Afternoon: Take a tour at Old Forester Distillery. 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. How you do it is completely up to you. While you are in the area, consider a visit to the Kentucky Cooperage, where the barrels are made for the storing and aging of bourbon. If time allows, consider the areas other great export: thoroughbred horses. Her work has been featured in Washington Post Travel and Publisher's Weekly. Cheers, Julie. However, people under the age of 21 are not permitted to do a tasting (of course!) Day after day, distillery tours can get to be monotonous. This hotel also gets great reviews and has an excellent location. At Lux Row, the first few rows of the rickhouse are removed, forming a small lobby. Standing here, you get to appreciate just how many barrels sit on the shelves of a rickhouse. Wilderness Trail is the newest member on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Traveling directly between Louisville and Lexington (when you arent stopping at distilleries) takes less than an hour, and both cities have convenient airports. There's a reason that bourbon is historically produced in Kentucky (even though legally it can come from anywhere in the US): the limestone filtered water and locally-grown grains just plain taste better, and the fact that the region has, for most of history, made most of America's bourbon, means that the people there have a deep passion for it, and they also have old-school, time-tested recipes, too. The Kentucky Bourbon Trail is a collection of eighteen bourbon distilleries located in and around Louisville. Both times we visited the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, it was the weekend before Thanksgiving. Prior guests rave about cleanliness, comfort, and location. Take a Mixology Class. After breakfast at the hotel, its a 30-minute drive to the Frankfort area, where touring the new distillery at Castle & Key is a true gem. Required fields are marked *. It is also possible to save the map in a PDF format. A long weekend is a good amount of time to spend on the Bourbon Trail, but if you plan to combine your trip with other area activities, a week is definitely doable. The distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail are open year round. A 24" x 18" layout will fold more efficiently than the 22" x 20" layout for example. It is open daily except for major holidays. Buffalo Trace. If you pay extra, we can also produce these maps in specialist file formats. All standard one-hour tours are roughly the samea tour of the facility ending with a tasting. Republishing this articleand/orany of its contents (text, photography, etc. Mint Julep is the most popular tour company in Kentucky that offers tours to the distilleries. Your timing depends on which experiences you choose to have at each distillery. Most tours teach you the same process about bourbon distilling, with a few differences at each distillery. Sleep in Louisville. Abraham Lincoln was born in a one room log cabin in Hodgenville, Kentucky in 1809. Youll need a designated driver along the trail, as youll be sipping and tasting whiskeys. Hotel Tango Distillery. Kentucky Bourbon Trail in 6 Days: Follow our itinerary for 5 days and add on day #7 (Bulleit, Buffalo Trace, and Lexington Brewing Company). 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. LUXURY:The Brown Hotel. Near the end of this article, I will give you suggestions on how to group these days together in order to have the best experience. We visited both but prefer the American Stillhouse. Everything from five-star restaurants to delicious sandwich stands can be found in the small towns along the way between distilleries. The tour takes you through the entire distilling process from start to finish, so you'll get to see the still, the warehouse, and the bottling process. This cocktail class is only offered once a day, so if you like this idea, plan your other distillery visits around this class. We started at Wild Turkey and were the only ones on their 9 am tour. 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. If you have concerns then consider alternating driving/tastings with another person in your party, have a designated driver, or take a tour. The original distillery opened on Derby Day in the 1930s, and it recently reopened for tours. 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. Thank you for explaining that a bourbon trail tour will encompass a history of how the liquor was made. LUXURY: The Brown Hotel. All distilleries are legally limited to how much bourbon you can drink while on a tour. Republishing this articleand/orany of its contents (text, photography, etc. It's one of the biggest in Bardstown, which is certainly worth seeing. We have links to each distillery in our Best Distilleries post. Lexington or Louisville arent the only places to eat well in bourbon country. Rooms are modern and trendy and there is an onsite restaurant. Woodford Reserve, Wild Turkey and Four Roses are clustered together near Lexington. This grain mixture is referred to as the mash bill. 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. It's a great destination on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour, which focuses on smaller and more inventive distillers. Even if you dont plan on staying here, a drink in the Lobby Bar is a must-do while in Louisville. Over in Bardstown, there's Willett Distillery. As you tour more distilleries, you can pick out the differences between the bourbons. Its a short walk to the Mayan Caf. Your email address will not be published. With more time, you can make the drive out to Owensboro and visit Green River Distilling Company or drive to Danville and visit Wilderness Trail. If you stay until Memorial Day weekend, expect big crowds that weekend because of the holiday. The distilling process at Green River is very innovative and a visit here is worthwhile if you want to learn about a unique way to distill bourbon. It's a pretty cool museum and factory tour, and will definitely make you appreciate old hitters and their bats. In Louisville, stay downtown at the Brown Hotel, a city landmark full of history and romance. 