A Kentucky Bourbon Trail Tour

Love bourbon?  Come with me on my Kentucky Bourbon Trail Tour, and then off-trail to one of my favorite distilleries!  The Bourbon Trail is easy to navigate, and a fantastic getaway for bourbon lovers!

A Kentucky Bourbon Trail Tour

What is the Kentucky Bourbon Trail?

Fellow foodies, if you, like me, enjoy tours of vineyards, distilleries, and breweries– listen up!  I’m sure you’ve heard of famous wine-tasting regions, such as California’s wine country, Italy’s Tuscan vineyards, and France’s Loire Valley.

These areas are special because, while there are other fantastic vineyards scattered across the world, these are in clusters, and make for spectacular vineyard-hopping getaways.

Did you realize that several major bourbon distilleries in Kentucky are also clustered together?  These distilleries make up the Kentucky Bourbon Trail!

Kentucky’s native limestone rock makes bourbon production easier, and 95% of all bourbon is made in Kentucky.

My Kentucky Bourbon Trail Tour Tips will help you plan your visit!  The Bourbon Trail runs from Lexington to Louisville, and as of February 2018 has nine official stops.  We’ll also visit one off-trail distillery!

Bourbon Trail Tours Cost: Is it Expensive?

The trail is incredibly affordable!  For most tours, expect to pay $10-$12 a person.*

How Long Do The Bourbon Trail Tours Take?  How Many Distilleries Can I Tour in One Day?

Most of the tours are about an hour long.  Tours tend to run on a set schedule (depending on the distillery), and can fill up quickly on busy weekends.  Plan ahead, and if the distillery allows pre-booking, do it.

If you end up waiting an hour for a tour to start, there are usually grounds to wander around or a gift shop to visit.  The distilleries aren’t within walking distance of each other– they’re mostly scattered across the Kentucky countryside.  Try not to plan on more than 3 distilleries per day.

When Should I Go on a Kentucky

Bourbon Trail Tour?

Our weekday trips have been more enjoyable, with smaller crowds and less waiting for booked-up tours.  If you go on a weekend, make sure to book online for any spot that will let you.  In fact, the best bourbon tours I’ve had have been the first tour of the day on a weekday.

Whatever you do– remember that the first weekend in May is Derby Weekend.

If you plan your trip that weekend, be prepared for major crowds.  There are extra events and a lot more to do– just don’t forget what a magnet the Derby is.  Book your hotel FAR in advance, and call the distilleries ahead to find out what their touring schedule is for that weekend.

You should also keep in mind that most distilleries ARE NOT IN PRODUCTION during July and August because it’s simply too hot for the distilling process.  That means that you’ll still have a tour, but you might not get to see as much of the bourbon-making process.

How Much Bourbon Will I Get to Taste?  Do I Get Loot?

It depends on the distillery, but somewhere from 2 – 4 tastings.  (Don’t blame the distillery if you want more– they can’t hand out more because of Kentucky law.)

Some of the tours give you loot in addition to the tastings.  You might get a bourbon ball candy, a souvenir glass, or even a bourbon bottle label.

Do I Have to Be 21 to Go on a Bourbon Trail Tour?

U.S. law says you have to be 21 to drink alcohol, so any tastings obviously require you to be old enough to drink.  That said, if you have someone younger with you, they should still be able to go on the tour (they just aren’t allowed to drink anything!)

Quick Tip: Underage?  Call ahead at each distillery and make sure you’re allowed to tour.

Town Branch Distillery

Bourbon Trail Distilleries

A Bourbon Trail Tour From Lexington, towards Louisville

1. Alltech / Town Branch ($10 per person tour)

This distillery / brewery is located in downtown Lexington.  It’s a smaller distillery, but one of my favorite tasting experiences.  The distillery part of the tour is short (there isn’t as much to see), but it also includes a tour of their Town Branch brewery– where they make Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale.

The tour includes 4 tokens that let you choose which drinks you wanted to sample, and you could choose from both the distillery and brewery drinks.  I’ve visited this distillery three times, and it’s still one of my favorites!

Quick Tip: This is a nice stop if you’re tired of bourbon after bourbon, and want to shake things up with some local brews.

Woodford Reserve

2. Woodford Reserve** ($10 per person tour)

Woodford Reserve, located outside Lexington, is like the country club on this distillery tour.  The distillery grounds are gorgeous– with limestone buildings and lush green countryside, and the tour takes you through the large distilling area and the rickhouses (where they store the bourbon barrels).

Bourbon vocabulary: Rickhouses are the buildings that store the bourbon barrels while the bourbon ages.

Our tour was on Derby weekend, and so the entire area was extra crowded.  We were able to sample two bourbons (the smallest tasting of any Bourbon Trail stop), and got a free bourbon ball candy.

