They were one of only three bourbon distilleries that were allowed to operate during Prohibition, producing medicinal bourbon. Then it's on to Heaven Hill Bourbon, which offers a cheaper "mini-tour" if you're getting tired of hearing the same thing over and over again at every distillery. The 1 hour Discovery Tour ends with a tasting at their bar on the second floor. 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. MAMMOTH CAVE: Mammoth Cave is a national park in Kentucky and it makes a great day trip from Louisville and Nashville. If you are only planning a quick visit to Kentucky (3 to 4 days tops), I recommend choosing one place and making this your home base. Get our travel tips Delivered to your inbox. It was delightfully quiet, with small tour groups. Artsy, unique, contemporarythis is another top pick in Louisville. Also, they have a cafe if you're looking for a place to grab food while on the trail. 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 could easily spend an hour or two here, sampling their beers and boozes and chatting with the owners. Louisville, Bardstown, and Lexington make a great home base for this day (and day number 7 below). Bourbon tourism is skyrocketing, with nearly 2 million visitors from all 50 states and . Take a quick break from bourbon tasting and take your pick from these two amazing museums. These include Willett, Pogue, Boone County, Neeley Family Distillery, Kentucky Peerless, Kentucky Artisan and many others. Custom-printed maps are perfect for parks departments, companies, and recreational complexes. Coalition Whiskey. Visit the official Kentucky Bourbon Trail website here. Also, consider how the map will be folded. A Few Facts about the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Abraham Lincoln was born in a one room log cabin in Hodgenville, Kentucky in 1809. Check out this map of the KY Bourbon Trail. Most tours cost $10 to $15 (including tastings), and are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. 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. If you have plans to visit the Kentucky Bourbon Trail during this time, make sure you make your reservations in advance. Spend the next day slowly heading out of Louisville to visit a few distilleries on the citys outskirts, and then use Lexington as a homebase for the next couple of days. Cheers, Julie. Trust me!!! Your email address will not be published. Id rather not print the article because of all of the adds. This is one of our favorite restaurants in Louisville. Maps & Downloads - Tennessee Whiskey Trail Official Site Maps & Downloads The Google map below represents all members of the Tennessee Whiskey Trail. Tours last one hour and end with a tasting. Even if you dont plan on staying here, a drink in the Lobby Bar is a must-do while in Louisville. This was our favorite tour for several reasons. Is May a good month to do the Bourbon Trail? During this one-hour class, we mixed two cocktails: the Kentucky Mule and the Sazerac. The Major Kentucky Distilleries and the Bourbon Brands They Produce, Mapped. For lunch and/or dinner, we recommend Kitchen& Bar, the restaurant at Bardstown Bourbon. 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. For pricing for each distillery, take a look at our best distilleries post. From Bardstown it is a 45 minute drive. This budget hotel gets good reviews and is conveniently located in Bardstown. My husband has been thinking about taking me to one for out anniversary. It is a National Historic Landmark property and they offer several different tours depending on your level of interest. Copyright 2023 Kentucky Distillers Association. Looking to plan trip in mid June 2020, I recommend checking the official websites of the distilleries to see if they are open. You know you are at a distillery when you see these prison-style buildings. Wild Turkey produces one of the most popular bourbons in the US and one of the best-selling bourbons in the world. If you are looking for a highly rated hotel and dont want to spend a lot of money, this is a great option. The final distillery is back up near Louisville: The Bulleit Frontier Whiskey Experience. Read on to learn how to use printable maps. 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. And dont miss our post about all eighteen distilleries, the Best Distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. 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. The red markers are the seventeen distilleries on the trail. If you want the map twice as wide you can select extra large. In 2016, we were able to show up and do a lot of tastings. 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. KENTUCKY BOURBON TRAIL: Pick out which distilleries to visit in our article Best Distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Explore the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour New Riff Distilling 24 Distillery Way Newport, KY 41071 See on Map More Info Second Sight Spirits 301 B Elm Street Ludlow, KY 41016 See on Map More Info The Old Pogue Distillery 715 Germantown Road Maysville, KY 41056 See on Map More Info Boone County Distilling Co. 10601 Toebben Drive Louisville and the rest of the bourbon trail are located in the Eastern Time Zone. For more ideas of what to do in Louisville, read our article about the best things to do in Louisville. It is not the actual log cabin of Abraham Lincolns birthplace. 