All of these distilleries offer tours and tastings. For most people, a mix of tours and tastings is the best way to experience the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. LUXURY: The Brown Hotel. Im looking into doing at least part of the trail myself with some friends when weve all been vaccinated. The memorial is free to visit. Partners & Sponsors 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. Some of these yeast strains have been used for decades at each distillery. From beautiful fall foliage, to pumpkin patches and farm cider, this is the best time to experience the Bourbon Trail. But map makers don't want to let that stop them from building trails. It smells like you are at a bakery, only they are baking slightly sour bread. Also, they have a cafe if you're looking for a place to grab food while on the trail. The distilleries are grouped together in four general areas. The final distillery is back up near Louisville: The Bulleit Frontier Whiskey Experience. I recommend visiting the official website of the distilleries for hours and tour information. Right down the road is the Four Roses Distillery. Tours last one hour and end with a tasting. We have not visited this distillery yet but have been drinking their bourbon for quite some time. 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. This will minimize your driving and let you stay in the small towns in Kentucky. Coalition Whiskey. Kentucky Bourbon Trail in 4 Days: Follow days #1 and #2. Is May a good month to do the Bourbon Trail? Enjoy like a true Kentuckian: Responsibly. 113 Great Buffalo Trace, Frankfort, KY, US. After touring the three distilleries, you can either return to Louisville or spend the night in Bardstown. Races do not run year-round. Below is a map of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Nope. The mash always looks the same but the horse farms have different aspects to showcase at different times of the year. For lunch and/or dinner, we recommend Kitchen& Bar, the restaurant at Bardstown Bourbon. Many people state that the Buffalo Trace tour is their favorite in Kentucky. After touring Old Forester, its a short walk to Angels Envy. If you pay extra, we can also produce these maps in specialist file formats. Say goodbye to Louisville and head south to Bardstown. Created by Roadtrippers - March 22nd 2016. Bring your military ID, if you have one. The Kentucky Bourbon Trail began in 1999 as a way to bring tourism to Kentucky. This is a beautiful property with a lot of tour and tasting options. Follow day #4 and #5, sleeping in either Bardstown or Louisville. For more great things to do in Louisville, read our post 12 Best Things to do 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. 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. This map was created by a user. If you are short on time, or have no desire to visit all eighteen distilleries, here is a short list of the top experiences to have 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. Browse by category to find what you're looking for, or select icons displayed on the map for detailed information. Here in Kentucky, we do things at our own pace and you should, too. For most people, a combination of tours and tastings is the perfect way to sample the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. 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. Wish I had this information prior will save it for next visit. You can also select Print from your web browsers menu (the web browser menu typically looks like 3 dots in either the horizontal or vertical position). Kentucky Bourbon Trail Map Rocks Glass WellTold (22,289) $19.95 Bestseller Kentucky Bourbon Distillers Art Print - 11" x 15" +, Kentucky Bourbon Trail Map - Kentucky - Bourbon - Louisville - Bardstown - KY GeographicsArt (739) $69.00 FREE shipping Kentucky Distilleries map MediaevalMapmaker (2,260) $23.95 More colors Get our travel tips Delivered to your inbox. If you are looking for a highly rated hotel and dont want to spend a lot of money, this is a great option. It has a relatively central location, so its easy to get to Bardstown, Lexington, and even Owensboro. Please enjoy like a true Kentuckian Responsibly. This is a great place to start your visit to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. PRO TRAVEL TIP: When planning your Kentucky Bourbon Trail itinerary, check the distilleries websites for updated hours and tour availability. Fantastic article! Morning: Evan Williams Experience. We both acquired a taste for bourbon on our long weekend in Kentucky. Morning: Makers Mark. Since it is located off of the Bourbon Trail and does not have the actual log cabin that Abraham Lincoln was born in, this is only worth it if you have an interest in American history or Abraham Lincoln. At the end of this article, we list specific hotel and B&B recommendations for Louisville, Bardstown, and Lexington. It has received accolades from Conde Nast Traveler, Southern Living, and Travel & Leisure. This is a great spot for lunch or dinner while touring the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Our favorite experience on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail was the cocktail class at Bardstown Bourbon. Grab a bottle or some bourbon balls in the gift shop afterwards! How far in advance would you recommend booking tours, or are walk-ins generally accepted at most of the distilleries? See our privacy policy here. To read about all eighteen distilleries, check out our post about the best distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. 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). They were one of only three bourbon distilleries that were allowed to operate during Prohibition, producing medicinal bourbon. MIDRANGE: Staybridge Suites Lexington. Any advice you have on this front would be greatly appreciated, since Ive heard mixed answers. Afternoon: Green River. If you want to stay in a historical, luxurious hotel in Louisville, your hotel search can end right here. The brisket is renowned, especially with their Texas hot sauce. For more restaurant recommendations, check out our article Best Eats in Louisville. There are eighteen distilleries on the official Kentucky Bourbon Trail. This was our favorite tour for several reasons. All bourbons are whiskey but not all whiskeys are bourbon. If you want to see the entire bourbon distilling process from start to finish, including the making of the barrels and the bottling of the final product, take the Old Forester Discovery Tour. On Google Chrome, go to Bookmarks -> Bookmark This Tab and then this post will be saved in your bookmarks. Finally, day three can be spent in Louisville, visiting Stitzel-Weller, Old Forester, Michters, Rabbit Hole, Angels Envy, and/or Evan Williams. The 1 hour Discovery Tour ends with a tasting at their bar on the second floor. Allow about 30 to 45 minutes for a visit here. HISTORIC: Jailers Inn Bed & Breakfast. In this post, we cover everything you need to know to have the best experience on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. They must be designed to work with a standard printing press. Dine on Central American food prepared by the chef who grew up on the Yucatan Peninsula. Visit the distillerys website for up-to-date pricing. It does require more ink than printing text. This budget hotel gets good reviews and is conveniently located in Bardstown. This is Louisvilles landmark hotel. Also, the visitors center offers lots of history, facts and figures. There are many more distilleries you can visit in Kentucky that are not part of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. 