A step by step way to plan your own
Kentucky Bourbon Distillery Tour
There’s really two ways to set up a Bourbon Trail Tour, again I’m saying Bourbon Trail which in my mind is any distillery to visit on our trip and not just the 18 on the “Official Bourbon Trail”. You can leave it up to the companies that are based out of Louisville or Lexington and leave the all the planning up to them. They will do all the work for you. They have certain basic tours and they can also personalize to your needs. They are somewhat expensive, and you are limited to the number of distilleries you can visit, usually 3 distilleries with 2 tours, 1 tasting and lunch. They can handle larger groups and they have the in on tickets. The best part is they do the driving, set up your tours and give you VIP treatment and you can enjoy the time between distilleries having your own drinks. The other way is to set it up yourself, which is what I like to do. It’s more headaches, time-consuming and a bit nerve racking but in the end, you can do it your way and visit a few more places than the private tours. Plus, it’s a heck of a lot cheaper, unless of course you’d like to hire me (I have not branched out…yet).
The one thing everyone asks me is “I’m sure you have to have a designated driver with all those tastings”. Having a designated driver is by far the best way to travel on the trail since most tours you do have the option to try their products. The amount you consume is minimal and the times between distilleries and the next tasting can be hours. Most distilleries now serve cocktails at the distillery which you can just stop in and have a drink, if you plan on doing that definitely have a DD. The roads can be hilly, winding and small. The road many take to Makers Mark is a white knuckler if you end up on this route. It’s pretty much a one lane road with minimal places to pull off. I definitely will say if you’re going to drink other than the tastings, have a designated driver.
I assume if you’re reading on you want to set it up yourself, great, now let’s get started. First how many people. You can take any age on the trail but naturally if they’re under 21 they cannot do the tasting, duh. I have had very few tour groups with under 21 participants. For elderly tour participants be aware there is walking, stairs, and going in and out multiple times. The distilleries are ADA compliant, ask when you set your tour if there are any things you need to be aware of. I’ve done the tour with 2 people and as many as 13 in our group. The more people the more you have to work to get your tour scheduled.
You do not have to take a tour at the distillery. They all have gift shops/visitors centers where you can by their product and merchandise. Many times you can buy bottles that are only available in their gift shop. Some will let you just wander their grounds, Makers Mark and Castle & Key to name just two. Both of these have beautiful grounds, and we enjoy grabbing a drink at Castle & Key and sitting by the stream taking a well-earned break from the trail.
How Many Days On The Bourbon Trail
How many days do you want to do it? I’ve done it in one day and as many as four. It depends on what you want to see and do. Most tours start at 10:00 am and the last one may be at 4:30. You usually can do 2 tours and then 2 or 3 distillery stops per day. I will attach in my documents some of my itineraries. I’m not an expert but I have found what works and what doesn’t. I’ve made many mistakes, but it gets easier and better each time.
Sample Itinerary
Best Time of year and week to venture on the Bourbon Trail
I have gone all times of the year. Just remember Kentucky is very hot in the summer and beautiful in the fall and can get downright cold in the winter. The change of seasons is why they say Kentucky is ideal for Bourbon maturation. November through March are the slowest months. Summer is the busiest and the warmest. There are times during the year I would avoid if I could, major holidays, Kentucky Derby, Keenland Stakes, the end of July first part of August some distilleries stop their production for maintenance but are still open, September is Bourbon Festival month, extremely busy. I like Fall because it’s less busy, the weather is nice and the trees changing color. Surprisingly, we just went the end of June and the distilleries were not crowded at all. I prefer to go during the week because I find it less busy. Since COVID many distilleries have shortened their work weeks and cut out Mondays, Tuesdays or both, so check with the individual distillery to see if there are any days they are closed.
Dress accordingly. Most tours require no open toe shoes, which I’ve only seen enforced at one location, and it wasn’t a distillery but be aware their websites will state this. The tours usually go inside and outside and go on no matter what the weather is. Summer can get very warm and you may have some cold days in the other months. If you’re planning on going to Buffalo Trace for their daily allotment, each day they have one of their allocated products for sale, you may be in line for over an hour, I’ve stood in rain, wind and freezing rain. Here you have to be prepared.
