look into the life of Kentucky's first commercial distiller by fusing an interactive bourbon taste with a guided tour.

Angel's Envy Distillery Angel's Envy, a company renowned for its creative finishing technique, provides a special tour showcasing its handcrafted methodology. Not only is the distillery's finishing room visually stunning, but the tasting experience is also quite noteworthy.

Michter's Fort Nelson Distillery The Fort Nelson Distillery by Michter offers a fusion of traditional and contemporary bourbon-making methods. The tour includes a sample of some of Michter's best spirits in addition to an examination of the original pot stills and cypress wood fermenters.

Top Bourbon Distilleries in Lexington

Woodford Reserve Distillery The ancient and gorgeous Woodford Reserve Distillery is tucked away in the undulating hills of Woodford County. After a thorough examination of their small-batch bourbon production process, your bourbon distillery tours in Lexington KY concludes with a taste of a stunning location.

Buffalo Trace Distillery Buffalo Trace, one of the oldest distilleries in the US still in operation, is known for its bourbons and has a rich history. Everything from fermentation to aging is covered in this extensive tour.

Town Branch Distillery The Town Branch Distillery is one of the unique spots for your bourbon distillery tours in Lexington KY it makes both craft beer and bourbon. They offer tours that give visitors a distinctive look at the distillation process and include a sampling of their beer and bourbon.

Conclusion Bourbon enthusiasts and novices alike may have an unmatched experience at Kentucky's distilleries when it comes to bourbon distillery tours in Louisville KY or Lexington. These excursions, featuring distinctive production methods, fascinating history, and delectable tastes, are the highlights of any visit to the Bluegrass State.

[lexingtonplasticsurgeryky]

The Best Things to Do in Lexington, Kentucky

Located in the state of Kentucky, Lexington is a city known for its thoroughbred racetracks, horse farms, and historic sites. This area is also home to the Kentucky Horse Park, which features the International Museum of the Horse. The city is also home to Lexington Cemetery, where 1800s politician Henry Clay is buried. The cemetery features a Romanesque gatehouse and an arboretum.

Mary Todd Lincoln House

Located in Lexington, Kentucky, the Mary Todd Lincoln House is one of the oldest structures in the city. It is a Federal style house dating from the early nineteenth century.

The house was purchased by the state in 1967. It is now operated by the Kentucky State Parks Department. The Mary Todd Lincoln House is open to the public Monday through Saturday. It has an impressive gift shop with items from the region. It is also partially wheelchair accessible.

The house is decorated with furnishings from the 19th century. There is a special children's tour of the house. Visitors can also play trivia games, compose Mary-inspired treats, and listen to period music played by violinist Brice Farrar.

Bluegrass BBQ Fest

Featuring a bevy of bluegrass musicians and a slew of barbecue contestants, the Bluegrass BBQ Fest is an annual event held in Lexington, North Carolina. The show, aptly named, is a two-day event that features the best of the best from the region's best barbecue spots.

The Bluegrass BBQ Fest, which runs on both Saturday and Sunday, is free to attend and is a fun day out for the whole family. There are dozens of food vendors setting up in and around the event, with the best ones invariably located by the main stage.

Gratz Park Historic District

Gratz Park is a historic neighborhood in Lexington, Kentucky. It is a neighborhood that is home to sixteen large historic homes and a city park. The historic district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. The neighborhood has a rich history, and many houses are open to the public.

Gratz Park was originally built as a lot for the early settlers of Lexington. It was also the location of the city's first public library. After the Civil War, the area fell into neglect.

Keeneland racecourse

Located in Lexington, KY, Keeneland racecourse is a famous thoroughbred racing facility. It is home to four annual auctions, which attract owners from all over the world.

Keeneland is a National Historic Landmark. The facility was created by a group of horsemen, including Jack Keene, Hal Price Headley, and Major Louie Beard. They wanted to improve the sport of Thoroughbred racing. They also wanted to establish a training center. The property that Keene purchased included a mile-and-a-furlong private racetrack and roadway, as well as land for future stables.