528 W Main St Louisville, Kentucky (502) 272-2623. Some of these yeast strains have been used for decades at each distillery. Visit their website here. Spread out over two separate trips, it took us seven days to visit seventeen distilleries (one more distillery has been added since our visit in November 2019), doing a combination of tours and tastings. Woodford Reserve has a historic, upscale feel to it. #1 Louisville: Intro to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, #3 Green River and Stitzel-Weller Distillery, #5 Makers Mark, Jim Beam, & the Kentucky Cooperage, #6 Woodford Reserve, Wild Turkey, Four Roses & Wilderness Trail, #7 Bulleit, Buffalo Trace, and Town Branch. This itinerary is organized into seven different daily itineraries. After reading your article, I am sold and will make the arrangements soon. Renting a car was cheap, driving between the distilleries was easy (and gorgeous), and we could make our own schedule. Aging must take place in a new, charred oak barrel. Even if there is a sober one among the group, it can be a good idea to arrange a local driver for navigating the winding country roads. Optional Detour: Abraham Lincoln Birthplace. Cheers, Julie, Your email address will not be published. Custom-printed maps are perfect for parks departments, companies, and recreational complexes. In 2016, we were able to show up and do a lot of tastings. Most distilleries offer free or discounted tours for military personnel. See our privacy policy here. Specialty tours cost more. It's worth it to buy a bottle here, because you get to dip the top in the iconic red wax yourself! 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. PRO TRAVEL TIP: When planning your Kentucky Bourbon Trail itinerary, check the distilleries websites for updated hours and tour availability. How far in advance would you recommend booking tours, or are walk-ins generally accepted at most of the distilleries? Just look for the giant, golden David statue out front and you know that you are in the right place. 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. One of our favorite parts of the tour was a visit to the rickhouse. These regions are broken out by geographic location. Wish I had this information prior will save it for next visit. Children under 21 are welcome on tours, for free or at a discounted cost (and no sampling whiskey for them, of course). It was educational, lots of fun, and a great way to tour another distillery without taking a tour. This was our all-around best tour experience. On Google Chrome, go to Bookmarks -> Bookmark This Tab and then this post will be saved in your bookmarks. How can I safe it to find once again? Located just outside of Lexington, stay in a suite or one-bedroom apartment, perfect if you like having extra space or a kitchenette. Take the history and the gorgeous natural settings, and add delicious, often entertaining whiskey tours and tastings, and you'll see why traveling along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail is such a special experience. Yes, you can push CTRL+P and that will bring up the printer dialog box. MAMMOTH CAVE: Mammoth Cave is a national park in Kentucky and it makes a great day trip from Louisville and Nashville. If you want to tour the distilleries without the crowds, visit Kentucky from the end of November through March. Here's a sample itinerary to follow for your visit. Are you? Yes, all of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail distilleries charge a fee for a tour or a tasting. 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). Distillery Trail is the place to start your distillery tour experience. It is even rumored to be haunted by the ghost of Jesse James. If you have an interest in Abraham Lincoln or American history, this is a worthwhile visit. Make sure you do this Tuesday through Saturday before 5 pm, when the cooperage and the bottling line are in operation. Take your pick from day #4 (the Best of Bardstown), day #5 (Makers Mark and the Kentucky Cooperage), or day #6 (Woodford Reserve, Wild Turkey, Four Roses, and maybe Wilderness Trail). Check the hours of operation for each distillery before your visit. Some printers from the past might require you to connect to your computer before printing. 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 last one to two hours and cost more than your typical tour, but you get a hands-on lesson on how to mix a craft cocktail. Below is a map of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Its good to know that classes about cocktails can be taken during a bourbon tour. Get suggestions on how to plan your trip, whether you just have a few days, a long weekend, or an entire week. Angels Envy. Printable Bourbon Trail Map- We offer flattened and free TIFF file formats of our maps in CMYK color and high resolution. Are children allowed on the tours? Monday through Friday, tours are offered at the Kentucky Cooperage (1 pm is the latest tour time). This day includes the remaining distilleries in Louisville with the option to add on one or two museums. To tour the Kentucky Bourbon Trail you have two options: self-drive the bourbon trail or join a tour group. Yes, May should be a very nice month for the Bourbon Trail. It smells like you are at a bakery, only they are baking slightly sour bread. BUDGET: Holiday Inn Express and Suites Downtown Louisville. And the smell is amazing! Bourbon can be brewed anywhere in the United States, although 95% of bourbon is currently distilled in Kentucky. 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. Bourbon Capital BBQ Challenge. Why not? 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. 