Kentucky Bourbon Trail
Kentucky Bourbon Trail
4.5
12:00 AM - 11:59 AM
Monday
12:00 AM - 11:59 AM
Tuesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 AM
Wednesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 AM
Thursday
12:00 AM - 11:59 AM
Friday
12:00 AM - 11:59 AM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 11:59 AM
Sunday
12:00 AM - 11:59 AM
About
The Kentucky Bourbon trail features 18 signature distilleries located in and around Louisville. Along the trail, you can learn about the origins of bourbon distilling at Evan Williams Bourbon Experience, see the bottling line in action at Old Forester Distillery, or taste unfinished Rye whiskey straight out of the barrel at Angel’s Envy. Pick up a passport at your first location to collect stamps along the way, and redeem them for a souvenir once completed. You can enjoy a guided experience on a private tour, or even get a personalized tour package if you're celebrating a birthday. – Tripadvisor
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TravelNTed
Clearwater, FL280 contributions
Apr 2023 • Couples
Only two ways to do the trail. 1: booking everything months on advance, or 2: pay big bucks to a tour company. Otherwise every tour will be sold out and the Bourbon Trail is a series of gift shops on your way out of Kentucky.
Written April 20, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mike R
1 contribution
Sep 2021 • Couples
My wife and I traveled from Texas and wanted to taste a variety of bourbons. Thank you to Lux Row for being one of the few places to offer a flight of samples. To the places that only want to offer a special "experience" by going through tour after tour... I am not interested in your product. We are going back to the Tennessee Whiskey Trail next vacation.
Written September 15, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
businesstraveler168
Newaygo, MI65 contributions
Nov 2021 • Friends
I almost gave this a 5 but there were a few glitches. Be sure and call to be sure where you want to go is open. Websites say one thing, and reality sometimes said another. We didn’t take any tours, so that gave us a chance to see more places. And some are so scenic you don’t need a long tour. Plan your route ahead of time… and be flexible to make changes as they come along.
Written November 8, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NKYMike
Florence, KY128 contributions
Feb 2016 • Friends
First I am from Kentucky and have been to most of the locations 5-6 times.
Here are some tips and things to see along the way.
No way you see the whole Bourbon Trail in one day, extremely hard to see in two days.
Divide the trail in two, let's call it North and South.
Let's start with the North!
First stop - Woodford Reserve
Be there by 8:45 am to get tickets for first tour, in my opinion best tour from A to Z of how bourbon is made and it is one of the most beautiful locations in Kentucky. Located of Frankfort Rd US 60, take the Grassy Springs Road, beautiful drive in between Kentucky Horse Farms, come to stop sign and turn right onto McCracken, when you come to Woodford Reserve turn left into the FIRST parking lot.
Tour and time at Woodford, give yourself 2-21/2 hours. Tasting at the end and they have a great reception center and gift shop.
NOTE : want a great gift, go to gift shop and have etch on to a Woodford Bottle the name of somebody or like this
Private Stock
Of
Name of person
Really cool gift! NOTE- Limit 4 bottles per person per day
Come out on get back on Rt 60, stop at Rebecca Ruth Candies, you will love it!
Second stop - 15 minutes away- Buffalo Trace - officially not on trail but you don't want to miss this, hop on the website, three different tours on here, located down in Frankfort by Kentucky River, beautiful site, tasting room and u walk thru the Blanton's bottling line at end of tour! Buffalo Trace worth the time!
Give yourself two hours!
Third Stop - Four Roses over close to Lawrenceburg, roughly 30 min drive from Buffalo Trace, beautiful site, this is the one I don't know too much about but all my friends rave about it.
Head out of there at finish the day at Townbranch in downtown Lexington, very small distillery, good stop, after that head to your hotel, small hotel in Downtown Lexington Gratz Park Inn n has a super fantastic restaurant in it called Distilled at Gratz Park Inn, great place to park and have a super dinner and few Bourbon selections with out driving.
Second Day - get up early, we got some driving to do, we are going to come in the back way from Lexington into Maker's Mark
We are going to skip Wild Turkey, the owners tore down the old building and the new buildings are all stainless steel, if you are doing three days, make the stop.
Lexington To Makers Mark, google it , u come in the back way, Makers Mark has changed their parking, you park up on top of the hill now and go to the reception area and buy tickets there and start tour, if that is your first stop be there by 8:45 n work yourself back toward Bardstown. Give yourself at least 2 -2 1/2 hours at Makers, absolutely beautiful location , the line where they hand dip the bottles only goes on Monday and Friday! If you are not an Makers Mark Ambassador , do it on their website before you go, I will let them surprise you, it is free and worth it n great Christmas gift each year. Great Gift Shop, you can dip your own bottle in the gift shop!
Looking for some photos of you and your love one or family, beautiful spots on this location. NOTE if you are handicap, go park down by Gift Shop
Second Day Second Stop - Willett Distillery - you need to call ahead on this one , old old site, main building are made of stone, pretty cool place. When you start up the hill and you are driving up a gravel road, you are going the right way. 😎
They bottle a lot of bourbons for the small companies! Noah's Mill and Rowan Creek are pretty good bourbons .
1 to 1 1/2 hours needed here
7 minutes away is your Third Stop - Heaven Hill
Call for tour times or check website, I really like there platform in how they show the process and history of Kentucky and Bourbon. It takes about 30 minutes to walk thru and read what they have on the walls. It is a free walk thru tour, the wall part is and good gift shop. Now they have great jellies and spices here to buy.
Four Stop - Barton's n 1792, you got the time, worth the stop! Small location, 1792 is a good mid price Bourbon, 30 min to one hour here.
Fifth Stop - The granddaddy of them and the worlds largest producer of Bourbon,
Jim Beam - unbelievable gift store and super fantastic barbecue on top of the hill .
