The Kentucky Bourbon Trail
The Kentucky Bourbon Trail
It's been a while since I have done a blog post but felt that doing one for our trip to Kentucky and sharing our experiences warranted a post. I am part of the Maker's Mark Ambassador Club, which is free to join, and my bottles were ready so we took this oppurtunity to go get those bottles and visit a few distilleries. While we didn't make it to every distillery on the trail and even went to some distilleries not on the trail, we visited quite a few of them in our three day journey. Hope you enjoy the read and find this to be useful for when you make the trip!**Note: This is in the order in which we visited each location, not a ranking**
#1 Buffalo Trace
Buffalo Trace is not on the official Kentucky Bourbon Trail but for me was a must stop destination. I am a huge fan of their bourbons and the rich history that goes along with it. The tours are free to join but most of them require a reservation. We decided to take two tours, the Barrel Tour and the Hard Hat Tour. You check in for the tour at the visitors center/gift shop so you have a chance to browse around and find some unique items to take home. We also ran into Freddie Johnson who so kind enough to take a picture and chat with us for a moment.
Barrel Tour
The barrel tour was first and we met on the second floor of the gift shop in the vault where they had a ton of vintage and rare bourbons. It was really a cool sight to see all of those bottles. The highlight of this tour for me was seeing the barrels get filled and rolled down the line, seeing where they dump the barrels (they were not dumping any at the time so we didn't get a chance to taste anything right out of the barrel), going into the barrel room where they store Pappy and checking out the Blanton's bottling operation. While this is the first tour we took it's actually the second part of the bourbon making experience. We took the tour backwards but the barrel tour started the earliest and we wanted to get two tours in.Hard Hat Tour
The hard hat tour takes us to the very beginning of the distillation process. We started off being able to see a truck full of corn dumping it's load, to where the fermentation process happens, and to where they make the distillate or white dog. Some of my favorite parts of this tours was seeing the fermentation tanks and being able to taste the process. We got to taste what the sour mash and freshly cooked grains tasted like, what it tastes like in the fermentation tanks and finally the white dog, uncut and straight out of the still at 140 proof. While both tours include tastings at the end, we only did the tasting at the end of the hard hat tour. The lineup for the tasting was Eagle Rare, Buffalo Trace, White Dog, Wheatley Vodka, and the Bourbon Creme (with optional Root Beer to make a float).Gift Shop
The gift shop had a lot of great things to buy. Most memorable for me is the small Blanton's bottles, the Blanton's corks and bottles of Blanton's (which I hear they may put out up to twice a week and go within a few hours). They had lots of barware, glassware and clothing along with other branded merchandise. You can probably spent a pretty penny here but I found their prices to be in line or cheaper than other distilleries and with the free tours you have a couple extra dollars to spend. If you are looking for really rare bourbons you will most likely not find anything here that you can't find in the market, obviously the exception being those Blanton bottles
Final Thoughts
This was our first stop and by far our favorite. I believe a lot had to do with the fact that I am such a fanboy of this distillery and seeing Freddie out in the wild helped a lot. The tour guides we had were so much fun and full of knowledge.
#2 Woodford Reserve
As we follow the trail we get to our first distillery actually on the trail which is Woodford Reserve. One of only a handful of the oldest continuously running distilleries, the Woodford Reserve brand is the latest to take over this location. We got here in time to take the 12:40 tour which lasts about about an hour and then finishes with the tasting. We did not make a reservation in advance for this tour. I believe this tour was $20.
Distillery Tour
You start the tour meeting outside and then jumping on a bus that takes you down to the still house. From here you learn about how Woodford Reserve is made and what the distillation process looks like. We started off near the fermenters and got a taste of what was in them. You then walk into the area where the stills are and discuss further how distillation process all the way to the barrels they are put in. You get a chance to see the barrel room and the bottling line before making your back into the bus to be taken to the tasting room where you got a chance to try Woodford Reserve, Woodford Reserve Double Barrel and Woodford Reserve rye.
Gift Shop
The gift shop is really ecstatically appealing with a great combination of classy and modern decor. They had some nice harder to find or gift shop only bourbons available along with the standard bar-ware, glassware and apparel merchandise. The stand out here is that they also have a bar area where you can get drinks to sip on by the fire. A great way to showcase the versatility of bourbon. They also have some gift shop only bottles available and some barrel picks that were selected by the gift shop staff.
