Kentucky’s Bourbon Trail: Where to Taste, What to See
6 Distillery Recommendations, History, Trail Map, and Cocktail Recipes
One of the most entertaining, engaging, and popular trips in the central United States is discovering the Kentucky Bourbon Trail®. It is a story defined by immigrants to America. The pioneers that settled in Kentucky brought their unique distilling traditions as immigrants from Scotland, Germany and Northern Ireland. The name “Bourbon” derives from the French House of Bourbon, but contenders for the source of the name inspiration include Bourbon County, Kentucky and Bourbon Street in New Orleans. Although Bourbon may be made anywhere in the U.S., it is associated with the Southern U.S. and particularly Kentucky. Bourbon sold in the U.S. must be produced within the U.S. from a Mash Bill* of at least 51% corn and stored and aged in a new container of charred oak. Bourbon was recognized in 1964 by the U.S. Congress as a “distinctive product of the United States.” I’ll be reviewing several suggestions on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, with places to stay and dine. A few quotes on whiskey are peppered throughout including recommendations from a native Kentucky doctor, now a winemaker/distiller.
*Mash Bill: In whiskey-making refers to the specific grains used to produce a particular type of whiskey, like Bourbon. It essentially defines the flavor profile of the finished spirit by determining the type and ratio of grains used. In Bourbon it must include at least 51% corn and may include rye, wheat, and/or malted barley.
"Too much of anything is bad, but too much good whiskey is barely enough." —Mark Twain
What is the Kentucky Bourbon Trail?
The Kentucky Bourbon Trail® was established in 1999 as a road trip experience for bourbon lovers. It has grown steadily ever since and has expanded to include the Kentucky Bourbon Trail® Craft Tour. The main trail features 18 distilleries dotted all throughout Kentucky. The Kentucky Bourbon Trail® and Craft Tour have hosted more than 3 million visitors in the last five years alone welcoming folks from all 50 states and 25 countries. If you center between Louisville and Lexington, you’ll catch some of the most prominent distillers. You can utilize the Kentucky Bourbon Trail site to “build your own Bourbon Trail.” I am reviewing just 6 tasting rooms of distinction with a custom map, places to stay, and places to dine.
Kentucky Bourbon Trail® Guide: Know Before You Hit the Bourbon Trail – Mint Julep Tours website.
"Always carry a flagon of whiskey in case of snakebite and furthermore always carry a small snake."
—W.C. Fields
6 Recommended Distillery Tasting Rooms
Let’s visit some notable Kentucky Distilleries and stay perhaps at the historic Beaumont Inn or other noted inns/hotels during our trip. The distilleries recommended include: Buffalo Trace Distillery, Bardstown Bourbon Company, Willett Distillery, Woodford Reserve/Versailles Distillery, Wilderness Trail Distillery, and Garrard County Distilling Company.
Buffalo Trace offers tours and tastings along with a Custom Bourbon option of selecting your own mash-bill and creating your own Bourbon.
“This Distillery is a must, their tour is one of the best. If you are lucky, you will have the opportunity to buy Bourbon in their store that won’t be available elsewhere.” Dr. Bob Young, Bending Branch Winery and 1840 Distillery.
*Bardstown Bourbon Company is a marvel of new-wave Kentucky Distilleries. It is very modern and offers good bourbons, a nice tasting room, with a bar and restaurant. Note their signature Manhattan Recipe below.
* Willett Distillery, Bardstown, KY is a much smaller, older, and very charming distillery compared with most. The tour includes their production facility and a tasting. They also offer a good restaurant and bar on site.
*Woodford Reserve Distillery, Versailles, KY is a highly recommend stop. Their 45-minute tasting experience is quality rated, and you’ll take home a bottle afterward, too. $175/person. Note their Double Oaked Old Fashioned recipe below.
*Wilderness Trail Distillery (register on website) should be your next stop. It is located in Danville just 10 miles from Harrodsburg. They are considered a new rising star in distilleries that uses a sweet mash process. Take the tour of the brand-new state of the art distillery. Currently they offer a Summer Cocktail Class.