West Sixth Brewing

Whether you are a Lexington local or just visiting, West Sixth Brewing is a must. They're located at 501 W 6th St, Lexington KY and have a ton of different types of beer on tap, as well as a plethora of collaborations.

They have a cool, albeit small, barrel room, complete with floor-to-ceiling barrels, clay floor tiles, reclaimed wood accents, and a beer garden. The space is a great location for meetings, parties, or simply a nice relaxing beer.

They have a lot of different types of beer to choose from, including their flagship Amber, as well as seasonals, IPAs, and the Pennyrile Pale ale. They also have a cool little walk/run club, which is great for getting in some exercise.

Kentucky Straight High Rye Bourbon

Using a mashbill of 65% yellow corn, 30% rye, and 5% malted barley, Blue Run Kentucky Straight High Rye Bourbon has been aged in both Bardstown and Frankfort, Kentucky. It is a spirited bourbon, brimming with baking spices, stone fruit, and black pepper.

This bourbon was selected as a finalist at the 2021 San Francisco World Spirits Competition. It is bottled at 111 proof. The mashbill has a sweet aroma, with hints of brown sugar butter, vanilla bean, and ripe fig. It also has rustic notes of fresh cut hay from high rye.

Bluegrass Distillers

Located in Lexington, Kentucky, the Alltech Lexington Brewing and Distilling Company is a newer distillery that produces Town Branch Bourbon, Town Branch Rye Whiskey, Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale, and several others. They also produce a variety of gin, including their popular Town Branch Gin, which is made with Kentucky Bourbon. They are now also making a variety of corn whiskeys and spirits.

The Lexington Brewery and Distilling Company is located in a newly renovated distiller's house in Lexington, Kentucky. The distillery produces a variety of distilled spirits and offers guided tours. The company has plans to release several new products, including Lone Whisker Bourbon and Tanner's Curse Bourbon. It will also release a new wheat whiskey.

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[greatdrams]

The GreatDrams Bourbon Lover’s Guide to Whiskey Tourism in Kentucky

Here at GreatDrams we'll be focusing on Bourbon over the next two weeks. What better way to get started than with a whiskey holiday!

Now, I don’t know about you but I’ve wanted to visit Kentucky for years. To make the pilgrimage, to visit the distilleries, to meet the people and to enjoy fantastic bourbon… and finally this happened in September 2018. Here is The GreatDrams Bourbon Lover's Guide to Whiskey Tourism in Kentucky.

GETTING THERE

If you’re travelling from the UK, I found flying from Manchester to Heathrow to Chicago and on to Lexington the easiest way, although choosing to fly with British Airways was definitely not the best as they failed in pretty much every way both ways, across all five flights but the rant about that will stay to Facebook and their complaints email address.

There are other travel options when visiting Kentucky from the UK;

London Heathrow to Atlanta and on to Lexington

London Heathrow to Chicago and on to Cincinnati and getting a $110 cab to Lexington

London Heathrow to New York JFK and on to Lexington

And many more.

It will take time to get there, but like all good pilgrimages, you get out what effort you put in and I was truly rewarded with brilliance during my time whilst visiting Kentucky.

WHERE TO STAY

I stayed at the 21c Hotel in Downtown Lexington, a museum hotel that was somewhere between inspiring and mightily random - for example there were big, 4ft blue plastic penguins everywhere and in all the corridors, and the maid (I assume) even put one in my room one morning - but incredibly comfortable and with a great local beer and whiskey menu… and the food was fantastic, so well worth a stay if you’re in the area.

GETTING AROUND

Distilleries in Kentucky are, like Scotland and Ireland, relatively well spread out so you will need a car to get around and I would highly recommend hiring a driver or asking who you are with REALLY nicely to be the designated driver as, whilst not all distilleries let you sample their whiskeys, you might pick up a sample or pass a bar along the way you want to try some wonderful Bourbon, Rye, Wheated Bourbon or concept whiskeys in.

Two of the days I was in Kentucky I had meetings so was very fortunate that one of the people I was seeing, Brian, was awesome enough to drive me around to various distilleries, he then arranged a private tour for my final day with a company called Bottled in Bond Tours.