Final Thoughts
While the tour had some nice tidbits of information, the biggest draw for me was the still house and seeing that iconic space. The next time we make this trip I will let my travel partners determine if we should take the tour. I wouldn't be against it but would probably want to spend that money grabbing a few drinks and hanging out by the fire on a cool day or checking out the scenery on a warm day. Of course the stillhouse is pretty awesome and an amazing photo op!
#3 Four Roses
Our third stop takes us to one of the more unique distilleries architecturally with the Spanish style buildings. We made a reservation for the 3pm tour which is the last tour of the day for them. If you want to take a tour here I would suggest a reservation but if they are all booked up you can still come for a tasting.
This is also one of two locations for Four Roses. They have a second location where they do the warehousing and bottling of the bourbon. If you keep your receipt you can take that tour for free. We opted to skip that tour this time around.
Distillery Tour
The tour starts off in the media room with a video. They have some nice displays of the older bottles and the video does a good job of recapping the history of Four Roses. You then make your way outside for another presentation by the tour guide before making your way back inside to the discuss the distillation process and see the fermentation vessels. One of the more unique things I have seen is a cut out of the still. You get a great idea of how it works with this type of visual aid. After touring the fermentation tanks we headed back inside the gift shop area for our tasting. We got pours of the different expressions of their bourbon, the standard bottle, small batch and single barrel. We were given a glass as a gift which was a nice touch.
They do offer bottles of bourbon here and have some of their Private Select that is only available in the gift shop. One of the more unique experiences is the ability to dip your own bottles! That is pretty awesome and really helps a trip here stand out.
Definitely missed oppurtunity here by not booking online first. For $20 you get the tour and tasting of 5 different bottles which to me would be well worth it especially given that it was $12 for the bourbon pour. We will be making sure to book online for this tour next time around.Gift Shop
The gift shop had a lot of nice items to buy, very similar to any other gift shop. You can find some bottles of single barrel only available within the gift shop along with bottles of their other expressions.Final Thoughts
This tour was a tough one for me to get through. It was the third tour of the day and I may have been toured out at this point. My buddy and I talked about in length and while I wasn't a fan I do need to recognize that it isn't a bad tour, just not for me. If I were to come back here I would most likely opt for the tasting versus the tour.#4 Wild Turkey
We actually got here too late to take a tour or even do a sampling, so we hit up the gift shop and added this to our list of must stops the next time we do the trail.#5 Maker's Mark
The whole purpose of our trip centered around Marker's Mark. I joined the Ambassador club in 2012 and in late 2018 I got a letter saying that my barrel had matured and that I can come pick up my personalized bottles. Admittedly I was hoping this would be a single barrel version but it's was the standard bottle so I am assuming the barrel that had our plate on it was blended with everything else. While there may have been a small disappointment here, it did essentially force our hand to take the trip and for that I am grateful.Distillery Tour
The tour is probably one of my favorites. Not necessarily for the conversations around how the bourbon is made but more the history and the grounds. We started off in the visitors center and then walk to the building where they start the distillation process. We then proceeded to the fermentation room where we got to see all the wooden open fermentation vessels. We went to the building where the labels are made. We then headed into on one of the new warehouses where they store their barrels. We proceeded to the bottling line and then off to our tasting. For the tasting we got to try what I believe is all the expressions they make. White Dog, Maker's Mark, Maker's 46, Maker's Cask Strength and Maker's Private Select. After the tasting we get to go through a pretty awesome hall way before we are dropped off in the gift shop.Gift Shop
By now you can imagine that most gift shops will have glassware, bar-ware, and apparel along with other merchandise. From here on out I will only highlight notable items.They do offer bottles of bourbon here and have some of their Private Select that is only available in the gift shop. One of the more unique experiences is the ability to dip your own bottles! That is pretty awesome and really helps a trip here stand out.