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). Download the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Distillery Map Download Now Join Our Newsletter Mailing List Fields marked with an * are required First Name * Last Name * Email * If you are a human seeing this field, please leave it empty. To get here, drive or use Uber. You have the choice to head southeast out of Louisville to explore the Jim Beam facilities. Are the distilleries open now? Cheers, Julie. 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. Each distillery has a gift shop selling bourbon and related souvenirs. Evening: Michters Distillery. Roadtrippers helps you find the most epic destinations and detoursfrom roadside attractions to natural wonders and beyond. 3125 US-231 North, Shelbyville, Tennessee 37160 Featured Old Dominick Distillery Tennessee | Tennessee Whiskey Trail, Hand Sanitizer | Bourbon, Gin, Vodka, Tennessee Whiskey 305 S Front Street, Memphis, Tennessee 38103 B.R. Partners & Sponsors This was our favorite tour for several reasons. Buffalo Trace, located in Frankfort, is one of the most famous bourbon distilleries in Kentucky. Is May a good month to do the Bourbon Trail? Also, they have a cafe if you're looking for a place to grab food while on the trail. Spend the day visiting two big names in bourbon and a tour of a cooperage. We have visited the Kentucky Bourbon Trail twice. Your email address will not be published. Where will your trip lead you? Angels Envy puts a twist on whiskey distilling. Make sure you check the hours of the distilleries you want to visit before your trip. Bourbon is booming right now and so is tourism in Kentucky. Wild Turkey produces one of the most popular bourbons in the US and one of the best-selling bourbons in the world. Thanks! Old Forester is the only bourbon to be continually sold by the same company before, during, and after prohibition. Plan to spend at least 2-3 days traveling along the Bourbon Trail, and stop off at some of the many charming Kentucky towns along the route. 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. Then its on to Makers Mark, one of the farther distilleries (about an hour out of the way in Loretto, Kentucky) but a favorite for the hand-dipped bottles, gorgeous 1,000-acre farm, and onsite restaurant. They give a really thorough background on the drink and Louisville's history with it (and yes, it ends with a tasting). There are four major regions of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Bring your military ID, if you have one. What Is The Best Way To Print An Un-Cost Map? Before heading out of Lexington, check out the citys historic Distillery District, home to the recently revived James E. Pepper Distiller (and several other restaurants, bars, and breweries), one of Kentuckys first bourbon brands originally created during the American Revolution. It is said to be the oldest western stagecoach stop in America and to be visited by Jesse James ghost. Take the first tour of the day to give yourself enough time to get to Green River. Sleep in Louisville. The rickhouse is where the barrels are stored. Kentucky Bourbon Trail in 7 Days: This is our day by day itinerary listed above, in the same order, with suggestions on where to stay. Next, work off that bourbon tasting with a quick visit to the Louisville Slugger Museum, to see where professional baseball bats are made. At your first distillery, pick up a Kentucky Bourbon Trail Passport. In 2008, it was Historic Hotels of Americas top pick. Some distilleries are closed Sunday, Monday or Tuesday. The Old Talbott Tavern, located in Bardstown, is also a great pick. Some have limited to no hours on certain days and hours can change based on the season. 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. From Lexington head over to Danville, Kentucky and visit Wilderness Trace Distillery. Tim and I stayed here on our most recent visit to Louisville and we had a very nice experience here. Also known as the Independent Stave Company, this is where the barrels are constructed for many of the bourbon distilleries in Kentucky. There is a lot of history here. You will drive through scenic bluegrass Kentucky, with horse farms as far as the eye can see. Click OK to confirm. It's a National Historic Landmark, but it's also gorgeously maintained, and set in a dreamlike corner of the Bourbon Trail. The samples were pretty small, but it's straight bourbon, so you're probably gonna feel pretty good afterward. 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). Renting a car was cheap, driving between the distilleries was easy (and gorgeous), and we could make our own schedule. Tours last one hour and end with a tasting. This hotels onsite restaurant, Proof on Main, is one of Louisvilles best restaurants and bars. In this guide, learn how to plan a trip around the world. Similar to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, the Craft Tour takes bourbon touring and tasting to the next level. As one of the largest sellers of bourbon in the world, their tour seems to reflect that in having one of the more interactive tours. Dinner: Mayan Caf. Its centrally located, so you can walk to many of the sights and distilleries on Whiskey Row. Bourbon is an American whiskey distilled mostly from corn. However, there is a lot more to do in this part of Kentucky than just tour bourbon distilleries. BUDGET: Hampton Inn Bardstown. If you want a hotel with an awesome location and one that gets great reviews, the Homewood Suites is one to consider. If you have hotel reserved, the staff might be able to make some recommendations for you. Follow day #4 and #5, sleeping in either Bardstown or Louisville. Cheers, Julie. Green River is the outlier, located almost two hours west of Louisville, in a small town named Owensboro. Use it to customize your trail experience. We are wine drinkers. When you're ready for a hearty meal, there's super delicious BBQ right off I-75 at Red State BBQ. Kentucky Bourbon Trail in 4 Days: Follow days #1 and #2. If you have specific non-KBT distilleries in mind I recommend checking their websites for pricing information. Save to your device to access at a later date. 