You want to catch this tour, not just the tasting but the tour, when you are out on the tour and you really know your bourbon, as they walk you toward the bottling line on the second floor, there is a cage made of chicken wire that has two bottles of every batch ever made at Jim Beam, there are bottles back from the 30's and 40's, really cool to see, also you get to put your own bottle of Knob Creek on the line and wash it out and put on line and watch it get filled and labeled and you can buy it at the end.
You are now 45 minutes from downtown Louisvlle, take off and call ahead and get reservations at Jeff Ruby Steakhouse, trust me, you will enjoy.
There is an Urban Bourbon Trail of bars in downtown Louisville that is worth your time, if you have time, make sure to go to Louisville Slugger Museum and take the tour, about 90 minutes is what you need, worth the time, really cool especially if you know baseball.
Best time of the year - really not a bad time, April and October are going to be busy because of Keeenland is racing up in Lexington (Horse Racing)
Fall in Kentucky is absolutely beautiful.
Group of you going and you are going to be partying, get a driver, don't take the chance, not worth it.
Hope you enjoy!
Here are some tips and things to see along the way.
No way you see the whole Bourbon Trail in one day, extremely hard to see in two days.
Divide the trail in two, let's call it North and South.
Let's start with the North!
First stop - Woodford Reserve
Be there by 8:45 am to get tickets for first tour, in my opinion best tour from A to Z of how bourbon is made and it is one of the most beautiful locations in Kentucky. Located of Frankfort Rd US 60, take the Grassy Springs Road, beautiful drive in between Kentucky Horse Farms, come to stop sign and turn right onto McCracken, when you come to Woodford Reserve turn left into the FIRST parking lot.
Tour and time at Woodford, give yourself 2-21/2 hours. Tasting at the end and they have a great reception center and gift shop.
NOTE : want a great gift, go to gift shop and have etch on to a Woodford Bottle the name of somebody or like this
Private Stock
Of
Name of person
Really cool gift! NOTE- Limit 4 bottles per person per day
Come out on get back on Rt 60, stop at Rebecca Ruth Candies, you will love it!
Second stop - 15 minutes away- Buffalo Trace - officially not on trail but you don't want to miss this, hop on the website, three different tours on here, located down in Frankfort by Kentucky River, beautiful site, tasting room and u walk thru the Blanton's bottling line at end of tour! Buffalo Trace worth the time!
Give yourself two hours!
Third Stop - Four Roses over close to Lawrenceburg, roughly 30 min drive from Buffalo Trace, beautiful site, this is the one I don't know too much about but all my friends rave about it.
Head out of there at finish the day at Townbranch in downtown Lexington, very small distillery, good stop, after that head to your hotel, small hotel in Downtown Lexington Gratz Park Inn n has a super fantastic restaurant in it called Distilled at Gratz Park Inn, great place to park and have a super dinner and few Bourbon selections with out driving.
Second Day - get up early, we got some driving to do, we are going to come in the back way from Lexington into Maker's Mark
We are going to skip Wild Turkey, the owners tore down the old building and the new buildings are all stainless steel, if you are doing three days, make the stop.
Lexington To Makers Mark, google it , u come in the back way, Makers Mark has changed their parking, you park up on top of the hill now and go to the reception area and buy tickets there and start tour, if that is your first stop be there by 8:45 n work yourself back toward Bardstown. Give yourself at least 2 -2 1/2 hours at Makers, absolutely beautiful location , the line where they hand dip the bottles only goes on Monday and Friday! If you are not an Makers Mark Ambassador , do it on their website before you go, I will let them surprise you, it is free and worth it n great Christmas gift each year. Great Gift Shop, you can dip your own bottle in the gift shop!
Looking for some photos of you and your love one or family, beautiful spots on this location. NOTE if you are handicap, go park down by Gift Shop
Second Day Second Stop - Willett Distillery - you need to call ahead on this one , old old site, main building are made of stone, pretty cool place. When you start up the hill and you are driving up a gravel road, you are going the right way. 😎
They bottle a lot of bourbons for the small companies! Noah's Mill and Rowan Creek are pretty good bourbons .
1 to 1 1/2 hours needed here
7 minutes away is your Third Stop - Heaven Hill
Call for tour times or check website, I really like there platform in how they show the process and history of Kentucky and Bourbon. It takes about 30 minutes to walk thru and read what they have on the walls. It is a free walk thru tour, the wall part is and good gift shop. Now they have great jellies and spices here to buy.
Four Stop - Barton's n 1792, you got the time, worth the stop! Small location, 1792 is a good mid price Bourbon, 30 min to one hour here.
Fifth Stop - The granddaddy of them and the worlds largest producer of Bourbon,
Jim Beam - unbelievable gift store and super fantastic barbecue on top of the hill .
You want to catch this tour, not just the tasting but the tour, when you are out on the tour and you really know your bourbon, as they walk you toward the bottling line on the second floor, there is a cage made of chicken wire that has two bottles of every batch ever made at Jim Beam, there are bottles back from the 30's and 40's, really cool to see, also you get to put your own bottle of Knob Creek on the line and wash it out and put on line and watch it get filled and labeled and you can buy it at the end.
You are now 45 minutes from downtown Louisvlle, take off and call ahead and get reservations at Jeff Ruby Steakhouse, trust me, you will enjoy.
There is an Urban Bourbon Trail of bars in downtown Louisville that is worth your time, if you have time, make sure to go to Louisville Slugger Museum and take the tour, about 90 minutes is what you need, worth the time, really cool especially if you know baseball.
Best time of the year - really not a bad time, April and October are going to be busy because of Keeenland is racing up in Lexington (Horse Racing)
Fall in Kentucky is absolutely beautiful.
Group of you going and you are going to be partying, get a driver, don't take the chance, not worth it.
Hope you enjoy!
Written March 20, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Robert H
Jackson, TN106 contributions
Aug 2016 • Solo
One of my best experiences ever!
