Our website uses cookies. There are many distilleries you can visit in Kentucky that are not part of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Cheers, Julie. If you move fast, you have enough time to visit both in the afternoon. As you tour more distilleries, you can pick out the differences between the bourbons. With the many distilleries within its city limits, Louisville is a good jumping-off point on the trail. Day 1 and 2 for sure then a day on the road. Monday through Friday, tours are offered at the Kentucky Cooperage (1 pm is the latest tour time). It's not a part of the Kentucky Distillers Association's official Bourbon Trail, but they are, however, open for tours and tastings. LOUISVILLE: Plan your visit to Louisville with our articles about the Best Things to Do in Louisville and Best Places to Eat in Louisville. Plus, everyone who visits gets a mini souvenir Louisville Slugger for themselves! The busiest time to visit the Kentucky Bourbon Trail is from August through mid-November. Lunch: Walk, drive or Uber to the Mussel & Burger Bar, another one of our favorite restaurants in Louisville. But there is more to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail than just distillery tours and bourbon tastings. Distilleries to visit along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Its located right around the corner from 21c Museum Hotel, so you can walk to many sights in downtown Louisville. Spend the day visiting two big names in bourbon and a tour of a cooperage. Visiting the winding trail of bourbon distilleries here (now officially called the Kentucky Bourbon Trail) has become a main draw to the area, and a whole tourism industry itself. Check out this map of the KY Bourbon Trail. Morning: Stitzel-Weller Distillery. Angels Envy puts a twist on whiskey distilling. 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. If you want the map twice as wide you can select extra large. Again, thanks for the great article! My husband has been thinking about taking me to one for out anniversary. All of the distilleries are listed inside, with space for your own notes and a stamp from each distillery. Created by Roadtrippers - March 22nd 2016.
A 72-Hour Guide to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail - The Manual For more information on these tours and experience, read our article, More Information for Your Trip to Kentucky. After reading your article, I am sold and will make the arrangements soon. 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. Next, work off that bourbon tasting with a quick visit to the Louisville Slugger Museum, to see where professional baseball bats are made. This is Louisvilles landmark hotel. In the Bourbon District, you're never more than 5 minutes away from the next attraction, so planning that group tour or birthday celebration just got a lot easier. Its located right around the corner from 21c Museum Hotel, so you can walk to many sights in downtown Louisville. They were one of only three bourbon distilleries that were allowed to operate during Prohibition, producing medicinal bourbon. Be sure to click the map to visit www.kybourbontrail.com to plan your trips and get detailed directions to all of the distilleries along the Bourbon Trail! These distilleries are located within 110 miles of Louisville, mostly clustered between Louisville and Lexington. Our favorite experience on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail was the cocktail class at Bardstown Bourbon. The tastings do get spread out over the day, but they are also right before you hop in the car to get to the next distillery, so know your limits. Maps & Downloads - Tennessee Whiskey Trail Official Site Maps & Downloads The Google map below represents all members of the Tennessee Whiskey Trail. Optional Detour: Abraham Lincoln Birthplace. Sleep in Louisville. Tim and I stayed here on our first visit to Louisville in 2016. Plus, there is more to see and do in this part of Kentucky, with scenic drives, great towns to visit, and restaurants to try. For more suggestions on how to plan your time, dont miss our Kentucky Bourbon Trail itinerary planner. It must be distilled from at least 51% corn. BUDGET: Glo Best Western Lexington. You have the choice to head southeast out of Louisville to explore the Jim Beam facilities. Are children allowed on the tours? From Bardstown it is a 45 minute drive. This hotel also gets great reviews and has an excellent location. 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. KENTUCKY BOURBON TRAIL: Pick out which distilleries to visit in our article Best Distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. To tour the Kentucky Bourbon Trail you have two options: self-drive the bourbon trail or join a tour group. And many distilleries offer longer, behind the scenes tours for a more detailed look at the distilling process. Mint Julep is the most popular tour company in Kentucky that offers tours to the distilleries. I recommend visiting the official website of the distilleries for hours and tour information. LOUISVILLE: Plan your visit to Louisville with our articles about the Best Things to Do in Louisville and Best Places to Eat in Louisville. NASHVILLE: For recommendations on what to do in Nashville, check out our articles Best Things to Do in Nashville and Best Eats in Nashville. This is a beautiful property with a lot of tour and tasting options.
