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Your Ultimate Kentucky Bourbon Trail Itinerary (from a local)

I was raised in central Kentucky. For a long time, Kentucky seemed like a forgotten state. But over the past four years or so, Kentucky has earned a reputation as a tourist destination that brings people from all over the world to the Bluegrass.

As a Kentuckian, it’s great to see people gain a newfound appreciation for the meticulous craft of bourbon distilling through production tours, world-class dining experiences, and exposure to the small-town charm of Kentucky’s communities. Here is a complete Bourbon Trail itinerary, including the best distilleries, where to stay, and things to do.

Happy travels to Kentucky!

Visiting the Kentucky Bourbon Trail

Over the years the Kentucky Bourbon Trail has grown to 18 distilleries. The list includes some of the largest recognizable names, like Wild Turkey and Maker’s Mark, but continues to grow with newer and smaller distilleries, such as Angel’s Envy and Lux Row.

Though the Kentucky Bourbon Trail includes some of the most recognizable names, it only encompasses a small portion of the distilleries in Kentucky. Names like Buffalo Trace and Castle and Key are not on the official Kentucky Bourbon Trail but are worth visiting.

Just a quick (bust super important note) The official Kentucky Bourbon Trail is only a portion of all the distilleries in Kentucky. Not even all the most famous ones are included on the official trail! Be sure to look outside the Kentucky Bourbon Trail website for information on visiting the distilleries because you’ll likely miss some important ones you’d like to visit.

I’ve created a complete map to help.

Getting around

There are two ways to experience the Bourbon Trail. Individuals can create a self-guided route or utilize a tour company, such as Mint Julep Tours, for a guided tour with specific, daily destinations for the public tours.

Most tour companies operate out of Louisville, which makes it a great place to stay for easy, daily pick-up if you decide to use a tour company. Self-guided visitors typically stay in either the Louisville or Bardstown area for easy access to a variety of distilleries daily.

Guided tours are expensive and can really add to your cost of your time on the trail, so do consider if you can DIY your own experience by booking your tours and driving yourself. Or, consider just doing an urban bourbon experience in Louisville if you don’t want to drive further into the Kentucky countryside.

Most distilleries are located in the greater Louisville and Central Kentucky area. You can easily manage 3-4 distillery tours daily, depending on your route and timed tickets.

Important! If you decide to create a self-guided experience, be sure to plan, plan, plan! Most distilleries will require a timed ticket for tastings and tours, so it's important to prebook and space your tours out to include time in the gift shops and driving between destinations.

Where to stay on the Bourbon Trail

I recommend staying in either the Louisville or Bardstown areas when visiting the Bourbon Trail. While Bardstown is a smaller town centered around the bourbon industry with major players like Heaven Hill and Maker’s Mark nearby, Louisville has a lot of history on Whiskey Row, which has been recently renovated with great restaurants and other things to do.

I've written an entire article on the best places to stay on the trail, which should help you decide which one is right for you.

Best hotels in Louisville

>> Check out my complete Louisville distillery guide

Best hotels in Bardstown

Which distilleries should I visit?

Opened June 2021, Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience includes hands-on exhibits, a movie theatre, bar, and gift shop.

With a large list of bourbon distilleries to choose from, it can be hard to decide on an itinerary, especially if you only have a couple of days. I’ve visited a lot of distilleries on the Bourbon Trail in the past six years, and I’m still visiting new ones every year!

Here’s a guide to the best distilleries based on my experiences:

If you want a hands-on experience: Jim Beam, Maker's Mark
If you need beautiful pictures to show your friends: Woodford Reserve, Buffalo Trace
If you must try some hard-to-find bourbons in a tasting: Buffalo Trace, Jim Beam, 
If you want the best tour: Buffalo Trace, Woodford Reserve, Maker's Mark
If you want a nice place to have a cocktail: Willett, Woodford Reserve, Bulleit
If you want a quality meal at a distillery: Bardstown Bourbon Company, Willett
If you have to stay in the Louisville area: Old Forester, Angel's Envy, Rabbit Hole
If you want to thief from a barrel: Bardstown Bourbon Company, Whiskey Thief
If you want a free tour: Buffalo Trace, Barton 1792

Most guided tours include a 3-4 pour tasting at the end. Some will even include a commemorative glass you keep at the end of the tasting, all of which is included in the ticket price.

Types of distillery tours

Keep in mind there are 3 kinds of tour experiences bourbon distilleries can offer. All distilleries have a standard tour, which is basically an overview of their history, products and a quick production tour.

Most distilleries also offer a tasting. This is just where you visit the designated tasting room to try their products, but these experiences are the cheapest way to visit the distillery. The final tour experience is premium experience. These are more in-depth, custom experiences like barrel thieving or bottling tours.

With most distilleries offering some sort of tour and tasting option, you can’t go wrong with any of them. And as the Bourbon Trail tourism continues to expand, distilleries are offering new ways to engage visitors, like the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience and Buffalo Trace’s Old Taylor Tour. 

Be sure to read my Top 10 list on the best distilleries to visit to help you decide which ones are right for you.

Other things to do on the Bourbon Trail

There are a lot of great things to do in Kentucky outside of the distillery tours. This is a Bourbon Trail travel guide, but there are so many other things to see. Here are just a few of my favorites:

See bourbon barrels being made at Kentucky Cooperage. Located in Lebanon, Kentucky the tours are a great addition to a trip to Maker’s Mark.

While in Frankfort stop by Rebecca Ruth Candy. The company has been making bourbon balls since 1919 and offers guided tours. If you can’t make it to the shop, many of their products are sold in distillery gift shops.

Visit the Muhammad Ali Center in downtown Louisville. The center includes interactive exhibits featuring the life and legacy of Louisville’s own Muhammad Ali.

If you’re not around during horse racing season, you can still visit the Kentucky Derby Museum at Churchill Downs in Louisville. Tickets include the museum exhibits and guided tours of the grounds.

Not too far off the trail, you can visit Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace. The monument is managed by the National Park Service and is free to visit.

Get yourself an Ale-8. Not really an experience, but I love Kentucky’s homegrown ginger ale and had to give it a shoutout. You can find it at most supermarkets, drugstores and gas stations.

FAQs

What is the best time of year to do the bourbon trail?

The bourbon trail is great anytime of the year but I especially love visiting in the fall. High heats in the summer months can be more challenging due to the lack of temperature control in the rickhouses and most of the tour taking place outside. But no matter when you visit be sure to book your tickets in advance, as they always sell out (regardless of season).

What happens on a distillery tour?

This is different from distillery to distillery but most general tours will includes a historic overview of the distillery and their products, a walkthrough of their production steps, a visit to the rickhouses, and finally end with a tasting of some of their products.

How many stops are there on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail?

There are 18 stops on the official Kentucky Bourbon Trail but there are 100 distilleries in Kentucky! Keep in mind the Official Bourbon Trail is not all of the distilleries, so it’s important to look to find the best distilleries and not just the ones included in the official tour itineraries.

More Kentucky Bourbon Trail Tips + inspiration

I hope you enjoyed learning more about the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and found some ideas for your own trip, too. If you need more inspiration be sure to check out these helpful posts:

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