Bottled in Bond Tours is owned by a well-travelled chap named Nate who is one of the most fantastically enthusiastic people about all things Kentucky, Bourbon and whiskey that I’ve met. A really nice guy who tailors your time with him to exactly what you want to do, see and experience. Nate also has connections in most of the distilleries so can get you to access things you probably would not otherwise be able to on your own.

THE BARS

I did not have a lot of time to explore the bar scene due to my schedule but did enjoy a couple of fantastic bars in Lexington, Kentucky.

The Bluegrass Tavern

Address: 1303, 115 Cheapside, Lexington, KY 40507, United States

Website: http://www.thebluegrasstavern.com

Opening Time: 5:00 pm

What a bar! Owned by a great guy named Sean who, along with the previous owners of the bar, have amassed an 800+ bottle strong collection of Bourbon ranging from the classics to the rarest and the obscure.

Make sure you go to this bar, it is affectionately described by their bartenders as a 'bourbon-centric dive bar’ and man did it deliver not only the American bar experience I love, with good local beers and superb Bourbon, but the guys there are awesome. Bartender Austin in particular was great at showing me superb whiskeys they have in that I would not be able to try anywhere else and it was great just to spend hours chatting about Bourbon and Kentucky with him. Whilst there I tried some belters including:

Chicken Cock Bourbon (chosen for the name, chosen again for how great it tasted)

Weller 12 Year Old

Wild Turkey Decades

Wilderness Trail Single Barrel

Wilderness Trail 4 Year Old Rye

Russell’s Reserve Bluegrass Tavern Barrel Select ‘Gobble Gobble Gulp’ exclusive to the bar

Cathop

Not a Bourbon bar at all, in fact I’m not sure I saw a Bourbon on the bar whilst there, but they had around a hundred, maybe more craft beers on tap ranging from all different styles and flavours.

The food here was great too, I had the Vladimir Poutine - essentially chips, gravy and cheese curd with a bit of brisket on top… a Canadian delicacy that I had not had in a couple of years so fancied tucking in again.

Bourbon on Rye

Address: 115 W Main St, Lexington, KY 40507, USA

Website: https://www.facebook.com/bourbononrye/

Opening Time: 4:00 pm

Simply put; this is where great Bourbon lives. A must visit.

THE DISTILLERIES

In the three days I was in Kentucky I managed to visit nine distilleries in total, each and every one I would recommend that you all visit too. One thing that did annoy me about a bunch of them was how little you are able to sample and to try at the distilleries, apparently a few of them pulled back on samples as people turned up and drank loads then went away again - personally I think that is a bit of a smokescreen as you should want people to try your stuff as they are more than likely to then buy something from the store. Here they are, in the order I visited them as it would be rude to rank them:

Castle & Key

Address: 4445 McCracken Pike, Frankfort, KY 40601, USA

Website: https://castleandkey.com/

When I visited this distillery was not open to the public, fortunately I was able to walk around it for an hour and a half or so with one of their top dogs, Brett, who took me through the whole story, the history and the vision for the place. When open this will be one of the nicest distilleries on the planet. Make sure you also try, and buy, their gin - phenomenal.

Maker’s Mark

Address: 3350 Burks Spring Rd, Loretto, KY 40037, USA

Website: https://www.makersmark.com/

Opening Time: 9:30 am

An icon of the Bourbon world, this distillery was great to see in person and I loved the small design touches around the place including the bottle outline being built into the window shutters, the red accent detail from the wax being included tastefully throughout the site and ability to wax dip your own bottle… which I dutifully did.

Heaven Hill

Address: 528 West Main St. Louisville, KY 40202

Website: https://www.heavenhill.com

Opening Time: 9:00 am

I only popped into the ship at this one as my time was pressed, but managed to pick up a single barrel Old Fitzgerald 14 Year Old and a McKenna (won best American single barrel whiskey this year).

Willett

Address: 1869 Loretto Road Bardstown, Kentucky 40004

Website: https://www.kentuckybourbonwhiskey.com/

Opening Time: 9:30 am

Did the full tour here and it was great, a really small distillery given the amount of brands and product they churn out but the tasting here was lovely as was the walk around the site… their distillery cat was cute too, and enjoyed a little tickle between stops on the tour.