This was a solo trip, three days to complete the Bourbon Trail and visit other distilleries not on the "Trail". My advice, plan, plan, plan. I started 3 weeks out, looking at the "can't miss" distilleries, booking the appropriate tours on line (some have several different types). Be careful to not prejudge some of the distilleries, they all have a unique qualities. Read the reviews here, there is a wealth of information.
Highlights:
I visited 11 different distilleries, small to large. My top distilleries, Maker's Mark, Buffalo Trace (not on the Trail), Jim Beam and Woodford.
Maker's Mark - it's isolated but worth the drive. I did "Behind the Mark" tour and it was great. This was my kick off of the Bourbon Trail and it set the stage for the next two days. Plan to purchase a bottle that you can dip in wax in the beautiful gift shop.
Buffalo Trace - It's not on the official Trail, but a must see. I did two different tours, both highly recommended; The Barrel Tour and The Hardhat Tour. It gives you completely different perspectives.
Jim Beam - The Distillery is a destination, a complete campus setting that's designed for you to roam around. There are several different types of tours available, each different and informative. This was my last stop on the Trail and I should have taken advantage of more of the tours. I was there the week of Whiskey Sour day and did the cocktail class. They bused our small group to the Global Innovations Building and the class was presented in their teaching facility, imagine a Master Chef kitchen setup.
Woodford - In the heart of horse country, historic buildings that date back to the 1880's and a start of the art Visitor's Center. Again, several different types of tours available, I did the Corn to Cork Tour with JP as our guide. I dare you to stump his with a question he can't answer. This tour is limited to 6 and is very detailed. You'll even spend some time in a lab where you'll distill some mash. Don't leave the gift shop without getting a bottle or two etched while you're visiting. These are excellent gifts.
Other Highlights:
Willet Distillery - not on the Trail, a smaller distillery less than a half mile from one of the largest distilleries, Heaven Hill. It was great seeing a small family run distillery and I had a 1:1 tour with Danielle. This was a highlight, not expected and a pleasant
surprise.
Suggestions:
1. Plan ahead and enjoy the process
2. Carry a container with some bubble wrap to safe guard your purchases
3. Some stops on the Trail (in my opinion) don't warrant too much time, just go there to get a stamp on your passport.
4. Don't be in a hurry
5. August isn't the ideal time to visit, some Distilleries are down for maintenance. Check their website.
I'm already looking forward to going back to Bourbon Country. Next on my agenda are the craft distilleries. I'm happy to answer any questions or give suggestions for your planning.
This was a solo trip, three days to complete the Bourbon Trail and visit other distilleries not on the "Trail". My advice, plan, plan, plan. I started 3 weeks out, looking at the "can't miss" distilleries, booking the appropriate tours on line (some have several different types). Be careful to not prejudge some of the distilleries, they all have a unique qualities. Read the reviews here, there is a wealth of information.
Highlights:
I visited 11 different distilleries, small to large. My top distilleries, Maker's Mark, Buffalo Trace (not on the Trail), Jim Beam and Woodford.
Maker's Mark - it's isolated but worth the drive. I did "Behind the Mark" tour and it was great. This was my kick off of the Bourbon Trail and it set the stage for the next two days. Plan to purchase a bottle that you can dip in wax in the beautiful gift shop.
Buffalo Trace - It's not on the official Trail, but a must see. I did two different tours, both highly recommended; The Barrel Tour and The Hardhat Tour. It gives you completely different perspectives.
Jim Beam - The Distillery is a destination, a complete campus setting that's designed for you to roam around. There are several different types of tours available, each different and informative. This was my last stop on the Trail and I should have taken advantage of more of the tours. I was there the week of Whiskey Sour day and did the cocktail class. They bused our small group to the Global Innovations Building and the class was presented in their teaching facility, imagine a Master Chef kitchen setup.
Woodford - In the heart of horse country, historic buildings that date back to the 1880's and a start of the art Visitor's Center. Again, several different types of tours available, I did the Corn to Cork Tour with JP as our guide. I dare you to stump his with a question he can't answer. This tour is limited to 6 and is very detailed. You'll even spend some time in a lab where you'll distill some mash. Don't leave the gift shop without getting a bottle or two etched while you're visiting. These are excellent gifts.
Other Highlights:
Willet Distillery - not on the Trail, a smaller distillery less than a half mile from one of the largest distilleries, Heaven Hill. It was great seeing a small family run distillery and I had a 1:1 tour with Danielle. This was a highlight, not expected and a pleasant
surprise.
Suggestions:
1. Plan ahead and enjoy the process
2. Carry a container with some bubble wrap to safe guard your purchases
3. Some stops on the Trail (in my opinion) don't warrant too much time, just go there to get a stamp on your passport.
4. Don't be in a hurry
5. August isn't the ideal time to visit, some Distilleries are down for maintenance. Check their website.
I'm already looking forward to going back to Bourbon Country. Next on my agenda are the craft distilleries. I'm happy to answer any questions or give suggestions for your planning.
Written September 9, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kutsudon
Austin, TX86 contributions
Sep 2016 • Friends
We had a group of 6 people and two days to see what we could do. With most distilleries opening late and closing early it is difficult to get a lot done in a day. We managed to visit 11 in two days. Of those 11 we did four tours. Most places would not give you a tasting without participating in a tour with the exception of Willett. So we did not get to taste everything. Keep that in mind if you want to sample the products.
Most tours cost money, usually less than $10. The hard hat tour at Buffalo Trace was free and by far the best one on the trip. See my TripAdvisor review on that.
On our first day we started in Louisville. We went to Bulleit and Evan Williams and then headed Jim Beam. I was using the KBT app and when I got to Jim Beam it would not let me sign in. Later I realized there were two Jim Beam entries because there is another store back in Louisville. I was able to purchase tour tickets online for Maker's Mark so we went there next. Then we ate at Mammy's Kitchen, see my review on that place as well. Then we went to Heaven Hill and we only had enough time to go to Willett which we got to around 4:30.
