All rights reserved. Dinner: Proof on Main. To tour the Kentucky Bourbon Trail you have two options: self-drive the bourbon trail or join a tour group. 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 day includes three must-visit distilleries on Whiskey Row with suggestions for Louisvilles best eats. Visiting these distilleries is similar to visiting a winery. Your timing depends on which experiences you choose to have at each distillery. The Kentucky Bourbon Trail began in 1999 as a way to bring tourism to Kentucky. There are eighteen distilleries on the official Kentucky Bourbon Trail. How you do it is completely up to you. Also in the area is the birthplace of Abraham Lincoln. 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. Distilleries to visit along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Lunch: Walk, drive or Uber to the Mussel & Burger Bar, another one of our favorite restaurants in Louisville. In this post, we cover everything you need to know to have the best experience on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. 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. Rather than paying the fee to join the Kentucky Distillers Association, they prefer to offer free tours and tastings to their visitors. For most people, a mix of tours and tastings is the best way to experience the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. To ensure you benefit from our products Contact us for more details. All rights reserved Earth Trekkers. During the aging process, a small percentage of the bourbon evaporates per year, what is referred to as the angels share. If you want to take home this aroma, many gift shops sell bourbon-scented candles. Prior to touring the Bourbon Trail, Tim and I were not whiskey drinkers. Generally, the default size of the map can be 8.5 By 11 inches. Kentucky Cooperage. The bourbon and whiskey at Green River spend less time in the barrel than at most distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Bourbon is booming right now and so is tourism in Kentucky. By clicking Accept All Cookies, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Specialty tours cost more. Here are four highly rated hotels in Louisville. This is the biggest driving day on this Kentucky Bourbon Trail itinerary. All bourbons are whiskey but not all whiskeys are bourbon. And the smell is amazing! 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. Printable Bourbon Trail Map- We offer flattened and free TIFF file formats of our maps in CMYK color and high resolution. Buffalo Trace has a long and fascinating history. Scheduling a reservation is highly recommended. Tours typically run every hour, and its usually best to reserve online ahead of time. HISTORIC: Jailers Inn Bed & Breakfast. The tour gives a fabulous insight to the making of bourbon, the property is gorgeous, the history behind Makers Mark is intriguing, and the bourbon is delicious. Woodford Reserve. It does require more ink than printing text. During the mid-20th century, Four Roses was the top selling bourbon in Japan but it could not be purchased in the US, even though it was being produced in Kentucky. Thank you for explaining that a bourbon trail tour will encompass a history of how the liquor was made. The Old Talbott Tavern, located in Bardstown, is also a great pick. There is also the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour. Here's how. The 1 hour Discovery Tour ends with a tasting at their bar on the second floor. When the printout is completed then you can save it as PDF. Most of this day is walkable. You can elect to skip the tour and just do a tasting instead. If you are looking for a highly rated hotel and dont want to spend a lot of money, this is a great option. Sundays, Mondays, and holidays are the most common days to have limited or no hours. Evan Williams Bourbon Experience. The blue markers are restaurant recommendations, Buffalo Trace Distillery, and other notable experiences to add into your Kentucky Bourbon Trail itinerary. Kentucky Bourbon Trail in 1 Day: Follow day #1, where you get a great overview of the distilling process and get to visit three distilleries in Louisville. 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. Bourbon is distilled year-round, with the exception of a few weeks during the summer, when some distilleries shut down for routine cleaning and maintenance. BUDGET: Hampton Inn Bardstown. MIDRANGE: Staybridge Suites Lexington. 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. 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. 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. From Lexington head over to Danville, Kentucky and visit Wilderness Trace Distillery. Take the first tour of the day to give yourself enough time to get to Green River. If you have any questions about this Kentucky Bourbon Trail itinerary, let us know in the comment section below. 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. Right down the road is the Four Roses Distillery. However, if you like the idea of getting outside of the city, Bardstown also makes a nice option. Buffalo Trace is the oldest continuously operating distillery in America. Julie Last updated: December 16, 2022 United States 13 Comments. If you like the idea of getting out of Louisville for the day, I recommend day #1 plus day #4 (the Best of Bardstown) or day #5 (Makers Mark and the Kentucky Cooperage). It's the same for maps that are large: they can take up nearly 50% of the screen. Bourbon has a wonderful aroma and the rickhouse is the best place tosmell it. The red markers are the seventeen distilleries on the trail. Jack Frys and the Brown Hotel Lobby Bar are also great options. Heaven Hill. In order to ensure that you benefit from our products we invite you to contact us for more information. The process of creating a map to print is slightly more complicated than creating an image that is static. This tour does the best job explaining the history of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. This grain mixture is referred to as the mash bill. Tim and I stayed here on our most recent visit to Louisville and we had a very nice experience here. If you are looking for a highly rated hotel and dont want to spend a lot of money, this is a great option. The food is delicious!! After reading your article, I am sold and will make the arrangements soon. Plus, there is more to see and do in this part of Kentucky, with scenic drives, great towns to visit, and restaurants to try. 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. In this guide, learn how to plan a trip around the world. 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. And , even then, their maps are already obsolete before they even hit the plotter. Your email address will not be published. Located just outside of Lexington, stay in a suite or one-bedroom apartment, perfect if you like having extra space or a kitchenette. The final distillery is back up near Louisville: The Bulleit Frontier Whiskey Experience. Creating a snapshot image is easy since all dimensions are measured in pixels. In one day, it is possible to do three to four tours and/or tastings. We opted to take the 30 minute Unlocking the Senses tasting, where we sampled four Bulleit whiskeys. Also, consider how the map will be folded. Yes! Some distilleries are closed on Mondays. My husband has been thinking about taking me to one for out anniversary. Very interested in a 3 day trip. We chose the self-driving option. It's a National Historic Landmark, but it's also gorgeously maintained, and set in a dreamlike corner of the Bourbon Trail. As for tours, it looks like distilleries are still offering tours and tastings, but I would get the full details for each distillery on their website (we have a link for each distillery in this post). Are you? On the tours, learn how bourbon is produced, hear about the history of the distillery, and end with a bourbon tasting. 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 For more great things to do in Louisville, read our post 12 Best Things to do in Louisville. Hours vary by day of the week, with more tour times on Fridays and Saturdays. Take a specialized tour of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. More Information for Your Trip to Louisville. It's located next to a field full of giant rickhouses, which is what the building where barrels of bourbon age are called. Children under 21 are welcome on tours, for free or at a discounted cost (and no sampling whiskey for them, of course). Our favorite experience on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail was the cocktail class at Bardstown Bourbon. Make sure you check the hours of the distilleries you want to visit before your trip. It can be chilly, but most of the time we were indoors, so weather wasnt much of a factor. It smells wonderful and it kind of made me hungry! Each distillery has a gift shop selling bourbon and related souvenirs. two memorable characters created by jack london, latest obituaries crewe,