Tim and I stayed here on our most recent visit to Louisville and we had a very nice experience here. Our favorite experience on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail was the cocktail class at Bardstown Bourbon. The final distillery is back up near Louisville: The Bulleit Frontier Whiskey Experience. Plus, its easy to find. They give a really thorough background on the drink and Louisville's history with it . On the other hand, you may want to sit back, enjoy the ride, and join a tour. There are four major regions of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Choose the size you would like to print and click OK. After that, select your print quality. The tour is very well done and you get to see a few things that many tours do not include. Woodford Reserve (a seven-minute drive from Castle & Key) has its own restaurant and is a great mid-day stop for lunch and a tour of its beautiful grounds. You can also spend a few days in Nashville or visit nearby New River Gorge National Park. If you are looking for a large-format map, you should buy an printer that is large-format. It is possible to print maps by choosing the print option in your printer menu. Races at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington take place in October and April, and at Churchill Downs in Louisville in November, May, and June . LOUISVILLE: Plan your visit to Louisville with our articles about the Best Things to Do in Louisville and Best Places to Eat in Louisville. A visit to Buffalo Trace is definitely worthwhile when you are in the area, even if it is not officially on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. This distillery features bourbon finished in port wine barrels and rye whiskey finished in rum barrels. At the end of this article, we list specific hotel and B&B recommendations for Louisville, Bardstown, and Lexington. Yes, all of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail distilleries charge a fee for a tour or a tasting. Woodford Reserve, Wild Turkey and Four Roses are clustered together near Lexington. Travel back in timeto 1783, to the very early days ofLouisville, where you will learn about the early history of bourbon and this area of Kentucky. Since it is located off of the Bourbon Trail and does not have the actual log cabin that Abraham Lincoln was born in, this is only worth it if you have an interest in American history or Abraham Lincoln. A stay at the boutique 21C Hotel makes a great homebase in Lexington; this artsy, modern hotel is located right downtown, and the lobby also functions as a contemporary art gallery. Similar to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, the Craft Tour takes bourbon touring and tasting to the next level. The Kentucky Bourbon Trail website includes a map of all area distilleries, general exploring tips, and a calendar of upcoming distillery events. The blue markers are restaurant recommendations, Buffalo Trace Distillery, and other notable experiences to add into your Kentucky Bourbon Trail itinerary. In fact, if you visit every. Optional Detour: Abraham Lincoln Birthplace. We chose the self-driving option. This will minimize your driving and let you stay in the small towns in Kentucky. Eating is important, of course, and luckily, there are tons of local restaurants where you can get a great meal to soak up some of the liquor. More Information for Your Trip to Louisville. Its centrally located, so you can walk to many of the sights and distilleries on Whiskey Row. If you are really short on time, you can simply visit the gift shop, get your passport stamped, and do a little shopping. After a hearty breakfast of biscuits, its time to hit the trail! For tour information, visit the Wilderness trail website. During the aging process, a small percentage of the bourbon evaporates per year, what is referred to as the angels share. If you want to take home this aroma, many gift shops sell bourbon-scented candles. The red markers are the seventeen distilleries on the trail. If you want to see the entire bourbon distilling process from start to finish, including the making of the barrels and the bottling of the final product, take the Old Forester Discovery Tour. 528 W Main St Louisville, Kentucky (502) 272-2623. This cocktail class is only offered once a day, so if you like this idea, plan your other distillery visits around this class. You can also take a tour where you bottle the single barrel whiskey, but spaces are limited and the tour is expensive (but you do end up with a cool souvenir to take home!). You could easily spend an hour or two here, sampling their beers and boozes and chatting with the owners. Afternoon: Take a tour at Old Forester Distillery. There are eighteen distilleries on the official Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Abraham Lincoln was born in a one room log cabin in Hodgenville, Kentucky in 1809. NASHVILLE: For recommendations on what to do in Nashville, check out our articles Best Things to Do in Nashville and Best Eats in Nashville. Coalition Whiskey. If time allows, consider the areas other great export: thoroughbred horses. However, with various sizes for printing come a variety of new variables. Dinner: Mayan Caf. Take the first tour of the day to give yourself enough time to get to Green River. For information on how to plan your visit, dont miss our Guide to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. If you