Wilderness Trail

Address: 4095 Lebanon Rd, Danville, KY 40422, USA

Website: http://wildernesstraildistillery.com/

Opening Time: 10:00 am

These guys are incredible, distillers Pat and Shane have created something special here - their background in yeast cultivation and process efficiency for others has set them and their distillery up to be über successful as they have done from filling just one barrel of spirit a day in 2013 using a single pot still to 220 barrels being filled a day in 2018 to become the 14th biggest Bourbon producer in the United States. Incredible how these guys have done it and what they are on the cusp of achieving. Definitely check them out - they sell a single barrel exclusive in the distillery shop too which is fantastic.

Buffalo Trace

Address:  113 Great Buffalo Trace, Frankfort, KY 40601, USA

Website: https://www.buffalotracedistillery.com/

Opening Time: 9:00 am

Like Maker’s, an icon of the Bourbon industry and one you just have to visit even if it is just for the photo in front of the iconic water tower. One of the best and most historic distilleries I visited, and the tour guide Lee had great stories and fascinating tales. A good guy too. The tasting at the end of the tour was basic but good. One let down here was that there were no distillery exclusive whiskies to buy - a HUGE missed opportunity in my opinion, as always - and no premium whiskies either. There was a bottle of Blanton’s, but I had seen it elsewhere too.

Wild Turkey

Address: 1417 Versailles Rd, Lawrenceburg, KY 40342, USA

Website: https://wildturkeybourbon.com

Opening Time: 9:00 am

Great distillery, a nice - and reasonably priced - tasting bar downstairs and lots of random things to buy in the store including a gobbler - see my instagram. Their main corridor includes a nice way of explaining their history too.

Woodford Reserve

Address: 7855 McCracken Pike, Versailles, KY 40383-9781

Website: https://www.woodfordreserve.com

Opening Time: 9:00 am

Like Buffalo Trace and Maker’s, an icon of the Bourbon industry and one of the quaintest and truly American-designed distilleries I’ve visited. A great tour too, albeit quite stage-managed and overly scripted, that finishes with a basic tasting.

Bluegrass Distillers

Address: 501 W 6th St #165, Lexington, KY 40508, USA

Website: https://www.bluegrassdistillers.com/

Opening Time: 10:00 am

An unexpected one this, and one that is within walking distance from the hotel I stayed in (roughly 25 minutes each way). This was the smallest distillery of all I visited, but one of the coolest as you get to bottle your own Bourbon (or rye) right there in the distillery shop - something none of the others offered at all, and was an instant sale. Well worth checking them out. They produce Wheated Bourbon too, which you can bottle, and is akin to Pappy and Weller in base flavour profile and character.

The post The GreatDrams Bourbon Lover’s Guide to Whiskey Tourism in Kentucky appeared first on GreatDrams.

from GreatDrams http://bit.ly/2UQAM7Z Greg

[wineanddinosaur]

11 Things You Should Know About Heaven Hill Distillery

Heaven Hill Distillery, founded by the Shapira family in Bardstown, Ky., in 1935, is the largest family-owned and operated distillery in the U.S. It’s also the second-largest bourbon distillery in the world, and one of the country’s largest spirits suppliers.

Ready for a taste of whiskey history? Here are 11 more things you should know about Heaven Hill Distillery.

Heaven Hill began as a post-Prohibition proposition.

After Prohibition ended in 1933, Ed Shapira, a successful businessman and department store owner in New Haven, Ky., invested in a fledgling distillery looking to bring whiskey back to Kentucky. Ed Shapira’s five sons eventually bought out the distillery’s other investors, becoming the sole owners. One of these sons, Max Shapira, is the company president today.

You might know Heaven Hill by its other names.

Heaven Hill is famous in its own right, but you may know it better by its flagship bourbon labels, Evan Williams and Elijah Craig. Both have been produced since the 1930s. The distillery also produces the eponymous Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond, along with many other brands it either created or acquired: Larceny, Rittenhouse Rye, Henry McKenna Single Barrel, Bernheim Original Wheat Whiskey, Pikesville Rye, Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond, and Mellow Corn.