Final Thoughts
Maker's Mark is one of the distilleries that isn't really close to another distillery like you see with the other ones, making this a destination visit for sure. Totally worth the stop though for the waxing experience and the ability to walk around the grounds at your leisure. They do have a restaurant on site as well, making for a nice time here.#6 Willett
We didn't book a tour online so we were taking a chance hoping for available spots when we got there. Unfortunately the tours were all sold out but they did offer a tasting that we took part in. It actually ended up being a private tasting as we were the only ones signed up for that time slot.Bourbon Tasting
The tasting takes place in a private room and starts off with your choice of two of four bourbons. If you are there with friends you can each get a different one and share. We were confused as we thought this was all we got but then right after we were done with our first tastings they brought out four more bottles where we got to choose from one. They did this one more time with a different four bottles. It seemed a little rushed so I didn't get pictures of everything but can tell you that the last four bottles we got to choose from were some of the harder to get or expensive bottles.Gift Shop
They had a few bottles of the Willett Family Reserve Rye line and some Kentucky only Bottle in Bond bottles. They also have a cafe there where you can get some coffee and/or coffee drinks.Final Thoughts
While we were bummed to not get on the tour it actually worked out in our favor as we were able to stop in briefly and try their bourbon. Willett is officially not on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail but is on the Craft Bourbon Trail. We will be booking a tour online next time around.#7 Barton 1792
This was an unplanned stop. We went to Heaven Hill to see what tours they had available. They had a tasting available about 40 minutes out so we came here as it was only a 5 minute drive away.Bourbon Tasting
One of only two places that offered anything for free, as of this post anyway, you can get a free tasting or free tour here. We were limited on time so we went with the tasting. We got a chance to try Very Old Barton, 1792 Small Batch and their Bourbon Cream. We also got a stamped bung to commemorate our tasting.Gift Shop
The first time I saw a 1792 Bottle in Bond was here. I did end up seeing a bottle of store pick bottle in bond in Wisconsin but hear it is still a harder bottle to find. Also, the bourbon cream was here and I didn't see that out in the wild either.Final Thoughts
While this was a super quick visit we felt that taking a tour here next time would be pretty cool. If you are not familiar, Barton has had a few set backs now. Late last year one of their warehouses collapsed and a few days after we were there one of their tanks failed and spilled out all of its contents while a few others started leaking. Reports say they lost 120,000 gallons of their mash. Really hope they are around next time we visit!#8 Heaven Hill (Bourbon Heritage Center)
As previously stated we ended up doing the tasting here versus going on the tour. Heaven Hill had a horrible fire in 1996 where they lost their distillery and had since bought another one in a different location. The tour took you through the warehouse and we felt the tasting would be a better use of our time and funds.... because doing this tour is not cheap!Bourbon Tasting
The person helping us determine what tour/tasting was available immediately sold us on the tasting when she mentioned there is a 16 year old bourbon as part of the tasting. Typically those bottles can be pricey so $20 for the tasting seemed like a good value. It was totally worth it! We got to try four different bottles. Pikesville Rye, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, William Heavenhill 16 year and McKenna 10 year Bottle in Bond. Spoiler alert: The Pikesville and McKenna make a couple appearances in our travels but are so good we didn't really mind. The William Heavenhill apparently goes for $250(?) retail and outside of this tasting probably not something we would ever get to try. We did get to keep the glass too!Gift Shop
I really liked the look of the gift shop but really loved what they had behind the counter. That is were they keep all their more expensive bottles (apparently the William Heavenhill was available) or gift shop only bottles. I did get a mini barrel shaped bottle of Elijah Craig 125 proof.Final Thoughts
Personally I think the tasting is well worth it and something I will do again when we come back. They are renovating the space now so we didn't get to go to that cool room with the horseshoe bar but look forwarding to see the space next time around. I will also be saving some money to pick up more of the bottles behind the counter!#9 Jim Beam
The largest bourbon distillery in the world, they produce up to a third of the world's bourbon. Just like any large operation it is just amazing to see the vastness of this location. We went to the American Stillhouse but they also have an Urban Stillhouse in Louisville that we didn't get a chance to visit this time around.Warehouse Tour