have plans to tour the Kentucky Bourbon Trail between July and early November, make your reservations in advance. Do you have to be a bourbon drinker to have a good time on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail? This is Louisvilles landmark hotel. Required fields are marked *. and cannot participate in the Passport program. Created by Roadtrippers - March 22nd 2016. UPSCALE: 21c Museum Hotel Lexington. Its located right around the corner from 21c Museum Hotel, so you can walk to many sights in downtown Louisville. If you want to tour all eighteen distilleries, you need a minimum of seven days. Spend the day visiting two big names in bourbon and a tour of a cooperage. Located in Downtown Louisville, the Bourbon District is a walkable urban experience for anyone looking for a taste of Kentucky. Walk across the street to Proof on Main. In this article, learn how to plan your Kentucky Bourbon Trail itinerary, with suggestions on where to stay and what else to add in as you tour the trail. Trust me!!! Also, take some time to enjoy the bucolic setting of this distillery. To maximize value, do not get too big or small. Make sure you check the hours of the distilleries you want to visit before your trip. You can elect to skip the tour and just do a tasting instead. How far in advance would you recommend booking tours, or are walk-ins generally accepted at most of the distilleries? You do not have to take a tour at each distillery. Buffalo Trace, located in Frankfort, is one of the most famous bourbon distilleries in Kentucky. Wish I had this information prior will save it for next visit. Lunch: Doc Crows Southern Smokehouse and Raw Bar or Troll Pub under the Bridge. Your email address will not be published. While you are in the area, consider a tour at Buffalo Trace, adding on a visit to Bulleit in Shelbyville, or lunch or dinner in Lexington. USA TRAVEL INSPIRATION: For more great ideas on where to go in the United States, check out our article Best USA Road Trips, which has 18 sample itineraries for your next big adventure. It can be chilly, but most of the time we were indoors, so weather wasnt much of a factor. Four Roses distillery was built in 1910 and features Spanish Mission-Style architecture, a rarity in Kentucky. As you drive back to Louisville, you have the option to stop at the Lincoln Boyhood Home and National Museum and/or Santa Claus, Indiana. MAMMOTH CAVE: Mammoth Cave is a national park in Kentucky and it makes a great day trip from Louisville and Nashville. Louisville and the rest of the bourbon trail are located in the Eastern Time Zone. We have visited the Kentucky Bourbon Trail twice. Say goodbye to Louisville and head south to Bardstown. KENTUCKY BOURBON TRAIL: Pick out which distilleries to visit in our article Best Distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Its centrally located, so you can walk to many of the sights and distilleries on Whiskey Row. List of Distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, Best Time to Visit the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, Tips, Tricks, and Advice for Touring the Bourbon Trail, check out our post about the best distilleries. From the Brown, you can walk (or call a rideshare) to distilleries along the citys historic Whiskey Row by the Ohio River, such as Angels Envy, Old Forester Distilling Co., and the modern Rabbit Hole Distillery in Louisvilles artsy NULU district. Andrew Jackson, Henry Harrison, and King Louis Phillippe have all stayed here. We both acquired a taste for bourbon on our long weekend in Kentucky. Dont miss out on the beautiful horse farms in the Lexington area! Note: Green River is located in the Central Time Zone. All distilleries are legally limited to how much bourbon you can drink while on a tour. If you have three days in Louisville, follow our day #1 and day #2 itineraries above. Some distilleries are closed on Mondays. Then visit the Town Branch Distillery from Lexington Brewing and Distilling Company, and maybe cut all that booze with a beer or two as well! Where will your trip lead you? MIDRANGE: Homewood Suites. This itinerary is organized into seven different daily itineraries. There are 37 distilleries total, but whether you tackle them all is entirely up to you! This is a great resource for getting an in-depth history of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail as well as additional information to help plan your trip. What Size Of Paper Do You Print Your Maps On? On day two, visit the distilleries located south of Louisville: Makers Mark, Jim Beam, Heaven Hill, Bardstown Bourbon, and Lux Row. First, decide on the size of your printout. Is May a good month to do the Bourbon Trail? Many of these distilleries are historic and their story is fascinating. Select the size of the map before it is time to print it. Trail builders, on the other hand prefer to be in the woods in order to use chainsaws to make their trails. During this one-hour class, we mixed two cocktails: the Kentucky Mule and the Sazerac. Required fields are marked *. Bourbon can be brewed anywhere in the United States, although 95% of bourbon is currently distilled in Kentucky. LOUISVILLE: Plan your visit to Louisville with our articles about the Best Things to Do in Louisville and Best Places to Eat in Louisville. There are six distilleries in Louisville (seven if you count the Jim Beam Urban Stillhouse), five located in and around