18 Best Distilleries Along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail The tour gives a fabulous insight to the making of bourbon, the property is gorgeous, the history behind Makers Mark is intriguing, and the bourbon is delicious. Sleep in Louisville. Please enjoy like a true Kentuckian Responsibly. And the smell is amazing! Take the first tour of the day to give yourself enough time to get to Green River. For more suggestions on how to plan your time, dont miss our Kentucky Bourbon Trail. All other times of year, making reservations is advised but might not be absolutely necessary. Each of these bourbon distilleries must be a member of the Kentucky Distillers Association, which requires paying a fee. 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. Is May a good month to do the Bourbon Trail? We are looking for a private driver for 2 days. Plus, if you save your ticket from the distillery tour, you can tour their warehouse operation, located in Cox's Creek, for free! 113 Great Buffalo Trace, Frankfort, KY, US. Pick your favorites and group them together to form your itinerary, whether you have 2, 3, or more days. If you stay until Memorial Day weekend, expect big crowds that weekend because of the holiday. This hotel gets excellent reviews on Booking.com. It gets to be repetitive. Youll need a designated driver along the trail, as youll be sipping and tasting whiskeys. As for tours, it looks like distilleries are still offering tours and tastings, but I would get the full details for each distillery on their website (we have a link for each distillery in this post). 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. Pdf Printable Kentucky Bourbon Trail Map - We offer flattened and free TIFF file formats of our maps in CMYK color and high resolution. Select the size of the map before it is time to print it. Yes, May should be a very nice month for the Bourbon Trail. Artsy, unique, contemporarythis is another top pick in Louisville. BUDGET: Holiday Inn Express and Suites Downtown Louisville. 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. Best Distilleries to Visit on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, Kentucky Bourbon Trail Itinerary Suggestions for 1 Day to 1 Week, 12 Best Things to do in Louisville, Kentucky, Louisville Restaurants: Best Eats in Town. Kentucky Bourbon Trail, Bourbon Trail and Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour are trademarks of the Kentucky Distillers Association. Visit the official Kentucky Bourbon Trail website here. Partners & Sponsors Download the TN Whiskey Trail brochure in PDF format. See our privacy policy here. What Is The Best Way To Print An Un-Cost Map? Surprisingly, it is not part of the official Kentucky Bourbon Trail. This was our all-around best tour experience. Due to vivid -19? This map was created by a user. Did you know: If you use the Roadtrippers mobile app, your trips will instantly auto-sync over Ready for navigation and good times! In Louisville, stay downtown at the Brown Hotel, a city landmark full of history and romance. You will also notice that on some days I have included more than just distillery tours. 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. The Old Talbott Tavern, located in Bardstown, is also a great pick. This takes the headache out of planning a day of distillery tours, perfect for some people. But many distilleries offer special tours. The Angels Envy tour features a tasting of their Rye whiskey straight from the barrel. A memorial now stands at his birthplace. Most distilleries offer free or discounted tours for military personnel. To read about all eighteen distilleries, check out our post about the best distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Partners & Sponsors Four Roses distillery was built in 1910 and features Spanish Mission-Style architecture, a rarity in Kentucky. There are tours and special events at both facilities year round. 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. At the end of this article, we list specific hotel and B&B recommendations for Louisville, Bardstown, and Lexington. Distilling Company Tennessee | DISCUS, Hand Sanitizer 802 Royal Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee 38107 Beechtree Distillery Some distilleries are closed Sunday, Monday or Tuesday. There is also the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour. You can also spend a few days in Nashville or visit nearby New River Gorge National Park. If you want to do some non-Bourbon activities while road tripping around Kentucky, here are some ideas for you. With driving times averaging about twenty minutes between distilleries, most people can fit in three tours per day (in some distilleries, tours are only offered on the hour). For information on how to plan your visit, dont miss our Guide to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. HISTORIC: Talbott Tavern and Inn. Here's a sample itinerary to follow for your visit. More Information for Your Trip to Louisville. Make the most of your time by including a diverse mix of ones to visit, from big names in the industry, to up-and-coming, smaller-batch operations.