Until 2019, Heaven Hill’s distillers had ‘the most famous name in bourbon.’

Heaven Hill has had several members of the Beam family at its still. Most recently was the late Parker Beam, who started with the company in 1960, served as master distiller starting in 1975, and became master distiller emeritus in 2014, after falling ill.

Parker Beam was the son of Earl Beam, grandson of Park Beam, and grandnephew of Jim Beam. Bill Samuels Jr., friend of Parker and former Maker’s Mark executive, said he “lived up to and exceeded the burden of having the most famous name in bourbon.”

In 2019, Heaven Hill appointed Conor O’Driscoll master distiller. Though not a Beam, O’Driscoll is an industry vet, having worked in Kentucky bourbon for 15 years.

Heaven Hill is a young 84.

Despite being born in 1935, Heaven Hill keeps up with the times online. The distillery has its own podcast, “Tales from the Hill,” which delivers insights into the distillery’s heritage. And in March 2019, Heaven Hill brand ambassador Bernie Lubbers hosted a Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything), devoting two hours to the online forum.

It’s had a few facelifts.

In 2018, Heaven Hill announced a major expansion and renovation — to the tune of $65 million — including $17.5 million toward a rebranding of the Bourbon Heritage Center, a stop on the official Kentucky Bourbon Trail offering tastings and a museum describing the region’s bourbon history. The rest went to new barrel warehousing and equipment upgrades. In total, the distillery has invested more than $100 million in expansions and tourism since 2010, according to the Spirits Business.

It wants you to visit.

Along with the recent renovations to the Bourbon Heritage Center in Bardstown, Heaven Hill also hosts the annual Kentucky Bourbon Festival in September. Additionally, visitors can swing by the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience in Louisville any time of year. That tour is led by Heaven Hill Artisanal Distiller and 38-year employee Jodie Filiatreau.

Heaven Hill has more rickhouses than America has states.

Heaven Hill is headquartered in Bardstown, Ky. It also operates several facilities in the area, each with its own set of rickhouses, or barrel warehouses. There are currently 51 rickhouses and counting: 22 in Bardstown, nine each in Deatsville and Schenley, seven in Bernheim, and four in Glencoe. In total, the 51 rickhouses hold 1,173,000 barrels.

But wait — there’s more. Heaven Hill is currently developing another campus in Cox’s Creek, Ky., “to allow for future expansion,” the company writes on its website. That campus will hold 11 rickhouses with the capacity to hold 605,000 additional barrels.

Heaven Hill offered the ultimate ‘angel’s share.’

On Nov. 7, 1996, a disastrous fire ravaged Heaven Hill’s Bardstown plant. “Flames could be seen shooting 300 to 400 feet into the air from over 20 miles away as the alcohol burned and barrels exploded,” Distillery Trail reports. The flames jumped from warehouse to warehouse, eventually engulfing seven, as well as the distillery. In four hours, more than 90,000 barrels of bourbon were lost. Amazingly, no one was hurt.

It makes smart investments.

In 1999, Heaven Hill acquired several spirits brands from beverage giant Diageo, including Deep Eddy Vodka, Hpnotiq Liqueur, O’Mara’s Irish Country Cream, and many others. As part of the same deal, it also acquired its Bernheim Distillery in Louisville, now the world’s largest single-site bourbon distillery.

Heaven Hill has always been the ‘best.’

The distillery has won dozens of awards, including 30 Best Whiskey wins, 14 Whiskey of the Year awards, seven Distiller of the Year awards, and 42 double gold medals. At the 2019 SF World Spirits Competition, Heaven Hill left with the titles for Distillery of the Year, Best Bourbon, and Best in Show Whisky. It’s the only distillery to win Best in Show Whisky with bourbon.

When Heaven Hill released its first label in 1939, Old Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond, it was the best-selling whiskey in the state of Kentucky.

Heaven Hill is part of two Bourbon Counties, in Kentucky and Illinois.

In 2015, Heaven Hill partnered with Chicago brewery Goose Island on a rare variant of the brewery’s Bourbon County Brand Stout. The special-release beers, sold annually starting on Black Friday, are known for kicking off the bourbon-barrel-aged beer trend.