Lexington, one in Danville, five in and around Bardstown, and one in Owensboro. A memorial now stands at his birthplace. It's located next to a field full of giant rickhouses, which is what the building where barrels of bourbon age are called. On this immersive tour, travel back in time to 1783, when bourbon distilling got its start. Spring is a nice time to visit the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Now, you can stay in a colonial style room in this very same building. Tonight, sleep in Louisville, Bardstown, or Lexington. A beautiful time of year, however, is mid-September to late-October. Read on to learn how to use printable maps. The Old Nelson County Jail housed prisoners from 1797 until 1987. In 2016, we were able to show up and do a lot of tastings. Unfortunately, we do not have a PDF of this article. Kentucky Bourbon Trail in 1 Day: Follow day #1, where you get a great overview of the distilling process and get to visit three distilleries in Louisville. Kentucky Bourbon Trail in 4 Days: Follow days #1 and #2. I recommend visiting the official website of the distilleries for hours and tour information. Most distilleries give you a few, tiny sips of several of their bourbons, just enough to get a good taste, and not so much that you will walk around schnockered for the rest of the day. If you are a bourbon drinker and have a favorite distillery thats on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, make sure you include it on your tour of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Its good to know that classes about cocktails can be taken during a bourbon tour. Bulleit Distilling Company. To get to Evan Williams and/or to get back to your hotel, consider driving or using Uber (we used Uber while in Louisville and kept our car parked at our hotel). To tour the Kentucky Bourbon Trail you have two options: self-drive the bourbon trail or join a tour group. Angels Envy. These distilleries are located within 110 miles of Louisville, mostly clustered between Louisville and Lexington. Today, the Kentucky Bourbon Trail is a collection of 18 major bourbon whiskey distilleries (Heritage Distilleries) and 23 smaller and newer microdistilleries (Craft Distilleries) that will give you the ultimate experience of learning all about Kentucky bourbon: its history, technology, craftsmanship, and artistry. As soon as you step out of your car, you can smell the grains cooking, the first part of the distillation process. More than one distillery tour taught us that the strain of yeast they use is one of the most important factors in how their final product tastes. Best Distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. One of our favorite parts of the tour was a visit to the rickhouse. Children under 21 are welcome on tours, for free or at a discounted cost (and no sampling whiskey for them, of course). Prior guests rave about cleanliness, comfort, and location. 526 Happy Hollow Road, Shepherdsville, KY, US. Click the star next to the title of the map to add this map to your Google Maps account. During the tour, which usually lasts about one hour, your guide leads you through the property, teaching you about the distillation process and the history of the distillery. Plus, being on your own gives you the flexibility to visit other sights along the way, such as a nice lunch in Bardstown or a scenic drive through horse country. Tours last approximately one hour, ending with a tasting. Since it's the largest maker of Kentucky bourbon, you'll get a different view: that of a larger-scale operation. We have not visited this distillery yet but have been drinking their bourbon for quite some time. Then head to The Woodford Reserve Distillery. The whiskey cannot be distilled higher than 160 proof, enter the barrel higher than 125 proof, and it must not enter the bottle less than 80 proof. Their signature tour is a one-hour tour of the distillery. Abraham Lincoln was born in a one room log cabin in Hodgenville, Kentucky in 1809. Best Distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Learn more about the benefits of printing maps. Its hot, its crowded, and during the summer months, most distilleries take a break from distilling, anywhere from a week or two or longer. Many people state that the Buffalo Trace tour is their favorite in Kentucky. This is a great place to start your visit to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. This distillery is so new that their bourbon is still aging, although they do have other liquor you can sample when you visit, like rum aged in old bourbon bottles and unfiltered vodka. The original distillery opened on Derby Day in the 1930s, and it recently reopened for tours. They were one of only three bourbon distilleries that were allowed to operate during Prohibition, producing medicinal bourbon. BUDGET: Holiday Inn Express and Suites Downtown Louisville. Tim and I stayed here on our first visit to Louisville in 2016. This is a great spot for lunch or dinner while touring the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. There are some other very cool things to do in this part of Kentucky and I didnt want to leave those out. The Field Guide is your passport to exploring the people and the places behind the Bourbon. Ride sharing services are abundant in the area, and there are many guided tour options as well. If you want to do some non-Bourbon activities while road tripping around Kentucky, here are some ideas for you. This day includes the remaining distilleries in Louisville with the option to add on one or two museums. It does require more ink than printing text. If this is part of a bigger road trip through the USA, visit our United States Travel Guide for more inspiration and travel planning tips. Nothing can be added to the whiskey other than water. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Earth Trekkers is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn advertising fees by advertising & linking to Amazon.com. Rather than paying the fee to join the Kentucky Distillers Association, they prefer to offer free tours and tastings to their visitors. How you do it is completely up to you. This was our favorite tour for several reasons. It is also possible to save the map in a PDF format. Pick your favorites and group them together to form your itinerary, whether you have 2, 3, or more days. These newer operations often restore the beautiful, historical properties of Kentuckys original stillscenturies-old distilleries that either never reopened after prohibition or closed for other reasons. Then make a quick stop at folk legend Daniel Boone's Gravesite for a great photo op (especially if you happen to have one of those coontail hats). In addition, for a fee we can also make the maps in specialized file formats. There are many distilleries you can visit in Kentucky that are not part of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. We saw their vans everywhere! The brisket is renowned, especially with their Texas hot sauce. Distilling Company Tennessee | DISCUS, Hand Sanitizer 802 Royal Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee 38107 Beechtree Distillery It is said to be the oldest western stagecoach stop in America and to be visited by Jesse James ghost. If you are looking for a highly rated hotel and dont want to spend a lot of money, this is a great option. The usual 150-page guide will include maps of the trail, itineraries and cocktail recipes, advice, tasting notes and information on the 19 participating distilleries. They must be designed to work with a standard printing press. The best time of year for a road trip down the Bourbon Trail: Summer is high season along the trail, so you'll have more crowds to contend with, and hotels will be slightly more expensive. Day after day, distillery tours can get to be monotonous. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Earth Trekkers is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn advertising fees by advertising & linking to Amazon.com. You can search by name, state, spirit, amenity or simply click on the map to discover distilleries you never knew existed! For more great things to do in Louisville, read our post 12 Best Things to do in Louisville. UPSCALE: 21c Museum Hotel. Just spent two nights in Bardstown and took the cocktail class which was awesome. Plus, its easy to find. Here's a sample itinerary to follow for your visit. PRO TRAVEL TIP: When planning your Kentucky Bourbon Trail itinerary, check the distilleries websites for updated hours and tour availability. Here are four highly rated hotels in Louisville. If you like the idea of getting out of Louisville for the day, I recommend day #1 plus day #4 (the Best of Bardstown) or day #5 (Makers Mark and the Kentucky Cooperage). In order to see all four, you should be at the first distillery at opening time. Explore the Kentucky Bourbon Trail experiences and find what youre looking for in our map below. Click OK to confirm. Wild Turkey produces one of the most popular bourbons in the US and one of the best-selling bourbons in the world. And we highly recommend lunch at the Old Talbott Tavern in Bardstown. Artsy, unique, contemporarythis is another top pick in Louisville. However, note that the map will display an uninspiring look, since it will be used only for only one printing session. It is not the actual log cabin of Abraham Lincolns birthplace. Dine on Central American food prepared by the chef who grew up on the Yucatan Peninsula. TRAVEL INSPIRATION: Here are 30great travel booksand a list of the best travelmovies to feed your wanderlust. For more information about the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, we have two more articles that will help you plan your trip: The Ultimate Guide to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, Best Distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Take the evening to explore downtown Lexington. This takes the headache out of planning a day of distillery tours, perfect for some people. Seeing as this is the only "bourbon tour" in Louisville proper, it's worth the stop. If you want the map twice as wide you can select extra large. This is Louisvilles landmark hotel. Partners & Sponsors The KY Bourbon Trail Here are some more resources to aide you in making your way to the places that make Kentucky's world-renowned bourbon. Though, not nearly as polished as distilleries like Maker's Mark, it's a much more personal, intimate and informative experience than what you'll get touring a bigger operation. Take a late afternoon or early evening tour of Michters Distillery. Youll need a designated driver along the trail, as youll be sipping and tasting whiskeys. It is a very fun thing to do and it was one of our highlights on our first trip to Kentucky. Also in Lexington is the Barrel House Distillery, which makes