Maps & Downloads - Tennessee Whiskey Trail Official Site Kentucky's Bourbon Trail now consists of 18 whiskey distilleries. You can still tour the distillery, but you might not get to see the fermentation and distilling process. MIDRANGE: Homewood Suites. 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. Buffalo Trace, located in Frankfort, is one of the most famous bourbon distilleries in Kentucky. Abraham Lincoln was born in a one room log cabin in Hodgenville, Kentucky in 1809. Its hot, its crowded, and during the summer months, most distilleries take a break from distilling, anywhere from a week or two or longer. If you have hotel reserved, the staff might be able to make some recommendations for you. Prior guests rave about cleanliness, comfort, and location. We offer a real-time comprehensive list of all the distilleries from start up farm distillery to craft distillery to large pre-Prohibition distillery. Save to your device to access at a later date. Once you get to Shepherdsville, visit the Jim Beam Distillery. If you want to print a different dimension, choose an alternative size from the drop-down list , then alter the size of the page. These include Willett, Pogue, Boone County, Neeley Family Distillery, Kentucky Peerless, Kentucky Artisan and many others. How can I safe it to find once again? You will drive through scenic bluegrass Kentucky, with horse farms as far as the eye can see. For pricing for each distillery, take a look at our best distilleries post. Most tours cost $10 to $15 (including tastings), and are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 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. Located just outside of Lexington, stay in a suite or one-bedroom apartment, perfect if you like having extra space or a kitchenette. Also, remember that the quality of maps is unbeatable! BUDGET: Holiday Inn Express and Suites Downtown Louisville. 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. Roadtrippers helps you find the most epic destinations and detoursfrom roadside attractions to natural wonders and beyond. Your email address will not be published. We saw their vans everywhere! Bring your military ID, if you have one. Note: Green River is located in the Central Time Zone. For more information on these tours and experience, read our article about the distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Louisville, Bardstown, and Lexington make a great home base for this day (and day number 7 below). In this guide, learn how to plan a trip around the world. Its centrally located, so you can walk to many of the sights and distilleries on Whiskey Row. 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. 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. For tour information, visit the Wilderness trail website. They give a really thorough background on the drink and Louisville's history with it (and yes, it ends with a tasting). Many places offer tastings without a tour. Kentucky Bourbon is perfectly aged. It's a great destination on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour, which focuses on smaller and more inventive distillers.
Kentucky Bourbon Trail: Lexington, Kentucky Visitor Information Races at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington take place in October and April, and at Churchill Downs in Louisville in November, May, and June . You can also inquire for a quote with our team of cartographers. Are the distilleries open now? Tours typically run every hour, and its usually best to reserve online ahead of time. Angels Envy. Bardstown Bourbon. Summer and autumn are busy months to visit the Bourbon Trail, so I also recommend booking your tours in advance at these times, even on weekdays. For a lesson on the wild and crazy tales of the Prohibition Era, book a tour at Prohibition Craft Spirits. Get our travel tips Delivered to your inbox. Visit the final two distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, plus one notable bourbon distillery that is not part of the official trail, Buffalo Trace. It can be chilly, but most of the time we were indoors, so weather wasnt much of a factor. 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. Many people state that the Buffalo Trace tour is their favorite in Kentucky. Cheers, Julie. Cheers, Julie. But inside are stacks and stacks of bourbon filled barrels, slowly maturing and filling the air with a wonderful aroma. MIDRANGE: Homewood Suites. Green River sits out in Owensboro, almost a two-hour drive from Louisville. 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. If you want to stay in a historical, luxurious hotel in Louisville, your hotel search can end right here. They have a good beer selection, excellent pulled pork, tasty baked beans and a variety of BBQ sauces. It is a National Historic Landmark property and they offer several different tours depending on your level of interest. In order to see all four, you should be at the first distillery at opening time. 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. This budget hotel gets good reviews and is conveniently located in Bardstown. For more information, visit the Kentucky Bourbon Trail website. 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. Nope. All bourbons are whiskey but not all whiskeys are bourbon. We both acquired a taste for bourbon on our long weekend in Kentucky. If you want a hotel with an awesome location and one that gets great reviews, the Homewood Suites is one to consider. Andrew Jackson and King Louis Phillippe both stayed here. We started at Wild Turkey and were the only ones on their 9 am tour. Republishing this articleand/orany of its contents (text, photography, etc. Its a step back in time where you learn about the history of Kentucky. 526 Happy Hollow Road, Shepherdsville, KY, US. For more distillery rules and Kentucky Liquor laws, check out Kentucky Liquor Laws and The Bourbon Trail. 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. Bourbon Capital BBQ Challenge. Tonight, sleep in Louisville, Bardstown, or Lexington. It has received accolades from Conde Nast Traveler, Southern Living, and Travel & Leisure.