Walking up we weren't sure what tours would still be available but luckily they had some space on the Warehouse Tour. Originally we were going to skip this and do the regular tour until we were informed that they would be barrel thieving on this tour. If you aren't familiar with what that means, we got to try bourbon straight and uncut out of the barrel. Another unique experience for us and something we wouldn't get a chance to do again so we took it! We were taken to the warehouse via bus where we spent the entirety of our tour. We went through the same basic information on the distilling process before we got to the barrel. I was given the oppurtunity to open the barrel by whacking it hard to pop the bung out. I got it in one hit... but it was almost half way out already so it wasn't a huge feat. After our barrel tasting we went back to the tasting room to finish our tour. We had the change to try Beam Black, Knob Creek, and our choice of their other bourbons. I went after the Baker's while my buddy went with the Booker's. They do have a bar area there too where you can get cocktails or pours of their bourbons.Gift Shop
The gift shop is two stories with tons of stuff in there, as you would expect from Jim Beam. They had a ton of bottles there and if you paid close attention, some of them were signed!! By this point I wasn't in the market to grab one but did pick up a bottle of Old Tub Bottled in Bond.Final Thoughts
Definitely worth a stop, especially if you are a fan of Jim Beam. We will want to do the actual tour to see the entire operation but they also have some stuff around the grounds worth checking out. Also, they have a pretty decent restaurant there. No seating indoors (well, maybe room for 2 or 3 people) so if it's cold outside it may not be the best. We were lucky that we were able to stay indoors as it was cold outside.#10 Old Forester
One of several urban stillhouses this is one distillery that seemed to have consistently good bourbon. It's also right next door to Doc Crow's so you can either get some food then take the tour or vice versa.Distillery Tour
It was a pretty quiet Sunday so our tour size consisted of four people. We started off in the basement in a nice little staging area where you can get some water or go to the bathroom before the tour starts. We started off with an intro from the tour guide and an intro video. We proceeded to the fermentation room and then into the elevator to the second or third floor. Two pretty unique aspects to this distillery is that they have their own on-site cooperage and they have a 100% temperature controlled barrel warehouse. We were also able to end our tour with a tasting in the barrel room where others went to the designated tasting rooms.Gift Shop
The gift shop is pretty nice with a nice view of their still. They had quite a bit of bottles available including the hard to find 1910. They also do bottle engravings there which is pretty cool.Final Thoughts
This was a pretty large departure from what we had experienced up till then. The urban setting makes a difference but this location has a very sleek look and feel to it... very modern in my opinion. I really did love the look and history of the building. Worth a visit for sure next time we are there. Unfortunately their bar isn't open on Sunday's so we had to go next door to try more of their bourbon.#11 Michter's
We didn't plan ahead and all the tours were sold out when we got there. We went up to the bar to see about getting something to try. They didn't seem to offer tastings but did have all of their bourbon/whiskeys available by the pour. Some of their prices seemed high until you figure you are getting 1.5 to 2 oz's. If you want to try their 25 year bourbons you can if you have deep pockets!Gift Shop
They have all of their regular lineup available but also seemed to have some hard to find bottles too. I believe we saw the 10 year bottles but also think they had the 25 year bottles there. Couldn't really tell what was up on that top shelf.Final Thoughts
#12 Evan Williams Bourbon Experience
Part of the Heaven Hill team, this is the only brand that seems to have their own experience. We haven't really had much Evan Williams so this was a promising stop. Just like the Heaven Hill location in Bardstown, we opted for the tasting versus the tour.Speakeasy Tasting
Similar to Heaven Hill the tasting was $20 but you got 5 tastes instead of 4. What was really awesome and unique was the speakeasy experience. The bartender was in character the whole time, similar to a dinner show. We learned about the impact prohibition has on Louisville and a little about the speakeasy culture. We tried some nice whiskey with Pikesville Rye and McKenna 10 year Bottle in Bond making another appearance. The other 3 bottles were Evan Williams Bottle in Bond, Evan Williams 12 year (not available in the US except here) and the Evan Williams 2019 Derby Series which was also only available here.Gift Shop
Lots of fun stuff here it is the most unique I have seen with their iconic gigantic bottle pouring into a glass from the second story. They had the Evan Williams 12 year that is export only plus a few special releases only available in the gift shop in Louisville. The third floor has a bar with an awesome mixologist who creates all the drinks seasonally for the bar and had a lot of good bottles to get pours from. We had a chance to try the Evan Williams 23 year while we were there!Final Thoughts
The most fun we had on this day was at the Evan Williams Experience. The tasting was awesome and hanging out upstairs in the bar was fantastic. Amazing drinks and great company had us almost missing the Angel's Envy tour. This is a must stop for me again and if I had to choose only one place to go in Louisville, this would be it. But let's be real, with three of the distilleries within a 10 minute walk from each other, you have time to visit a few.#13 Angel's Envy