On the next day we got to Wild Turkey at 8:30 because we could not purchase the tour tickets online and we wanted to get on the 9:00 tour. It started getting real busy after that so I would recommend the same unless they get the online tickets going. Then we we hit Woodford Reserve, Four Roses, and then to Buffalo Trace for the best tour of the trip. We ate lunch and then went to Town Branch to visit our last one. You have to get your passport stamped at 9 of these to get the t-shirt.
The Bourbon festival was also going on the week we went so some of the places like Four Roses were busy with that.
If I were to plan this again I would plan for at least three days and add the following:
1. A tour of the cooperage where they make the barrels. It only has tours M-F.
2. A tour of the Louisville Slugger Factory. Three blocks down from Evan Williams.
3. Schedule one evening at the Bourbon Festival
We bought bottles from several of the distilleries and had a tasting when we got back. Surprisingly the ones voted best in our blind tasting were some of the least expensive.
The ranking from best to worst was:
Evan Williams Single Barrel
Evan Williams
Elijah Craig
Maker's Mark Cask Strength
Four Roses Single Barrel
Flatboat
W. L. Weller
Wild Turkey Rare Breed
Knob Creek Single Barrel
Willet Potstill
Knowing that the Heaven Hill brands were ranked as the best, I would schedule a tour there next time as well.
Overall, we had a great time, the weather was great, the people were friendly, the horse farms were beautiful. I'm glad we went.
Most tours cost money, usually less than $10. The hard hat tour at Buffalo Trace was free and by far the best one on the trip. See my TripAdvisor review on that.
On our first day we started in Louisville. We went to Bulleit and Evan Williams and then headed Jim Beam. I was using the KBT app and when I got to Jim Beam it would not let me sign in. Later I realized there were two Jim Beam entries because there is another store back in Louisville. I was able to purchase tour tickets online for Maker's Mark so we went there next. Then we ate at Mammy's Kitchen, see my review on that place as well. Then we went to Heaven Hill and we only had enough time to go to Willett which we got to around 4:30.
On the next day we got to Wild Turkey at 8:30 because we could not purchase the tour tickets online and we wanted to get on the 9:00 tour. It started getting real busy after that so I would recommend the same unless they get the online tickets going. Then we we hit Woodford Reserve, Four Roses, and then to Buffalo Trace for the best tour of the trip. We ate lunch and then went to Town Branch to visit our last one. You have to get your passport stamped at 9 of these to get the t-shirt.
The Bourbon festival was also going on the week we went so some of the places like Four Roses were busy with that.
If I were to plan this again I would plan for at least three days and add the following:
1. A tour of the cooperage where they make the barrels. It only has tours M-F.
2. A tour of the Louisville Slugger Factory. Three blocks down from Evan Williams.
3. Schedule one evening at the Bourbon Festival
We bought bottles from several of the distilleries and had a tasting when we got back. Surprisingly the ones voted best in our blind tasting were some of the least expensive.
The ranking from best to worst was:
Evan Williams Single Barrel
Evan Williams
Elijah Craig
Maker's Mark Cask Strength
Four Roses Single Barrel
Flatboat
W. L. Weller
Wild Turkey Rare Breed
Knob Creek Single Barrel
Willet Potstill
Knowing that the Heaven Hill brands were ranked as the best, I would schedule a tour there next time as well.
Overall, we had a great time, the weather was great, the people were friendly, the horse farms were beautiful. I'm glad we went.
Written October 12, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
minmib
Humble, TX49 contributions
Oct 2013 • Couples
We had been wanting to do this trip for a while and chose to spend this year's anniversary weekend on the Bourbon Trail. In all, we stopped at 11 distilleries and toured 10. We planned to take our time over 5 days and it was plenty. Some planning is necessary if you're trying to get in as much as you can in a weekend trip. Here are the details of our trip with some hints-
-We rented a full sized car thru Priceline and got a full size for about $20/day. This while trip we went about 400 miles and only filled the car right before we turned it in. That part was cool.
-We also found everything by the GPS on our phones.
-Most of he distillery tours start at the top of the hour. Double check their hours before you go. Some are free, some are a fee. I think makers mark was the most expensive at 10/person.
-make sure to get your Passport for each of you at the first distillery and get them stamped along the way for a free t-shirt.
-I picked up a flat of water and kept it in the car with a box of diet cokes. Get some snacks to eat in the car as there aren't always.
-we only bought a few bottles that we knew we couldn't get at our local liquor store or that we're special. Didn't want to ship home.
-the driving is beautiful. Lots of horse farms and rolling hills.
-most of the tours you see the fermenters and the stills, it's neat.
-I used trip advisor to find a bunch of info.
Here goes-
Friday-
We flew into Louisville and arrived around noon. We headed straight toward Sheperdsville to Jim Beam. There is a rest stop/visitors center on the way. The lady there gave us some good tips and info.
Jim Beam - It's in Clermont. This was our first stop and I'm glad it was. The facility is really well done and the tour was excellent. Stella was our guide and she was awesome. Don't try to totally understand the whole process on your first tour because you'll figure it all out as you do more tours. You get 2 tastes and we shared so we tasted 4. Basil Hayden was our favorite but try the bookers and the knob creek maple. The gift shop is cool and the restaurant had delicious ribs.
We left and headed toward Bardstown.
Heaven Hill Bourbon Heritage Center- It's in Bardstown amd easy to find. We got there around 430 and they had an abbreviated tour that they snuck us into. It was fun with a tasting of 3 bourbons. Lots of good history in this place. Our favorite was Elijah Craig.