State Map of All Kentucky Distilleries - Distillery Trail There are 37 distilleries total, but whether you tackle them all is entirely up to you! George Washington's Distillery and Gristmill. In 2019, it was much busier and had we not scheduled everything in advance, we would have missed out on a lot of tours. If you are doing this over a long weekend, plan on spending one day in each area. For lunch, dine at Star Hill Provisions at Makers Mark or Ragettis Italian Food in Lebanon. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. This is a must-see tour. Touring the distilleries, learning about the origins of bourbon, and tasting lots and lots of bourbon whiskey is an excellent way to spend a long weekend. There are many advantages to printing a map. LUXURY: The Brown Hotel. Kentucky Bourbon Trail: The Ultimate Guide, Best Distilleries to Visit on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, 12 Best Things to do in Louisville, Kentucky, Louisville Restaurants: Best Eats in Town. If you dont want to take a cocktail class, Bardstown Bourbon also offers a one hour tour that starts with a tasting and ends with tasting straight out of the bourbon barrel. Your email address will not be published. You'll avoid most crowds, enjoy off-season hotel prices, and the scenery along Kentucky's rural roads is unsurpassed in autumn. Buffalo Trace has a long and fascinating history. Tim and I stayed here on our first visit to Louisville in 2016. Tours last one hour and end with a tasting. How you do it is completely up to you. 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. Some have limited to no hours on certain days and hours can change based on the season. Races do not run year-round. The rickhouse is where the barrels are stored. MIDRANGE: Staybridge Suites Lexington. The food is delicious!! Kentucky Bourbon Trail in 5 Days: Follow our Kentucky Bourbon Trail itinerary for four days, and add on day #6 (Woodford Reserve, Wild Turkey, and Four Roses). They also offer seasonal classes and tours, so make sure you check their website to see what they are offering during your visit. Starting off in Louisville, visit the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience. To read about our favorite bourbon distillery, read this post. Afternoon: Green River. Also, the visitors center offers lots of history, facts and figures. The Kentucky Bourbon Trail, a collection of eighteen bourbon distilleries, is drawing hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. Now, you can stay in a colonial style room in this very same building. LUXURY:The Brown Hotel. Renting a car gives you the most freedom to explore, but it's not necessary. Visit the distillerys website for up-to-date pricing. The 1 hour Discovery Tour ends with a tasting at their bar on the second floor. When you make a purchase using one of these affiliate links, we get paid a small commission at no extra cost to you. Whether you have two days or a week, there is plenty here to keep you busy. Jim Beam. Next, hit up Wild Turkey Distillery, which has been crafting Kentucky bourbon since 1869. To view it on your phone or computer, open Google Maps, click the menu button, go to Your Places, click Maps, and you will see this map on your list. One of these is the very famous Buffalo Trace Distillery (which we include on this itinerary). Dine on Central American food prepared by the chef who grew up on the Yucatan Peninsula. It is said to be the oldest western stagecoach stop in America and to be visited by Jesse James ghost. Below is a map of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. It smells wonderful and it kind of made me hungry! Bourbon is booming right now and so is tourism in Kentucky.
Kentucky Bourbon Trail Guide: What To Know and Distilleries to Visit 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. Id rather not print the article because of all of the adds. They also operate a bed and breakfast. Yes, all of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail distilleries charge a fee for a tour or a tasting. This is the best historical lesson about the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and a great place to get an overview of how bourbon came to be. To take a tour at all eighteen distilleries you will need a minimum of five days, but six to seven days is ideal. Also, they have a cafe if you're looking for a place to grab food while on the trail. Visit their website here. This is a great place to visit to counterbalance the bigger distilleries along the Bourbon Trail. The Kentucky Bourbon Trail is a collection of eighteen whiskey distilleries.
Kentucky Bourbon Trail Field Guide - Your passport to the true home of Just look for the giant, golden David statue out front and you know that you are in the right place. Twenty minutes northwest of Woodford Reserve, youll find Buffalo Trace Distillery; 25 minutes southwest is Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, home to the Four Roses and Wild Turkey distilleries. There is even an art museum located inside of the hotel. In 1999, the Kentucky Distillers' Association formed the Kentucky Bourbon Trail tour to give visitors a firsthand look at the art and science of crafting Bourbon, and to educate them about the rich history and proud tradition of Kentucky's signature spirit. Tour the distillery, see the hundreds of barrels inside of the rickhouses, and maybe meet legendary Jimmy Russell while you are here. Artsy, unique, contemporarythis is another top pick in Louisville. It has a relatively central location, so its easy to get to Bardstown, Lexington, and even Owensboro. The memorial is free to visit. Say goodbye to Louisville and head south to Bardstown. Wild Turkey. Get suggestions on how to plan your trip, whether you just have a few days, a long weekend, or an entire week. By continuing to browse this website you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Click the star next to the title of the map to add this map to your Google Maps account. Best Distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. The Old Nelson County Jail housed prisoners from 1797 until 1987. It is open daily except for major holidays. Old Forester is the only bourbon to be continually sold by the same company before, during, and after prohibition. Green River is the outlier, located almost two hours west of Louisville, in a small town named Owensboro. We have visited the Kentucky Bourbon Trail twice. Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays are the days that distilleries are most likely to close their doors to tour groups, but this varies from distillery to distillery. Their first bottled bourbon dates back to 1870. All rights reserved. Many people state that the Buffalo Trace tour is their favorite in Kentucky. This is a great spot for lunch or dinner while touring the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. The worst time to visit the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, according to the guides that we spoke to, is during the summer months.