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. HISTORIC: Jailers Inn Bed & Breakfast. It is possible to print maps by choosing the print option in your printer menu. Here's how. During our visit this ranged from $5 to $20 per person depending on the distillery and the type of tour you choose to take. 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. 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. 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. And , even then, their maps are already obsolete before they even hit the plotter. 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. This tour does the best job explaining the history of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. To read about all eighteen distilleries, check out our post about the best distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Lexington or Louisville arent the only places to eat well in bourbon country. At your first distillery, pick up a Kentucky Bourbon Trail Passport. We have visited the Kentucky Bourbon Trail twice. This will minimize your driving and let you stay in the small towns in Kentucky. These regions are broken out by geographic location. Take a late afternoon or early evening tour of Michters Distillery. Lunch: Doc Crows Southern Smokehouse and Raw Bar or Troll Pub under the Bridge. 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). Abraham Lincoln was born in a one room log cabin in Hodgenville, Kentucky in 1809. Distillery Trail is the place to start your distillery tour experience. They must be designed to work with a standard printing press. Cheers, Julie, Your email address will not be published. Most people stay in Louisville, Lexington, or Bardstown. Prior to touring the Bourbon Trail, Tim and I were not whiskey drinkers. A map that folds up for instance, is approximately the same size as an ordinary poster. Ride sharing services are abundant in the area, and there are many guided tour options as well. 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). 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. Any advice you have on this front would be greatly appreciated, since Ive heard mixed answers. Buffalo Trace has a long and fascinating history. If you want to print a different dimension, choose an alternative size from the drop-down list , then alter the size of the page. We visited both but prefer the American Stillhouse. 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. This day includes the remaining distilleries in Louisville with the option to add on one or two museums. Its a short walk to the Mayan Caf. Fantastic article! Here's a sample itinerary to follow for your visit. Being on our own, we could choose which distilleries to tour and which ones to just do a tasting. It's the same for maps that are large: they can take up nearly 50% of the screen. How can I safe it to find once again? This is more than just a hotel, it is also an art museum. Chuckanut Bay Distillery. Northern Route New Riff Second Sight Old Pogue Boone County Neeley Family Western Route Boundary Oak Casey Jones MB Roland Dueling Grounds Central Route Kentucky Artisan Kentucky Peerless Jeptha Creed Willett Preservation Bluegrass Route However, note that the map will display an uninspiring look, since it will be used only for only one printing session. 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. 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. Sleep in Louisville. And for full details on Bluebird Cafe, read our article How to Visit Bluebird Cafe. Green River sits out in Owensboro, almost a two-hour drive from Louisville. BUDGET: Glo Best Western Lexington. When you make a purchase using one of these affiliate links, we get paid a small commission at no extra cost to you. In addition, for a fee we can also make the maps in specialized file formats. Some distilleries are closed Sunday, Monday or Tuesday. 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. In one day, it is possible to do three to four tours and/or tastings. Hotel Tango Distillery. On the other hand, you may want to sit back, enjoy the ride, and join a tour. Races do not run year-round. Cheers, Julie. Today, bourbons popularity is at an all-time high, and in the past 20 years or so, many new distilleries have popped up among old favorites. This distillery is located in Shively, very close to downtown Louisville. 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. Bring your military ID, if you have one. The list is ever growing. 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. 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. Even if you dont plan on staying here, a drink in the Lobby Bar is a must-do while in Louisville. Pick your favorites and group them together to form your itinerary, whether you have 2, 3, or more days. Kentucky's Bourbon Trail now consists of 18 whiskey distilleries. Visit their website here. A memorial now stands at his birthplace. To read about our favorite bourbon distillery, read this post. While in Bardstown, head to the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskeyso you can learn all about the liquid gold you've been knocking back! For weekends, I would recommend scheduling your tours in advance, any time of the year. Cameron is a freelance writer and editor working in travel publishing for the past 10 years. 