small-batch bourbon, as well as moonshine, vodka and rum, which makes it worth a stop. Distilleries to visit along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Julie Last updated: December 16, 2022 United States 32 Comments. One of the highlights of this tour, other than the tasting, was standing inside of their rickhouse. If you are looking for a highly rated hotel and dont want to spend a lot of money, this is a great option. I give links to each distillery in these daily itineraries. If this is part of a bigger road trip through the USA, visit our United States Travel Guide for more inspiration and travel planning tips. Kentucky Bourbon Trail, Bourbon Trail and Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour are trademarks of the Kentucky Distillers Association. Specialty tours cost more. Andrew Jackson and King Louis Phillippe both stayed here. They like to talk about their mash bill and their yeast strains that they use. When you make a purchase using one of these affiliate links, we get paid a small commission at no extra cost to you. The grand finale of the tour isthe bourbon tasting. If you've got a sweet tooth, definitely also try the bourbon cream (it's perfect if you're still not sold on straight bourbon) and bourbon brittle. The memorial is free to visit. Green River is the outlier, located almost two hours west of Louisville, in a small town named Owensboro. This day includes three must-visit distilleries on Whiskey Row with suggestions for Louisvilles best eats. When you make a purchase using one of these affiliate links, we get paid a small commission at no extra cost to you. If you only have one day on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, the combination of these three tours hits the most important steps in the distilling process. Jim Beam has two locations on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail: the American Stillhouse, which is located in Clermont, and the Urban Stillhouse, which is located in downtown Louisville. Right down the road is the Four Roses Distillery. Woodford Reserve. It's worth it to buy a bottle here, because you get to dip the top in the iconic red wax yourself! Most tours cost $10 to $15 (including tastings), and are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wild Turkey. Tim and I stayed here on our most recent visit to Louisville and we had a very nice experience here. Plus, if you save your ticket from the distillery tour, you can tour their warehouse operation, located in Cox's Creek, for free! If you want to stay in a historical, luxurious hotel in Louisville, your hotel search can end right here. Your email address will not be published. Map of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Below is a map of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. This is a beautiful distillery. Browse by category to find what you're looking for, or select icons displayed on the map for detailed information. Founding Fathers Distillery. Learn how to plan your bourbon tasting itinerary, when to go, where to stay, and even ideas for things to do off of the bourbon trail. Our website uses cookies. Here in Kentucky, we do things at our own pace and you should, too. The rickhouse is where the barrels are stored. You can bookmark this post on your browser. For most people, a combination of tours and tastings is the perfect way to sample the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. How to Experience the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, Day 2: Louisville to Lexington: Clermont, Shelbyville, and Loretto, Day 3: Lexington, Frankfort, Versailles, and Lawrenceburg. Is there a fee to visit the distilleries? They offer both tours and tastings individually, so if you'd rather skip seeing the still and warehouse, you can just sample their wares-- try the sweet and spicy Wild Turkey Honey Stinger! A Few Facts about the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Luckily, there's lots to do (and eat) in Kentucky while traveling from distillery to distillery (or rather, from sample of bourbon to sample of bourbon). The distilleries of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail are deeply rooted in history, many beginning operations in the 18th or 19th centuries that are still operated by the same families generations later. It's no secret that all American states can legally produce bourbon, but Kentucky is the spirit's undisputed . With the many distilleries within its city limits, Louisville is a good jumping-off point on the trail. Hours vary by day of the week, with more tour times on Fridays and Saturdays. Tours are offered Monday through Friday; they do not offer tours on weekends. While in Bardstown, head to the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskeyso you can learn all about the liquid gold you've been knocking back! They also offer seasonal classes and tours, so make sure you check their website to see what they are offering during your visit. On this tour, you visit micro-distilleries and this takes an additional week to visit all of these distilleries. Inside of the memorial is a symbolic log cabin, a historic replica of the one that Abraham Lincoln first lived in. Even if you dont plan on staying here, a drink in the Lobby Bar is a must-do while in Louisville. It is said to be the oldest western stagecoach stop in America and legend has it that Jesse James left behind bullet holes in the tavern.