Was my Derby weekend tour different than the normal tour?  Maybe.  I’ve heard from friends that they were able to sample more than two bourbons on their Woodford tour, so it’s possible our tour was different because of the Derby.

Because of the crowds, tours were running every 15 minutes instead of every hour, and they had free mint julep balls in the gift shop.  Score!

3. Wild Turkey ($10 per person tour)

The Wild Turkey distillery is gorgeous.  It’s not far from downtown Lexington, but the grounds are surrounded by gorgeous Kentucky countryside.  The tour includes four samples, and we went home with an extremely high-quality, heavy-bottomed tasting glass.

As for the tour itself, we had bad timing.  We went on a Saturday afternoon in August just as the University of Kentucky students came back into town.  (Cue the disappointing music– wa-wa-waahhh!)

Our tour group was huge, and the tour guide was pretty soft-spoken with a broken microphone.  Since it was August, Wild Turkey wasn’t actually making bourbon that day, but seeing the massive and empty distilling tanks was interesting.

Overall, this tour could’ve run a little more smoothly than it did, and I’d definitely recommend heading to this extra-popular spot on a weekday morning.  (I’ll be back, Wild Turkey!)

4. Four Roses Distillery ($10 per person tour or $5 tasting / $5 tour during construction.  Admission free within 60 days of a Four Roses warehouse tour purchase.)

The Four Roses Distillery is located between Lexington and Louisville in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky.  Unlike most Bourbon Trail stops, Four Roses doesn’t actually age ANY of their bourbon at this location.

This location distills the grains, and then they’re aged at the Four Roses Warehouse (near the Jim Beam distillery).  That means you should be able to see the distilling vats, but not any rickhouses or aging barrels.

When we went in August 2017, they were in the middle of a 3 year expansion project, and the entire distilling area was under construction.  Unfortunately, that meant our tour was mostly listening to the tour guide while they pointed at buildings, and we weren’t able to go inside any of them.

The tour was about an hour long, and we were able to sample three bourbons and keep the tasting glass.

Four Roses Warehouse ($10 per person tour or $5 tasting.  Admission free within 60 days of a Four Roses distillery tour purchase.)

The Four Roses warehouse is where Four Roses ages all their bourbon.  It’s located near the Jim Beam distillery, and offers both tours and tastings.  We opted for a 30-minute tasting here, which included three bourbons and the tasting glass.  It was short, sweet, and a nice side-trip while we waited for our Jim Beam tour.

Inside a Rickhouse

5. Maker’s Mark ($9 per person tour; specialty tours also available)

Maker’s Mark is in Loretto, KY, south of Lexington and Louisville and surrounded by gorgeous Kentucky countryside.  In my opinion, this was one of the best tours of the actual distilling process.

The tour includes a walk-through of their large distillery area, a chance to taste the mash of fermenting grains, a view of the production line, a bottle label, four tastings, and a chance to hand-dip a bourbon bottle in their signature red wax.

They also have more expensive specialty tours available.  These vary but include a more extensive view of the grounds.  Check on their website about reserving these ahead if you’re interested.

Quick Tips: This is one of the most popular spots on the Bourbon Trail– if you can go on a weekday morning, I’d recommend it.  I also recommend checking the Maker’s Mark website for directions, because our GPS took us the wrong way.

One fun, free bonus— Sign up as a Maker’s Mark Ambassador online, and have your name engraved on a barrel of bourbon.  They send you free ‘ambassador’ business cards, and let you know when the barrel with your name on it is ready to be bottled in case you want to buy a bottle from ‘your’ barrel.

6. Heaven Hill / Bourbon Heritage Center  (Mashbill tour- $10; Whiskey Connoisseur Tour- $20)

Heaven Hill is located about an hour south of Louisville.  This location does not have an on-site distillery, so if you opt for the cheaper (and longer) tour, you’ll learn about the history of Heaven Hill, see the on-site rickhouse, and (obviously) have a bourbon tasting.

We decided to go for the shorter ‘connoisseur’ tour, and really enjoyed it.  This tour costs more because of the quality and price of your tastings– you get a chance to try some bourbons that are $200-$300 a bottle.  If you don’t think you’ll have another chance to try high-end bourbon, this is your chance!

7. Jim Beam ($12 per person tour)

The Jim Beam distillery is located outside Louisville.  This tour was fantastic– but I definitely recommend booking your tour online ahead of time.  We didn’t, and the next tour wasn’t for another hour and a half.

That said, this tour was one of the most well-run, informative tours on the trail.

The tour included their distillery and rickhouses, a chance to taste the mash of fermenting grains, and a chance to smell or taste undiluted bourbon straight from the barrel.  You also get to clean an empty bourbon bottle (by washing it with bourbon, of course), set it on the bottling line, and then add the wax seal if you’re purchasing a bottle.