The companies partnered again in 2018, when Goose Island’s Reserve Bourbon County Stout was aged in Heaven Hill barrels. In 2019, the bourbon barrels grace three different releases: Reserve Rye Bourbon County Stout, aged exclusively in Rittenhouse Rye barrels; Bourbon County Wheatwine Ale, aged in Larceny barrels; and the classic Bourbon County Stout, aged in Heaven Hill as well as Buffalo Trace and Wild Turkey barrels.

“Bourbon and beer is a partnership that makes sense,” Conor O’Driscoll, Heaven Hill master distiller, said in a press release.

The article 11 Things You Should Know About Heaven Hill Distillery appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/heaven-hill-distillery/

[thebourbontruth]

Doing the Bourbon Trail 2017

A lot has changed since my last Bourbon Trail post so it’s time. http://kybourbontrail.com What I’ve noticed is people tour under very different time constraints and whom your accompanied by. Solo vs a family trip with the kids and grandparents has much different needs and results. First off do the trail sober. The Kentucky Bourbon Distillers has been enlisting the help of Uber and Lyft. There are taxis and private and public tour groups. Plan ahead for not driving when you shouldn’t be or have a DD.

Logistics As of 2016 there are over a million visits a year visiting Kentucky for “ bourbon tourism” and growing. In 10 years the number has tripled to where it is. That’s a lot. During peak days or times you will NOT be able to get a tour unless you preplan and reserve well in advance. http://kybourbontrail.com/kentucky-bourbon-trail-barrels-past-1-million-visits-2016/

The unofficial and official trail extends well north starting in Newport Kentucky (outside Cincinnati) where New Riff (craft) is to Bowling Green (almost the Tennessee boarder) where Corsair (craft) is over a 3 hour drive so limits are usually present. Most other Distilleries average a 45-60 minute drive apart but Buffalo Trace, Woodford, Wild Turkey, and Four Roses are within half an hour of each other. Regardless of the distance your not getting to them all, possibly not even all the major ones. Secondly, (I’ll say it again) during peak days and times you might not be able to tour at all or need to wait without reservations so make reservations. Another General recommendation is that you and certainly kids have a three distillery attention limit. Things will start blending in and looking the same after that. Pick carefully because if Beam is at the top of your list, do it first. If you put favorite or must see’s at the end you may never make it. If you do more than 3, make that a daily limit. If you don’t want to drive, Mint Julep Tours has some great private and public options http://mintjuleptours.com https://mintjuleptours.com/public-bourbon-tours/

Weather The summer is hot and steamy, sometimes too hot. Bring lots of water in a cooler if you can. The summer may also have distilleries that are closed or not distilling so if you really want to see a special distillery make sure they are operating the days your planning to be there. Winter has ice and when roads are icy the distilleries have been known to close completely. Pets in the car don’t mix well if hot or cold.

Where to sleep? The nicest national hotel chain in Bardstown is the Hampton Inn. There are a few bed and breakfasts but if you want central location, choice and some luxury, Louisville is your best bet (about an hour from most things). Use this as your central hub. Places like the Marriott East (Eastern suburb to downtown Louisville) are a bit cheaper than the regular high end places in downtown and a bit closer to Frankfort area Buffalo Trace, Woodford and Lawrenceburg for Wild Turkey and Four Roses. If your going to be further South, besides Bardstown, Elizabethtown is another option.

If you’re a couple or buddies or a couple touring, I’d recommend Louisville for the bars, Resturant’s and Whiskey Row attractions. Night life is practically non existent other than Louisville. I have regretted Lexington stays as its too far from most places. If your willing to switch hotels in/from other cities/towns that’s a different matter. I personally stay at the Marriott Residence Inn in downtown Louisville when staying downtown. It’s a 50 foot walk/stumble to the best Whiskey bar in Kentucky (Haymarket, a fun dive bar open late). Wandering the streets of Louisville at night, potentially drunk, when not in a group isn’t recommended.