Fall at Makers Mark
How Much Time Do You Need On The Bourbon Trail
How long each day is up to you. A lot depends on how many and what type of tours you’re going to do each day. Remember, you can just visit the distilleries without taking a tour. Most tours start around 10 or 10:30 so space your time getting there accordingly. You usually need to be at the distillery 15 minutes prior to your tour starting time. In my documents you can see timelines between each distillery. This can vary a little depending on time of day and weather. The last tours are usually around 4:30. Distilleries that have cocktail bars may be open a little later. Michters in Louisville is a good one to end your day for drinks. They have a very nice bar on the second floor. You check in on the first floor and they “call you up” when you can go upstairs.
Make sure to throw in lunch. I made the mistake of not adding a lunch stop when I started the trails and figured we could stop on the way. We went hungry a few times because we didn’t have time set aside to eat. Some distilleries have food, this makes it very easy to set up a tour and lunch at the same place. Willet has a very nice restaurant, but you need to make reservations. They have an egg salad sandwich to die for. You may say egg salad is egg salad. WRONG!! This is the top of the line best egg salad sandwich you’ve ever had. Bardstown Distillery and James Beam both have very good restaurants on site. Others do too, check their web page.
Transportation For The Bourbon Trail
We live 2 hours from Louisville, so driving is by far the easiest for us. Depending on the number of people going will depend on the size of your vehicle. Two to four people are comfortable in most cars. Six people, if you don’t have a vehicle that has ample third row seating, think about renting a van. Anytime we’ve gone over 6 people we’ve rented a 15-passenger van. Enough room for suitcases and souvenirs i.e. bottles of bourbon. You will buy more than you think. With a larger group you can always use two vehicles, but we have found being in the same vehicle with your friends is half the experience. On one of our trips, we had a 15-passenger van, we ended up during the trail renting a car to hold all of our purchases, no kidding. I think I came home with 13 bottles that trip. If you’re flying, the main airports would either be Louisville or Lexington and then rent a vehicle from there. A lot will depend on your itinerary. The distance between the two airports is a little over an hour. Flying into one and out of the other isn’t necessary, unless it works for your schedule.
Our Transportation
Where To Stay On The Bourbon Trail
There are many hotels throughout the trail. We use a few of the same hotels in each city. No hotel is paying me to promote them, although if they would I’d put them at the top of my list. In Louisville we’ve stayed at the Omni, very nice and near 4th Street Live (entertainment area bars & restaurants), the Hilton which is right on 4th Street Live, Courtyard by Marriott which is on Main St near a lot of good places to eat and drink, and just recently at the Townplace Suites which was very nice but a little walk from all the above locations. In Lexington we stay at the Hyatt or Hilton downtown. Both are very convenient to the bar and food scene downtown. In Bardstown you’re somewhat limited but I’ve stayed at the Old Talbott Inn twice. One of the most haunted places in America (didn’t see a ghost) and one of the oldest Inns in America. They have a room that Jesse James shot up, you can still see the bullet holes in the walls. Notable visitors such as Abraham Lincoln, George Patton, Daniel Boone to name a few have visited this location. Next door is an old converted jail you can spend the night in, they have one room that’s still a cell. Bardstown itself is a great place to visit just for the ambience of the town. Bardstown is the Bourbon Capital of the World. It takes you back to the early days of Bourbon with many Bourbon inspired shops. These are just a few of the many hotels both Louisville and Lexington have to offer.