We stayed at the Hampton Inn in Bardstown. It's ok- nice enough and reasonably priced with breakfast. That nite, we went to downtown and stumbled on a little place called The Kentucky Bourbon Marketplace. Cute shop with a neat little bar. We sat there an had drinks with some locals who told us if we were in town for only one nite then we must try The Rickhouse. They even called ahead to tell them we were coming. The Rickhouse was fabulous and so cozy/quiet. We had a flight of bourbon and split a steak and some sides-don't miss the scalloped potatoes.
Saturday
It was pouring rain but we didn't let it stop us.
Willett Our first stop.It's a much smaller scale and the tour was good. It's a family run business. The grounds are beautiful. Took about an hour, tasted 2 bourbons.
Barton 1792 we went by but they were packed so we just checked out the shop and took off. You could interchange this with it looked nice.
Makers Mark in Loretto-This place is like the Disney of the trail. It's built with the tour in mind. Great tour and they provided us with giant umbrellas for the outside walking. Great history here and the tasting was great. 3 tastes and chocolate. We dipped a bottle in the gift shop for a good photo op. Had lunch at their sandwich shop-good pulled pork sandwich.
Limestone Branch-This is a tiny distillery that is featured on the show Moonshiners. Good tasting and the master distiller, Steve Beam signed our bottle. Free tour.
****There is a cooperage near Limestone Branch but it is closed on the weekends. That's where they make the barrels. It's the only thing we wished we could have done.
We headed on our longest stretch drive to Lexington. In Lexington, we stayed at the Lyndon House B&B. It was pricey but worth the money. Huge room, comfortable bed, super clean, quiet. And it got cool enough for good sleeping at nite. The owner Anton is super and makes a fabulous breakfast. Plus it's about a half mile walk to downtown. We mixed a bourbon and headed to explore. We had dinner at Jax and sat at the bar and split a bunch of appetizers. Then we found a little bar with a guy playing some good classic country tunes. You can walk back or cab it back easily. Lyndon House was so nice that we cancelled Monday nite in Louisville to stay here an extra nite-so we stayed 3 nites here.
Sunday
Wild Turkey- This was our first stop Sunday and it opened at noon. It's huge and they were getting ready to open their new visitor center.
Four Roses- This was a favorite. It is just beautiful and free. You get 3 tastes. Our tour guide was just ok hard to believe when it was so nice there.
Town Branch Distillery and Brewery- this place is in Lexington. They also make a Bourbon Barrel Ale. It's a small operation and a quick tour-pretty nice. You taste beer and bourbon.
Sunday nite we walked into town (with a bourbon in a go cup) and had dinner at Saul Good. We met the owner Rob Perez and had an incredible anniversary dinner here. The pork chop was off the chart-do not miss this. We also had the Bananas Foster waffle was incredible. (I wrote another TA review for it)
Monday
Woodford Reserve- This was probably one of the prettiest distilleries. The tour was great, not too long and very informative. They've got it set up well. You get 1 taste as they really only make 2 products but they give you chocolate too. We had lunch on their porch, pretty good. The drive to get here is really beautiful.
Buffalo Trace in Frankfort, it's a pretty big facility. We didnt see their still or fermenters, that's a special hard hat tour but we did see them bottling Blantons. we got 3 tastes, including Buffalo Cream-yummy!
Tuesday
We decided to do a horse farm tour and spent about $80 with Kentucky Horse Farm Tours. I wasn't sure what to expect but it was totally worth doing. It was about 4 hours and we toured Keeneland Race Track and 4 thoroughbred farms. Lots of interesting history and beautiful property and horses. If you have time, see if they are racing.
We had lunch at Malone's in Lexington and split a steak for lunch-very, very good.
Then Tuesday afternoon, we headed back about an hour and a half to Louisville to stop at the airport's Woodford Bourbon Bar for one last drink before flying home.
This was a great trip-totally worth doing.
-We rented a full sized car thru Priceline and got a full size for about $20/day. This while trip we went about 400 miles and only filled the car right before we turned it in. That part was cool.
-We also found everything by the GPS on our phones.
-Most of he distillery tours start at the top of the hour. Double check their hours before you go. Some are free, some are a fee. I think makers mark was the most expensive at 10/person.
-make sure to get your Passport for each of you at the first distillery and get them stamped along the way for a free t-shirt.
-I picked up a flat of water and kept it in the car with a box of diet cokes. Get some snacks to eat in the car as there aren't always.
-we only bought a few bottles that we knew we couldn't get at our local liquor store or that we're special. Didn't want to ship home.
-the driving is beautiful. Lots of horse farms and rolling hills.
-most of the tours you see the fermenters and the stills, it's neat.
-I used trip advisor to find a bunch of info.
Here goes-
Friday-
We flew into Louisville and arrived around noon. We headed straight toward Sheperdsville to Jim Beam. There is a rest stop/visitors center on the way. The lady there gave us some good tips and info.
Jim Beam - It's in Clermont. This was our first stop and I'm glad it was. The facility is really well done and the tour was excellent. Stella was our guide and she was awesome. Don't try to totally understand the whole process on your first tour because you'll figure it all out as you do more tours. You get 2 tastes and we shared so we tasted 4. Basil Hayden was our favorite but try the bookers and the knob creek maple. The gift shop is cool and the restaurant had delicious ribs.
We left and headed toward Bardstown.
Heaven Hill Bourbon Heritage Center- It's in Bardstown amd easy to find. We got there around 430 and they had an abbreviated tour that they snuck us into. It was fun with a tasting of 3 bourbons. Lots of good history in this place. Our favorite was Elijah Craig.
We stayed at the Hampton Inn in Bardstown. It's ok- nice enough and reasonably priced with breakfast. That nite, we went to downtown and stumbled on a little place called The Kentucky Bourbon Marketplace. Cute shop with a neat little bar. We sat there an had drinks with some locals who told us if we were in town for only one nite then we must try The Rickhouse. They even called ahead to tell them we were coming. The Rickhouse was fabulous and so cozy/quiet. We had a flight of bourbon and split a steak and some sides-don't miss the scalloped potatoes.