Family trips You better pick just Three-Four distilleries or your going to hear whining. Mix things in like Mammoth Caves, Underground Zip lines, Lincoln Boyhood home, museums, rides on the river in Louisville etc.. The Beam Urban Stillhouse and Evan Williams Experience http://evanwilliams.com/visit.php in Louisville are good for kids so I don’t count those as part of your 3. If you only have two days stick to those close to the Bluegrass Parkway. Buffalo Trace to Bardstown.

Solo or Couples Pick 5 places unless you have more than two days. At five you’ll also start to get the “distillery burnout” and a potentially unhappy spouse. If your going to do more than 5 anyway try to split it up maybe with Cincinnati, Louisville, Lexington, Nashville touring. Visit the races, horse farm etc. you’ll need a break.

Smaller Distilleries Craft and lesser known names I wouldn’t try too hard to get to unless its Willett or on the way with burnout considered.

Cost Plan on about $5-20 per adult per Distillery. Buffalo Trace has the only free tours that I recall. I’ve even heard that Makers Mark is currently charging to get in even with no tour. Don’t know if this is temporary. Other Visitor Centers/Gift Shops at this point are still free to get in but tours are the extra charge. Some might offer Discounts for DD’s, Military, Seniors, Law Enforcement and First responders so ask. Children are usually free to a certain age.

The Distilleries By rough geography. If I miss or skip a distillery it’s not necessarily a skip, I personally haven’t been or not enough there to warrant the extra time to get there. Some distilleries may have a distillery exclusive bottle. I’ll try to note these. Keep in mind that by law any Kentucky retailer can carry these also but they rarely do or can get them before the gift shop gets them all from distribution. They are part of the three tier system so even the distillery exclusives technically need to go through a third party distributer.

Louisville Angels Envy The newest tour in Downtown Louisville across from Slugger Baseball Stadium. A beautiful great tour. If you can’t see the rest of the Bourbon Trail this is a great option. Nothing I could see in the Gift shop different than what you can get at home but I’d go back again. They did have their Rye which is often sold out back home. Note that tours do get sold out on weekdays off peak as they were when I was there.

Bulleit Experience If your not a Stitzel Weller geek skip it. If you don’t know what Stitzel Weller is, again, skip it. More or less a Diageo ad for Bulleit that has never had or has a current real Distillery there although one is due to open soon in Shelbyville that might have public tours.

Copper and Kings is a Brandy distillery in Louisville if your into that and have time.

Evan Williams Experience A mini distillery and showcase of distilling and history. A fun time. They have a few exclusives like a 12 year and 23 year Evan Williams.

Frankfort area

Buffalo Trace http://www.buffalotracedistillery.com/visit-us/our-tours Not an official part of or member of the Bourbon Trail. Free tours and you should reserve Hard Hat Tours as opposed to the regular hourly tours. They split production and maturation into roughly two tours so you could end up there most of the day to get tour bookend Hard Hat type tours in. This is a whiskey factory. Not much for kids but a not to be missed option. Don’t expect any bottles you can’t get at home of Whiskey, nothing special.

Woodford Reserve https://www.woodfordreserve.com/distillery/tours/ Very pretty and fairly quick tours. Drive through horse county to the nicest Distillery in Ky. A couple releases you can only find at the distillery. Real nice gift shop packed full. Usually two unique Whiskeys in .375 size avail each only there. A must stop.

Castle and Key Beginning tours soon. Read up on Old Taylor History (what used to be here) and check it out. Down the street from Woodford. If and when tastings are offered in the near future it will be new booze and young aka not too good. Keep this in mind for any newer distillery only bottling their own make.

Four Roses http://fourrosesbourbon.com Another great stop but no bottling or maturation is done here (see below). That is a separate facility near Beam that you can tour. A whiskey factory that’s a great stop for a Four Roses lover. Bottles selected by Brent Elliott the Master Distiller in the nice large gift shop usually.

Wild Turkey http://wildturkeybourbon.com/visit-us/ New distillery, visitor center and bottling. Feels a bit sterile. Tours stop at lots of windows you can only look through like the distillery. A nice stop and Master Distillers Eddie or Jimmy Russell are often hanging out signing things. Usually no special bottlings are for sale there but a good fun stop.