Booking Your Tours For The Bourbon Trail Distilleries
To book your tour you need to go to each individual website and set it up. Most can be booked no sooner than 90 days out, so mark your calendar accordingly. Check the websites daily to see if there are any early dates put up. The more days and distilleries you visit, the harder it is to coordinate your schedule so you have to be on top of things setting up the day and times. Some distilleries may have a limit to your size of group, you can contact them, and they will work with you. When you book you must pay for the tours or tasting then. The distilleries do offer refunds if you cancel before your scheduled date, and they are very easy to change dates and times if your schedule needs to be changed. Each distillery has its own rules and regulations on this, but I’ve found changing times is very easy. What is the difference between a tour and a tasting? Most tours will take 60-75 minutes and take you throughout their facility showing you how Bourbon is made, at the end or during the tour you do your tasting. Doing just a tasting is simply that, you schedule a tasting which usually doesn’t last more than 30 minutes. Not all distilleries offer just the tastings, the different types of tours and tastings are usually listed. The tours do vary among distilleries, some have just a basic tour while others have specialty tours. For your first time it’s best to do the basic tour and this is usually the cheapest, although if you’re doing multiple tours you may want to try a different one other than the basic because you definitely will get tired of hearing the same basic schtick the tour guides will tell you, “51% corn, 160 proof distilled, 125 in the barrel, 80 in the bottle, and we have the happiest cows in the world in Kentucky” to name a few. Some tours also offer discounts if someone in your group is a teetotaler, a fancy word for one who doesn’t drink. They also give military discounts to our deserving veterans. I’ve yet to find one who gives it to First Responders.
If you made it this far and didn’t give up and decide to hire a tour company now is the big question, which distilleries to tour. I find they are broken up in three regions. I break them up less with the East and West side and I put the Bardstown area on the west side.
List Of Kentucky Distilleries
Frankfort/Lexington (East Region) Distilleries
• Barrel House
• Bourbon 30
• Buffalo Trace +
• Bulleit Distilling Co. + @
• Castle and Key +
• Four Roses + @
• Hartfield & Co.
• James Pepper +
• Jeptha Creed +
• Lexington Brewing & Distilling +
• RD1
Town Branch @ +
• Whiskey Thief Distilling Co. +
• Wild Turkey + @
• Wilderness Trail
• Woodford Reserve + @
Bardstown Distilleries West (South Region)
• Bardstown Bourbon Co. + @
• Boundary Oak
• Heaven Hill + @
• Jim Beam + @
• Kentucky Cooperage Barrel Factory +
• Limestone Branch
• Log Still Distillery
• Lux Row + @
• Maker's Mark + @
• Preservation
• Willett +
Louisville Distilleries (West)
• Angel's Envy + @
• Buzzard's Roost
• Evan Williams Bourbon Experience + @
• Jeptha Creed +
• Kentucky Artisan Distillery (Jefferson's) +
• Michter's Fort Nelson Distillery + @
• Neeley Family Distillery
• Old Forester + @
• Peerless Distillery +
• Rabbit Hole + @
• Stitzel Weller (Blade & Bow, IW Harper) + @
( + Distilleries I’ve visited @ Official Bourbon Trail Distilleries)
In my other blog I break down which distilleries I have visited and which I recommend. There are very few I wouldn’t go back a second time to. The ones I will always try to at least visit if not take another tour on each trip are Buffalo Trace and Makers Mark. Again, these are my preferences.
Some helpful hints for Kentucky Distillery Experiences:
Buffalo Trace is very hard to book for tours, they fill up quickly. But if you get there early, ask if they have any open tours, you may get lucky. And they’re free.
While buying Bourbon straight from the distillery is fun and part of the experience, don’t expect it to be cheaper. The somewhat mind-boggling thing is they don’t just take it from the bottling line and put it in the gift shop. Kentucky law requires they have to go through a distributor or someone like that in order to pay the state taxes prior to sale. Kroger’s has an excellent liquor department, and their prices are regulated so you will find it the same price at each store and some may be less expensive.
Make sure everyone has their ID’s when you check in. Usually, one person cannot check in for the whole group.
While not a distillery, Independent Stave Company has been one of our favorite tours. It puts you right in the middle of the barrel making process. Its location is south of Makers Mark in Lebanon, Kentucky, which might be out of the way, but if you have time you won’t be disappointed.
Very few if any distilleries allow you to ship your purchases. Plan your buying accordingly.
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