The last stop of our bourbon adventure was to Angel's Envy. Some may call them controversial because of how they make their bourbon. Yes, they follow the laws but what they do differently is finish the bourbon in used port barrels, rum barrels or even sherry barrels. The reason why this is controversial is because you are not supposed to put any additional ingredients or additives in the bourbon and while the bourbon is technically made to legal standards the finishing is the loophole. I did bring this up on other tours and was told not to be surprised if laws change to not allow it to be called bourbon if it's finished in a used barrel.Distillery Tour
I am not sure if it's just because it was the last tour of the adventure or I had no patience, but this was probably one of the worse tours we took. The information provided was ok but our tour guide was newer and definitely had some facts mixed up or wasn't sure on a lot of things. She was proudly a millennial and made sure we knew it. At the end of the tour the only tasting we got was a small pour of Angel's Envy neat and then another on the rocks. We didn't get to try their other expressions.The facility is pretty nice overall but definitely has that sterile modern feel to it. This was the only place that had closed fermentation tanks (I imagine it's because of the open space) and had to store their barrels off-site due to the proximity of their building and the freeway. The shining star for us was the bar area. Our bartender, Titus, was a lot of fun and enjoyed teaching us about what goes into the drinks he makes. Had it not been for Titus the entire experience would have been pretty horrible, especially given it was a $20 tour and our tasting limited to one expression.
Gift Shop
They do have their bottles for sale including a limited run of their Angel's Envy aged in sherry casks. Since this was only available in the gift shop it may warrant at least a visit to buy a bottle if that is up your alley.Final Thoughts
I thought on this review long and hard. I never want to put down an experience but I decided giving you my honest thoughts was warranted. Especially given that the next time we come here I would skip Angel's Envy all together and spend more time exploring the bars and restaurants downtown or going to several of the breweries in the area.Restaurants
- Old Bourbon County (OBC) kitchen. - This came highly recommended by your friends at It's Bourbon Night (if you haven't seen their youtube channel you should check it out!). They have a huge selection of bourbons and whiskeys along with a full bar. The food is awesome and the service was great. We were told to make a reservation but when we got there it looked like we could just walk in. With that being said, it is a small place and if it's busy I can see there being a long wait. PRO TIP: Get there before happy hour ends as they have some great deals on drinks during happy hour and will help get you started for the night.
- Doc Crow's BBQ - While a lot of places looked appealing, Doc Crow's was right in the middle of the area we wanted to check out and I heard they had a great bourbon selection and good BBQ. This was definitely the case. They had Old Forester 1910 which was great because we got to try it before buying it at the distillery. My buddy got the chicken and immediately proclaimed it was the best chicken he has ever had. The service was outstanding and this is definitely a place I can see hanging out for quite a while.
- Against the Grain Brewery - I had been here once before while traveling to the area for work. I have always liked their beer and being right across the street from Angel's Envy made this a nice convenient stop. They serve smokehouse type offerings and everything we had was delicious. Similar to other restaurants in the area, service was great and they have a decent bourbon list to match their beer list.
Lessons Learned
- Whenever we have the option for a tasting versus tour, we will most likely take the tasting. Not every distillery offers just tasting so you may not have a choice if you want to sample their goods, but ultimately it will save you some time on your journey.
- Booking tours early (if this fits into your planning) is a must for a lot of places. We missed the Willett and Michter's tours because they were sold out for the day by the time we got there. I had booked Buffalo Trace, Four Roses and Angel's Envy in advance.
- Wear comfortable shoes and clothes. A lot of the tours have a lot of walking involved so you will want to be as comfortable as possible. Keep in mind you are touring (for the most part) actual working distilleries so closed toe shoes are a must.
- Budget accordingly! I spent way more money than I anticipated spending. Some of this was the souveniers I bought but some of it was how much each tour/tasting costs. Plan to spend $20 a distillery just for that experience.
Well that's it folks! I will have hyperlinks to the raw pictures I took of each location, they will be placed within the name of the distillery. I used my phone and a digital camera for the pictures so they will be out of order in each folder (if anyone knows how to rearrange in Google Photos, drop me a line!). Hope you enjoyed the read! If you have any questions please let me know! Cheers!
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