Saturday
It was pouring rain but we didn't let it stop us.
Willett Our first stop.It's a much smaller scale and the tour was good. It's a family run business. The grounds are beautiful. Took about an hour, tasted 2 bourbons.
Barton 1792 we went by but they were packed so we just checked out the shop and took off. You could interchange this with it looked nice.
Makers Mark in Loretto-This place is like the Disney of the trail. It's built with the tour in mind. Great tour and they provided us with giant umbrellas for the outside walking. Great history here and the tasting was great. 3 tastes and chocolate. We dipped a bottle in the gift shop for a good photo op. Had lunch at their sandwich shop-good pulled pork sandwich.
Limestone Branch-This is a tiny distillery that is featured on the show Moonshiners. Good tasting and the master distiller, Steve Beam signed our bottle. Free tour.
****There is a cooperage near Limestone Branch but it is closed on the weekends. That's where they make the barrels. It's the only thing we wished we could have done.
We headed on our longest stretch drive to Lexington. In Lexington, we stayed at the Lyndon House B&B. It was pricey but worth the money. Huge room, comfortable bed, super clean, quiet. And it got cool enough for good sleeping at nite. The owner Anton is super and makes a fabulous breakfast. Plus it's about a half mile walk to downtown. We mixed a bourbon and headed to explore. We had dinner at Jax and sat at the bar and split a bunch of appetizers. Then we found a little bar with a guy playing some good classic country tunes. You can walk back or cab it back easily. Lyndon House was so nice that we cancelled Monday nite in Louisville to stay here an extra nite-so we stayed 3 nites here.
Sunday
Wild Turkey- This was our first stop Sunday and it opened at noon. It's huge and they were getting ready to open their new visitor center.
Four Roses- This was a favorite. It is just beautiful and free. You get 3 tastes. Our tour guide was just ok hard to believe when it was so nice there.
Town Branch Distillery and Brewery- this place is in Lexington. They also make a Bourbon Barrel Ale. It's a small operation and a quick tour-pretty nice. You taste beer and bourbon.
Sunday nite we walked into town (with a bourbon in a go cup) and had dinner at Saul Good. We met the owner Rob Perez and had an incredible anniversary dinner here. The pork chop was off the chart-do not miss this. We also had the Bananas Foster waffle was incredible. (I wrote another TA review for it)
Monday
Woodford Reserve- This was probably one of the prettiest distilleries. The tour was great, not too long and very informative. They've got it set up well. You get 1 taste as they really only make 2 products but they give you chocolate too. We had lunch on their porch, pretty good. The drive to get here is really beautiful.
Buffalo Trace in Frankfort, it's a pretty big facility. We didnt see their still or fermenters, that's a special hard hat tour but we did see them bottling Blantons. we got 3 tastes, including Buffalo Cream-yummy!
Tuesday
We decided to do a horse farm tour and spent about $80 with Kentucky Horse Farm Tours. I wasn't sure what to expect but it was totally worth doing. It was about 4 hours and we toured Keeneland Race Track and 4 thoroughbred farms. Lots of interesting history and beautiful property and horses. If you have time, see if they are racing.
We had lunch at Malone's in Lexington and split a steak for lunch-very, very good.
Then Tuesday afternoon, we headed back about an hour and a half to Louisville to stop at the airport's Woodford Bourbon Bar for one last drink before flying home.
This was a great trip-totally worth doing.
Written November 19, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dingram_24
Knoxville, TN27 contributions
Mar 2020
Bourbon trail in a weekend: Friday 4 distilleries, Sat 4 Distilleries, Sunday 3. Started in Knoxville and traveled up to Lexington for our first stop at Lexington Brewing & Distillery Co Town Branch. Tour time 10am. Then we traveled to Woodford reserve with tour time 12. My wife got use lunch food to go at Glenns creek cafe at Woodford. Traveled to next stop Four Roses Distillery tour time 2:00. Finished day at Wild Turkey Distillery at 4pm. Stayed at Hampton Inn in Frankfort, KY that night.
Next day started early at Buffalo Trace (ITS FREE) and our tour was at 9am. Then we traveled to Evan Williams downtown Louisville on Main street tour time 11:20 (parking located next to building for $6). At this point if you are all about the stamps you could have one person tour and the other go get stamps at other distilleries downtown). Next stop Bulliet Stitzel Weller Distillery with tour time 1pm. Off to American Stillhouse Jim Bean with tour time 3:30 (we were there earlier than that but they had no openings for a tour, just FYI you could schedule probably at 3). Saturday night we stayed in Bardstown KY at Bourbon Manor B&B. We ate that night at Rickhouse Restaurant & lounge (need a reservation for this one we did 6:30--also an option in town they have a dinner train but it leaves at 4:30--we couldn't make it).
Sunday Started at Bardstown Bourbon Company (beautiful place-has lunch that starts at 11:30 very fancy) Tour time 10. Next Bourbon Heritage Center 12:15 tour and ended the day at Makers Mark at 2pm tour.
The whole thing was so fun with most expensive tour ticket at Woodford $20. We got 11 of 17 distilleries in one weekend.
Next day started early at Buffalo Trace (ITS FREE) and our tour was at 9am. Then we traveled to Evan Williams downtown Louisville on Main street tour time 11:20 (parking located next to building for $6). At this point if you are all about the stamps you could have one person tour and the other go get stamps at other distilleries downtown). Next stop Bulliet Stitzel Weller Distillery with tour time 1pm. Off to American Stillhouse Jim Bean with tour time 3:30 (we were there earlier than that but they had no openings for a tour, just FYI you could schedule probably at 3). Saturday night we stayed in Bardstown KY at Bourbon Manor B&B. We ate that night at Rickhouse Restaurant & lounge (need a reservation for this one we did 6:30--also an option in town they have a dinner train but it leaves at 4:30--we couldn't make it).