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. All rights reserved. Wild Turkey. And many distilleries offer longer, behind the scenes tours for a more detailed look at the distilling process. We took the Shaken & Stirred class at Bardstown Bourbon and it was our favorite experience on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. 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. Touring the Bourbon Trail gives visitors an up-close look at how bourbon is distilled, the history behind the crafting of bourbon, and the art behind the perfect bourbon tasting. To get here, drive or use Uber. Learn how to create your own. Spend the day visiting two big names in bourbon and a tour of a cooperage. 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). Best Distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Take a Mixology Class. They also operate a bed and breakfast. Makers Mark is a must-visit on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Their first bottled bourbon dates back to 1870. 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. This is the biggest driving day on this Kentucky Bourbon Trail itinerary. On this immersive tour, travel back in time to 1783, when bourbon distilling got its start. There are 37 distilleries total, but whether you tackle them all is entirely up to you! Many people state that the Buffalo Trace tour is their favorite in Kentucky. In 2008, it was Historic Hotels of Americas top pick. There are eighteen distilleries on the official Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Most tours teach you the same process about bourbon distilling, with a few differences at each distillery. I am not sure. MAMMOTH CAVE: Mammoth Cave is a national park in Kentucky and it makes a great day trip from Louisville and Nashville. From beautiful fall foliage, to pumpkin patches and farm cider, this is the best time to experience the Bourbon Trail. Everything from five-star restaurants to delicious sandwich stands can be found in the small towns along the way between distilleries. Bourbon can be brewed anywhere in the United States, although 95% of bourbon is currently distilled in Kentucky. Wilderness Trail is the newest member on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Her work has been featured in Washington Post Travel and Publisher's Weekly. It's a pretty cool museum and factory tour, and will definitely make you appreciate old hitters and their bats. What distinguishes one bourbon from another is the mash bill, the strain of yeast used by each distillery (some strains dating back decades), and how long the whiskey ages in the oak barrels. Aging must take place in a new, charred oak barrel. You have the choice to head southeast out of Louisville to explore the Jim Beam facilities. Plus, its easy to find. You also get to see the bottling line in action. Nearest Green Distillery. However, there is a lot more to do in this part of Kentucky than just tour bourbon distilleries. UPSCALE: 21c Museum Hotel. Scheduling a reservation is highly recommended. Be prepared for an experience for all five senses. In this guide, learn how to plan a trip around the world. This map was created by a user. 113 Great Buffalo Trace, Frankfort, KY, US. Tall tales, trip guides, & the world's weird & wonderful. Follow day #4 and #5, sleeping in either Bardstown or Louisville. Over in Lebanon, hit up the Limestone Branch Distillery, which seeks to make everything as authentic as possible, and as a family-owned and operated craft distillery, their local heritage goes back a few generations. Best Distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. It is open daily except for major holidays. Trail builders, on the other hand prefer to be in the woods in order to use chainsaws to make their trails. However, there are few places to visit out this way, if you are interested. Below is a map of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. 528 W Main St Louisville, Kentucky (502) 272-2623. All bourbons are whiskey but not all whiskeys are bourbon. All standard one-hour tours are roughly the samea tour of the facility ending with a tasting. 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. Children under 21 are welcome on tours, for free or at a discounted cost (and no sampling whiskey for them, of course). They have a good beer selection, excellent pulled pork, tasty baked beans and a variety of BBQ sauces. This hotel gets excellent reviews on Booking.com. If you pay extra, we can also produce these maps in specialist file formats. This hotel also gets great reviews and has an excellent location. Rather than paying the fee to join the Kentucky Distillers Association, they prefer to offer free tours and tastings to their visitors. In order to ensure that you benefit from our products we invite you to contact us for more information. Visit Your Favorite Distillery. There are eighteen distilleries on the official Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Note: Green River is located in the Central Time Zone. 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. Wish I had this information prior will save it for next visit. Why not? A combination of ideal weather, limestone water sources, and a long history of the craft make Central Kentucky the bourbon capital of the world. Its centrally located, so you can walk to many of the sights and distilleries on Whiskey Row. 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).