Jim Beam’s tasting room was industrial– instead of a human pouring the samples, you’re given a card with three credits loaded to insert into one of the many bourbon dispensing machines in the room.  Each credit poured 1/2 ounce of bourbon into your tasting glass.

Jim Beam definitely had the most tasting options– including their classic bourbons,  single barrel bourbons, and flavored whiskeys.  The tasting glass is included in the tour price.

Jim Beam Urban Stillhouse: Jim Beam also has a tasting room in downtown Louisville.  For $5, you get a shot glass to keep, and four bourbon tastings.  It’s only a short walk from the Evan Williams distillery.

8. Bulleit ($10 per person tour)

The Bulleit distillery is just north of downtown Louisville.  We went on a Monday morning, had a tiny tour group, and a fantastic tour!  Bulleit’s downtown location is expanding, but it didn’t affect the tour.

We were able to see a smaller version of what we saw on some other tours, but the most enjoyable part (other than sampling four bourbons) was listening to the guide tell us about the history of the bourbon industry.  I’d highly recommend this tour– and even more so after the expansion is finished!

9. Evan Williams ($12 per person tour; Speakeasy specialty tour- $20)

Evan Williams, in downtown Louisville, provides the most unique Bourbon Trail tour I’ve been on.  We had to wait an hour and a half for this tour too, so I recommend booking online (they let you book online within 24 hours of the tour you want).

There’s no large distillery on-site, and you only get a brief glimpse of the small artisan distillery.  Even so, they provide an enjoyable, incredibly interesting tour.  The entire tour felt like walking through an interactive play, with rooms turned into reproductions of old Evan Williams buildings and historical Louisville.  A lot of the tour was via videos shown as the guide led you from room to room.

The tasting included three bourbons and a bourbon ball.  The Speakeasy tour was sold out when we got there, but seemed similar to the Heaven Hill connoisseur tour (which makes sense, because Heaven Hill is the parent company for Evan Williams).  You’ll see a lot of the same bourbons available to buy at both locations.

Traveling Off the Bourbon Trail: Visiting Buffalo Trace

While I was “researching” the Bourbon Trail, one distillery kept popping up– the Buffalo Trace Distillery.  It wasn’t on the trail, but it did look exciting!

I contacted Buffalo Trace, and they had me over for a tour and for one of their über fancy Craftsman Dinners.  

Where is Buffalo Trace located?

This distillery is located right on the edge of the Kentucky River in Kentucky’s capital city– Frankfort.  It’s in an incredibly nice area downtown, and we were able to stroll around after our tour and visit local shops.

Recommendation: Check out the Kentucky Knows coffee shop that’s just around the road from Buffalo Trace, and buy a bag of their Bourbon Barrel Coffee!  It is SO RIDICULOUSLY GOOD.

How Much Do Their Tours Cost?  Do The Tours Include a Bourbon Tasting?

All the tours are– get this– FREE!

And of course, you get to sample a few spirits, and Buffalo Trace’s version of Irish cream.  (Faaaabulous!)

What Tours Do They Offer?

Buffalo Trace has THE BEST tour variety of any other distillery we visited.  They have a standard tour, a Hard Hat tour, a Bourbon Barrel tour, a Historical Landmark tour, and a tour of E.H. Taylor’s “Bourbon Pompeii.”

We did the E.H. Taylor tour– which included a tour of the archaeological ruins of an old bourbon distillery!  It was– without question– the most unique distillery tour I’ve been on!

I will be back Buffalo Trace!  (I’ve got my eye on the hard hat tour!)

“Bourbon Pompeii”

What about you?  Have you been on a Kentucky Bourbon Trail Tour?  What did you think?  Let me know in the comments!

*Note:Obviously, the breweries can change the prices of their bourbon trail tours without giving me a heads-up.  If you need to know exact numbers before you leave, double check on their websites.

**Also Note: I’ve inserted links to help you find the distillery websites, but Woodford Reserve has a fairly lengthy and strict linking policy.  You’re going to have to search Google for them yourself, sorry!  (They’re incredibly easy to find).

Want to see EVEN MORE bourbon?  Click here to see all of my bourbon recipes!

↓ Bourbon Trail Cheat Sheet ↓

Want more bourbon?  Check out these BOURBON COCKTAILS:

• How to Make a Mint Julep
• Bourbon Sour with Lavender
• Hot Toddy with Tea

Want even more bourbon?  Try these SWEET + SAVORY BOURBON ideas:

• Chocolate Crêpe Cake with Bourbon
• Pan-Seared Cod with Kentucky Bourbon
• Kentucky Bourbon Sweet Potato Casserole