Sunday Started at Bardstown Bourbon Company (beautiful place-has lunch that starts at 11:30 very fancy) Tour time 10. Next Bourbon Heritage Center 12:15 tour and ended the day at Makers Mark at 2pm tour.
The whole thing was so fun with most expensive tour ticket at Woodford $20. We got 11 of 17 distilleries in one weekend.
Written March 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mnmofmuth
Michigan75 contributions
Apr 2015 • Couples
What a beautiful trip! We took this trip to celebrate our anniversary, and neither of us are bourbon drinkers, but heard that the countryside was beautiful so chose this trip. We were not disappointed. We let the GPS direct us from distillery to distillery, and loved the winding roads along streams, rolling hills, horse farms,elegant stables and endless wooden fences. It felt like the distilleries were just a good reason to travel through the lush state of KY.
We visited all the distilleries on the Trail, with the exception of Heaven Hill. The $25/person price of admission was more than we were willing to pay for them to wow us with their products (we bought bottles at all the other distilleries ... their loss). All of the distilleries on the Trail DO charge an admission (a new policy for some of them), but price varies from one to another. Usually between $5 and $10/per person. By the way, if you're military or a veteran you can expect a complimentary tour and tasting from Town Branch, Woodford Reserve, Wild Turkey and Four Roses. As a Vet I was appreciative and impressed with their patriotic gesture! A couple others offered discounts.
Because of the distance between some of the distilleries we divided them up into two groups, eastern and western. While visiting the eastern half we stayed at the charming Lawrenceburg B&B that we found here on Tripadvisor. It was a great find, reasonable, and close to our first 4 visits on the Trail and 1 off the Trail. For the western half we stayed at a hotel in Bardstown, which is a delightful little city rich with history and sights. We'll return there some day just to explore the city/town more. If you have time we'd recommend some exploring. TA helped us find a great place for dinner, called The Rickhouse. A little hard to find, but worth it.
Maybe the eastern half spoiled us a bit because they were all so impressive, but we found fault with some on the western half. We noticed the tours were more expensive first of all. We had high expectations for Maker's Mark and were not disappointed. Beautiful grounds and interesting tour. Heaven Hill, as mentioned, too expensive. Jim Beam, beautiful grounds, but the tasting experience really turned us off. You're given a card to insert into a machine that will give you two samples of your choosing. Wow, how cold and impersonal. Left a bad "taste" with us. Evan Williams Bourbon Experience is in downtown Louisville. It's not their actual distillery, but a virtual tour that walks you through their history and distilling process. Hence the term "experience". We felt shortchanged since we really enjoy seeing the actual stills, equipment, and rickhouses involved in making the bourbon. Bulleit is a new addition to the Trail. We were disappointed to realize that the actual distillery buildings are old and unused. The new owner is in the process of building a new distillery in a different county (which happens to be dry). The distilling process is being contracted out to other area distilleries. The rickhouses (barrel aging buildings) are there to see, but that's about it. And it was one of the more expensive tours. We DID expect more.
Overall we really enjoyed our trip on the Trail, but some of our favorite distilleries were OFF the trail. We found Buffalo Trace in Frankfort, and Barton's in Bardstown. Both very interesting tours, "good" bourbon, and no charge! The only time I had to get out my wallet was to make a bourbon purchase at the end of the tour. Now THAT is good business. Willett in Bardstown was interesting too, with a very unique pot still. No charge for Vets AND spouses. Salute.
The making of barrels has always intrigued me, so when we discovered that most of the distilleries get their barrel from a cooperage in Lebanon, KY, we had to check it out. They give 2 free tours of their facility per day, 10am (I think) and 1pm. If that type of thing interests you, we highly recommend their tour. Lebanon is just a short distance from Maker's Mark.
We visited all the distilleries on the Trail, with the exception of Heaven Hill. The $25/person price of admission was more than we were willing to pay for them to wow us with their products (we bought bottles at all the other distilleries ... their loss). All of the distilleries on the Trail DO charge an admission (a new policy for some of them), but price varies from one to another. Usually between $5 and $10/per person. By the way, if you're military or a veteran you can expect a complimentary tour and tasting from Town Branch, Woodford Reserve, Wild Turkey and Four Roses. As a Vet I was appreciative and impressed with their patriotic gesture! A couple others offered discounts.
Because of the distance between some of the distilleries we divided them up into two groups, eastern and western. While visiting the eastern half we stayed at the charming Lawrenceburg B&B that we found here on Tripadvisor. It was a great find, reasonable, and close to our first 4 visits on the Trail and 1 off the Trail. For the western half we stayed at a hotel in Bardstown, which is a delightful little city rich with history and sights. We'll return there some day just to explore the city/town more. If you have time we'd recommend some exploring. TA helped us find a great place for dinner, called The Rickhouse. A little hard to find, but worth it.
Maybe the eastern half spoiled us a bit because they were all so impressive, but we found fault with some on the western half. We noticed the tours were more expensive first of all. We had high expectations for Maker's Mark and were not disappointed. Beautiful grounds and interesting tour. Heaven Hill, as mentioned, too expensive. Jim Beam, beautiful grounds, but the tasting experience really turned us off. You're given a card to insert into a machine that will give you two samples of your choosing. Wow, how cold and impersonal. Left a bad "taste" with us. Evan Williams Bourbon Experience is in downtown Louisville. It's not their actual distillery, but a virtual tour that walks you through their history and distilling process. Hence the term "experience". We felt shortchanged since we really enjoy seeing the actual stills, equipment, and rickhouses involved in making the bourbon. Bulleit is a new addition to the Trail. We were disappointed to realize that the actual distillery buildings are old and unused. The new owner is in the process of building a new distillery in a different county (which happens to be dry). The distilling process is being contracted out to other area distilleries. The rickhouses (barrel aging buildings) are there to see, but that's about it. And it was one of the more expensive tours. We DID expect more.