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. UPSCALE: 21c Museum Hotel. In this guide, learn how to plan a trip around the world. Explore our guide to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail for suggested routes, cant-miss spots, and other tips for having the best experience in bourbon country. Surprisingly, it is not part of the official Kentucky Bourbon Trail. 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. The brisket is renowned, especially with their Texas hot sauce. Artsy, unique, contemporarythis is another top pick in Louisville. All rights reserved Earth Trekkers. Trail builders, on the other hand prefer to be in the woods in order to use chainsaws to make their trails. If you have plans to tour the Kentucky Bourbon Trail between July and early November, make your reservations in advance. There are eighteen distilleries on the official Kentucky Bourbon Trail. MIDRANGE: Homewood Suites. Any advice you have on this front would be greatly appreciated, since Ive heard mixed answers. When the printout is completed then you can save it as PDF. For tour information, visit the Wilderness trail website. Spring is a nice time to visit the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Dinner: Proof on Main. I recommend visiting the official website of the distilleries for hours and tour information. Walk across the street to Proof on Main. Bourbon is distilled year-round, with the exception of a few weeks during the summer, when some distilleries shut down for routine cleaning and maintenance. They also offer seasonal classes and tours, so make sure you check their website to see what they are offering during your visit. If you want to tour all eighteen distilleries, you need a minimum of seven days. Check out this map of the KY Bourbon Trail. For information on how to plan your visit, dont miss our Guide to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. 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. All of these distilleries offer tours and tastings. If you are planning a week-long trip, then I recommend in staying in two to three places. In 2019, it was much busier and had we not scheduled everything in advance, we would have missed out on a lot of tours. During our visit this ranged from $5 to $20 per person depending on the distillery and the type of tour you choose to take. It's the same for maps that are large: they can take up nearly 50% of the screen. From Bardstown it is a 45 minute drive. 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. However, the spirits are further refined with their patented TerrePURE process. Afternoon: Green River. 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. Browse by category to find what you're looking for, or select icons displayed on the map for detailed information. Our favorite experience on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail was the cocktail class at Bardstown Bourbon. The bourbon and whiskey at Green River spend less time in the barrel than at most distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. When you make a purchase using one of these affiliate links, we get paid a small commission at no extra cost to you. Lunch: Doc Crows Southern Smokehouse and Raw Bar or Troll Pub under the Bridge. All content and photography shall not be reproduced without written permission from the Kentucky Distillers Association. We offer a real-time comprehensive list of all the distilleries from start up farm distillery to craft distillery to large pre-Prohibition distillery. There is even an art museum located inside of the hotel. Old Forester offers a tour with the president of the company (a few times per year). Evans William Experience in Louisville. Creating a snapshot image is easy since all dimensions are measured in pixels. Races do not run year-round. Generally, the default size of the map can be 8.5 By 11 inches. Heaven Hill is one of the biggest bourbon distilleries, producing Evan Williams and Elijah Craig. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Buffalo Trace, located in Frankfort, is one of the most famous bourbon distilleries in Kentucky. My husband has been thinking about taking me to one for out anniversary. In fact, if you visit every. Even if you dont plan on staying here, a drink in the Lobby Bar is a must-do while in Louisville. Fantastic article! For more information, visit the Kentucky Bourbon Trail website. Their first bottled bourbon dates back to 1870. In no particular order, the three distilleries to visit in Bardstown are Lux Row, Bardstown Bourbon, and Heaven Hill. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Visit the distillerys website for up-to-date pricing. 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. One of these is the very famous Buffalo Trace Distillery (which we include on this itinerary). PRO TRAVEL TIP: Most distilleries do not offer tours seven days a week. Uber and Lyft are also all good choices, and if you've managed to stay sober, biking can also be a fun option. If you want to stay in a historical, luxurious hotel in Louisville, your hotel search can end right here. They offer a comprehensive tour of their facility, including a look into how their bourbon is bottled. A Few Facts about the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. More Information for Your Trip to Louisville. We opted to take the 30 minute Unlocking the Senses tasting, where we sampled four Bulleit whiskeys. Check the Churchill Downs website for the race schedule before you go. 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.

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