*Garrard County Distilling Company is a few miles further East in Lancaster, KY. Their site is the original home of Carrie Nation, the woman that spearheaded the Prohibition movement. The company tag line is “All Nations Welcome - Except Carrie”. The tour takes you to the one-room stone cabin of Carry Nation and then through their whiskey making process, ending with a guided tasting.
“If you head East to Harrodsburg, you’ll reach my hometown. Harrodsburg is a very historic town, the first permanent settlement West of the original 13 colonies. Most likely the first Corn Whiskey was made there in about 1775 which was also where and when the corn crop in Kentucky was grown. – Dr. Bob Young, CEO Bending Branch Winery and 1840 Distillery, Comfort, Texas
"Whisky is liquid sunshine." —George Bernard Shaw
Editor’s Note:
Many thanks to native Kentuckian, Dr. Bob Young, MD, MPH for his distillery and travel suggestions. For more information on the 1840 Bourbon at Bending Branch Winery, Comfort, Texas and his Kentucky roots, see “ ’Live’ from the Newly Launched Bourbon Distillery at Bending Branch Winery,” March 28, 2023, Wine Wanderings. My own Kentucky roots are deep as well. My mother, Jinny, turned 99 years old this last month. She was born in Berry, Kentucky near where our ancestors settled in Cynthiana, Kentucky (previously part of Bourbon County). Her Smith ancestors had been given a land grant for their property from the Governor of Virginia, Patrick Henry. Although Mom went to Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, her brother, Bill, graduated from University of Kentucky, and was a member of the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels. Cousins Betsy and Tom, a former member of the Kentucky legislature and chair of the House Agriculture Committee, still live in Cynthiana. Betsy and I are Daughters of the American Revolution. When they sing, “My Old Kentucky Home” at the Kentucky Derby, I still get chills. – Tricia Conover, DipWSET®, Editor
Bourbon Cocktail Recipes
Bardstown Bourbon Company Manhattan
Ingredients:
2 oz. Fusion Series Bardstown Bourbon
.5 oz. Averna Amaro
.25 oz. Cynar
.25 oz. Sweet Vermouth
1 dash Orange Bitters
Luxardo Cherry or Orange Peel to garnish.
Instructions:
Combine all ingredients with ice and stir. Strain mixture into chilled glass without ice. Garnish with Luxardo cherry or orange peel.
Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Old Fashioned
Ingredients:
2 oz. Double Oaked Woodford Reserve Bourbon
.5 oz. Grade A Dark Organic Maple Syrup
2 Dashes Woodford Reserve Chocolate Bitters
Instructions:
Add Ingredients to a mixing glass. Add ice to both a mixing glass and a rocks glass. Stir ingredients for 30-40 seconds. Strain into the rocks glass. Garnish with a lightly expressed ruby red grapefruit peel.
Where to Stay
Beaumont Inn: Historic Inn
638 Beaumont Inn Dr, Harrodsburg, KY 40330, 859-734-3381
The Seelbach Hilton, Louisville, a Historic Hotels of America designation complete with a famed ghost.
500 4th St. Louisville, KY 800-333-3399
Old Talbott Tavern, welcoming guests since 1779
107 W Stephen Foster Ave., Bardstown, KY 40004, 502-348-3494
The Brown Hotel, Louisville. Conde Nast #1 Hotel in Kentucky. I have stayed here multiple times over the last three decades.
335 W. Broadway, Louisville, KY 40202, 888-888-5252
Where to Dine
The Bar at Willett, reservations
1869 Loretto Rd, Bardstown, KY 40004, 502-507-9396
Owl’s Nest (at the Beaumont Inn)- recipient of the 2015 James Beard Foundation’s America’s Classic Award, 859-734-3381
The Brown Hotel, J Graham's Cafe or Lobby Bar and Grill Louisville. home of the famous “The Hot Brown” dish. Voted Top 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in America. 888-888-5252
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Jeff, Let me know what you find, too.
I’m hoping to hit the Bourbon trail in a few months. Thanks for the ideas!