Bardstown They are adding lots of distilleries but the ones there are Willett and Barton. Don’t stop at Barton if you’ve been/going to one of the whisky factories. Ugly, nothing you’ll want in the giftshop.

Willett https://www.kentuckybourbonwhiskey.com/visit-willett-distillery/# You MUST get a reservation early at Willett to be safe. Its small and very very popular. A recent Saturday out of season had 500 people and they stopped counting. Willett often has private bottling you can’t get elsewhere of advanced age. They are fleeting though. A 14 year old bottling could show up without notice then be sold out within an hour. Don’t expect it will be while you are there but and a big but- If you are on the tour and ask nice you never know. Willett Family Reserve is one of the hardest to get due to the value on the secondary market. They do have their other retail brands and sometimes Rye there regularly. Great people. Expanding Giftshop about to have a bed and breakfast onsite summer/fall 2017 most likely. Periodically will have things you can’t get elsewhere at random. Still have bottles of allocated things from back home you might not see.

Makers Mark If you want to make the trip on Loretto Rd that passes Willett, Makers Mark is ½ hour each way. A cool nice Distillery if you have time. Pretty and complete tours. Can get real busy. Usually one or two things in a large gift shop you can’t get back home.

There is practically nothing but windy roads and little or no cellular coverage. It’s worth the trip but consider it’s a half day excursion. Great Giftshop. The most educational tasting of different stages of maturation, big Giftshop with some private things you can’t get elsewhere and chance to wax dip your own bottle.

If your out this way consider stopping at Independent Stave in Lebanon where they make new Whiskey barrels. Two tours a day, reservations a must. Worth a stop if you have time. http://www.iscbarrels.com/tours/

Wilderness Trace also (see below)

Heaven Hill’s maturation and bottling are here in Bardstown. If you’ve seen or will be seeing these at other places no real draw for me to recommend the tour. The Louisville distillery is not open to the public but the Evan Williams Experience fills in with a mini distillery and nice facility. http://heavenhilldistillery.com/bourbon-heritage-center.php?utm_source=BHC&utm_medium=Redirect&utm_campaign=BHCRedirect&bhc=1

The Heaven Hill Bourbon Heritage Center and Giftshop is a great stop however with frequently special bottlings you can’t get at home or tightly allocated.

Four Roses Maturation and Bottling is near Beam and Bardstown. If you’re a fan of Four Roses or want to see these production pieces in depth, stop. It’s 5 minutes from Beam but hours are a bit more limited. Navigation will often send you to the wrong Four Roses address so make sure you enter the address so don’t trust your navigation to suggest an address. Tour cost are Interchangeable so a receipt for the distillery gets you into the other. The last tour of the day departs the Visitor Center at 3:00 p.m. 624 Lotus Road Cox’s Creek, KY 40013

Beam http://www.jimbeam.com/en-us/visit-us/book-a-tour They did a good job here setting up a complete experience. Maybe one of the best. I will say this is the tour from the Barrel picking experience so the regular tour may include other parts of the real distillery operation. You should check. Good for kids and has micro tastes of products and a couple whiskeys unique to the huge American Still House gift shop.

Wilderness Trail This is another extreme distance but worth the trip if you have lots of time and want to see a nice craft place.

Craft distilleries Remember burnout. If you want to indulge check out http://kybourbontrail.com/craft-tour/

I want more If you want even more or more on-depth experience Moonshine University runs courses from a day to 5 day Distiller classes. Also a Stave and Thief Whisky Society Certification. They are in Louisville. If you arrange your trips around their schedules it gives you this extra option. https://moonshineuniversity.com/courses/

Lastly, in the next couple years many new attractions and distilleries will be opening in downtown Louisville and it’s Whiskey Row so check to see what they have opened. Here are some suggested driving times and map http://kybourbontrail.com/map/

Enjoy your trip and be safe.

[jasoncarne]

These shots are from yesterday's trip to Bardstown, KY which was voted the best small town in America. I can safely say it's certainly not the best, but it's alright and has a few good shops filled with top-notch junk. We also hit the Barton 1792 Distillery for a free tour which concludes with some free bourbon - not a bad way to spend a day. (at Bardstown, Kentucky)