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. Make sure to stop for a drink at the Bluegrass Tavern, a Lexington classic that boasts the largest bourbon collection in the state. This day includes the remaining distilleries in Louisville with the option to add on one or two museums. Luckily, there's lots to do (and eat) in Kentucky while traveling from distillery to distillery (or rather, from sample of bourbon to sample of 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. One of our favorite parts of the tour was a visit to the rickhouse. Heaven Hill is one of the biggest bourbon distilleries, producing Evan Williams and Elijah Craig. Lunch: Doc Crows Southern Smokehouse and Raw Bar or Troll Pub under the Bridge. Cheers, Julie. MAMMOTH CAVE: Mammoth Cave is a national park in Kentucky and it makes a great day trip from Louisville and Nashville. Sleep in Louisville. 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. Take a Mixology Class. Note: Due to COVID-19, distillery tours may be cancelled or offered on a reduced schedule. Cheers, Julie, We are thinking about making this trip in an RV in early November.. are there nice places to stay and how does the pandemic affect things, Hello Jan. As far as to where to stay with your RV, I am not sure, since we had a car and stayed in hotels. 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. 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. This grain mixture is referred to as the mash bill. After a hearty breakfast of biscuits, its time to hit the trail! During this one-hour class, we mixed two cocktails: the Kentucky Mule and the Sazerac. Tim and I stayed here on our most recent visit to Louisville and we had a very nice experience here. The Kentucky Bourbon Trail is a collection of eighteen bourbon distilleries located in and around Louisville. 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. It was delightfully quiet, with small tour groups. Fortunately, the distilleries are getting more creative with their activities, and some are now offering cocktail classes, food pairings, and in-depth behind-the-scenes tours. Kentucky Bourbon Trail in 3 Days: Follow days #1 and #2. Everything from five-star restaurants to delicious sandwich stands can be found in the small towns along the way between distilleries. 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. 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 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. If you have an interest in Abraham Lincoln or American history, this is a worthwhile visit. This map was created by a user. Optional Detour: Abraham Lincoln Birthplace. Angels Envy offers several different tours. Also, remember that the quality of maps is unbeatable! I am not sure. Consider Lexington and Louisville as practical bases for your trip: most distilleries are within these cities, or in the small towns orbiting them, and both cities have vibrant downtowns full of hotels, restaurants, and notable sights. Take a Tour of Makers Mark. 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. All rights reserved Earth Trekkers. 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. Why not? MIDRANGE: Homewood Suites. They give a really thorough background on the drink and Louisville's history with it (and yes, it ends with a tasting). Cheers, Julie. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. From Bardstown it is a 45 minute drive. Trail builders, on the other hand prefer to be in the woods in order to use chainsaws to make their trails. Id rather not print the article because of all of the adds. The KY Bourbon Trail Here are some more resources to aide you in making your way to the places that make Kentucky's world-renowned bourbon. 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. The Old Talbott Tavern, located in Bardstown, is also a great pick. 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. The Kentucky Bourbon Trail website includes a map of all area distilleries, general exploring tips, and a calendar of upcoming distillery events. Learn more about the benefits of printing maps. Save to your device to access at a later date. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Thanks! After reading your article, I am sold and will make the arrangements soon. 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. If time allows, consider the areas other great export: thoroughbred horses. 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. Sundays, Mondays, and holidays are the most common days to have limited or no hours. While in Bardstown, head to the Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskeyso you can learn all about the liquid gold you've been knocking back! This is an ultrasonic process that removes impurities and improves the quality and taste, speeding up the refining process without spending years in the barrel. The samples were pretty small, but it's straight bourbon, so you're probably gonna feel pretty good afterward. If you have plans to visit the Kentucky Bourbon Trail during this time, make sure you make your reservations in advance. Your email address will not be published. Yes! Generally, the default size of the map can be 8.5 By 11 inches. However, people under the age of 21 are not permitted to do a tasting (of course!) They have 10 different varieties of bourbon, and a really unusual, Spanish-style building that houses the distillery. However, there is a lot more to do in this part of Kentucky than just tour bourbon distilleries. BUDGET: Hampton Inn Bardstown. On this immersive tour, travel back in time to 1783, when bourbon distilling got its start. 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. If you are doing this over a long weekend, plan on spending one day in each area. LUXURY:The Brown Hotel. Nearest Green Distillery. Races at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington take place in October and April, and at Churchill Downs in Louisville in November, May, and June . The original distillery opened on Derby Day in the 1930s, and it recently reopened for tours. Seeing as this is the only "bourbon tour" in Louisville proper, it's worth the stop. UPSCALE: 21c Museum Hotel. However, note that the map will display an uninspiring look, since it will be used only for only one printing session. Enjoy the nightlife in Louisville, drive through scenic bluegrass Kentucky, watch a horse race at Churchill Downs, visit the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln, or spend the night in a historic tavern. Green River sits out in Owensboro, almost a two-hour drive from Louisville. On our most recent tour in November 2019, we booked all of our tours in advance but only one of them was sold out (the Inside the Barrel Tour at Angels Envy).