Overall we really enjoyed our trip on the Trail, but some of our favorite distilleries were OFF the trail. We found Buffalo Trace in Frankfort, and Barton's in Bardstown. Both very interesting tours, "good" bourbon, and no charge! The only time I had to get out my wallet was to make a bourbon purchase at the end of the tour. Now THAT is good business. Willett in Bardstown was interesting too, with a very unique pot still. No charge for Vets AND spouses. Salute.
The making of barrels has always intrigued me, so when we discovered that most of the distilleries get their barrel from a cooperage in Lebanon, KY, we had to check it out. They give 2 free tours of their facility per day, 10am (I think) and 1pm. If that type of thing interests you, we highly recommend their tour. Lebanon is just a short distance from Maker's Mark.
Written May 13, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Magnum409
Monroe, Mi9 contributions
Oct 2017 • Couples
This past weekend my wife and I had the fun of doing something we have been talking about for the past couple of years. We and another couple did the Kentucky Bourbon Trail tour. We took a four day weekend and drove to Louisville and used that as a base to visit the 10 different distilleries that comprise the bourbon trail (there is also a craft Bourbon Trail which we hope to do next year). Overall, it was a very enjoyable weekend, with some great tours and a lot of great bourbon samples.
If you are getting your Bourbon Trail passport stamped for the free T shirt, there is no requirement that you do the tours nor buy anything, however, that kind of defeats the purpose of why you're there. I would suggest that you do a couple of the tours and then just do the tasting from that point on. The basic process of making the bourbon is the same from distillery to distillery and the only difference is the history behind a particular brand. There are charges for all of tours and tastings, however, a few of them waive the fee for veterans.
We are from the state of Michigan and all of the prices for distilled spirits are controlled by the state. So the price we pay for a particular bottle of bourbon is the same whether you buy it at the corner party store or one of the big box stores. Not so in Kentucky. They are very competitive in pricing on their distilled products and it is often possible to find sale prices if one shops around. When you buy bourbon at the distilleries (which we did a lot) you are paying full blown retail. Even though you may be buying it at the source, you are not getting a deal. In fact, several of the prices we paid for bottles in Kentucky were more than we would have paid in Michigan. My advice is to do the tours and the tastings, make note of what your like the best and then go to one of the large retailers and buy the bourbon there. Not as much fun, but you can save enough from just that to pay for all of the tours and tastings. It was a great time, very educational, and I would do it again, but with some slight changes.
If you are getting your Bourbon Trail passport stamped for the free T shirt, there is no requirement that you do the tours nor buy anything, however, that kind of defeats the purpose of why you're there. I would suggest that you do a couple of the tours and then just do the tasting from that point on. The basic process of making the bourbon is the same from distillery to distillery and the only difference is the history behind a particular brand. There are charges for all of tours and tastings, however, a few of them waive the fee for veterans.
We are from the state of Michigan and all of the prices for distilled spirits are controlled by the state. So the price we pay for a particular bottle of bourbon is the same whether you buy it at the corner party store or one of the big box stores. Not so in Kentucky. They are very competitive in pricing on their distilled products and it is often possible to find sale prices if one shops around. When you buy bourbon at the distilleries (which we did a lot) you are paying full blown retail. Even though you may be buying it at the source, you are not getting a deal. In fact, several of the prices we paid for bottles in Kentucky were more than we would have paid in Michigan. My advice is to do the tours and the tastings, make note of what your like the best and then go to one of the large retailers and buy the bourbon there. Not as much fun, but you can save enough from just that to pay for all of the tours and tastings. It was a great time, very educational, and I would do it again, but with some slight changes.
Written October 17, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Is there one location that is convenient to the bulk of the distilleries? We 're hoping to do 3 days and would prefer to stay in one accommodation for our trip in September.
Written March 14, 2023
You could stay in either Shelbyville, KY or Frankfort, KY the whole time, but that would involve a ton of driving each day, especially to the distilleries south of Louisville. I would not recommend this, but obviously it is up to your own personal desires.
Written March 16, 2023
I am looking to a trip soon but a lot of the tours have been filled. Is it possible to taste and enjoy without a tour time reserved?
Written July 21, 2021
I'm planning on making either Northern KY or Louisville my base can anyone suggest a safe and afford places to stay in either area?
Written September 6, 2020
Suggestions on any historical sites, museums, other attractions we can add to Bourbon trail visit in August? Visiting Lexington & Louisville area, open to adding another city. One week trip.
Written July 21, 2019
The State Capital, Rebecca Ruth Candies and Buffalo Trace Distillery(not on the trail) in Frankfort. Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington are a few. Enjoy your visit and thanks for coming.
Written July 22, 2019
Can you recommend any sources for the best motorcycle rides and or maps?
Written July 9, 2019
Our website has some good routes suggested under the Bike section of the Experiences tab
Written July 9, 2019
Planning a trip for mid July. Where do you all stay? In the city? Just not familiar with the area to know the best place to start looking.
Written June 30, 2019
We stayed in Lexington, Kentucky; drove to Wild Turkey Distillery a few miles away.
Written July 10, 2019
Yes...distilleries are open year round!
Written June 27, 2019
Yes, the distilleries are open year round!
Written June 27, 2019
Richard,
Can you tell us all of the distilleries you visited and rate them 1-5 with 5 being the best? Thanks so much.
george
Written March 30, 2019
You can find all the distilleries on the Bourbon Trail website. Our favorites were all 5's:
Lux Row
Woodford
Jim Beam
4 Roses
Makers Mark
Written March 31, 2019
Richard, which were your favorite 5 distilleries and how far is Lexington from Louisville?
Thanks much,
george joseph jr
Written March 30, 2019
Lexington is about one hour to one hour 30 minutes from Louisville depending on where you live and traffic.
Written March 31, 2019
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