We didn’t think twice when Malcolm’s college buddy suggested a trip to Kentucky to tour the Bourbon Trail. Within hours of the conversation, we had booked flights from Orlando to Louisville, reserved a hotel for four nights, and made reservations to tour six distilleries.
The thing about the Kentucky Bourbon trail is that you don’t have to be a bourbon lover to enjoy the experience. Distilleries are as unique as the bourbon they produce; each has something to appreciate. Like wineries, most were designed with both production and entertainment in mind. Maybe it didn’t start out that way, but with the popularity of Bourbon and Bourbon cocktails at an all-time high, everyone is in on the act.
We toured distilleries set in the beautiful bluegrass countryside of Kentucky and some that blended seamlessly into the cityscape of Louisville. Timeless copper pot stills, side by side with modern steel tanks, and old-time wooden fermenting barrels juxtaposed with those made of steel. The tools may vary but the process is essentially the same and the product ends up in white oak barrels (charred to the distilleries’ specifications). There, they await their time to be bottled and consumed.
What sets one Bourbon apart from another depends on a few things, including the char on the inside of the barrel, the grain selection (flavor is created by different combinations of grains), yeast preparation, and even the water source. It all begins with corn, which must be at least 51% of the grain mixture to be considered Bourbon.
What sets the distillery experience apart is the facility, tools of the trade, setting, tour guide, and tasting. Ultimately, the brands we prefer to drink are not influenced by pomp and circumstance, but by taste.
Barrels play an important part in the process as the color and flavor come from the char the barrel receives. Click on this link to see the charring process.
Tasting – Like red wine, the taste of Bourbon is enhanced by chocolate. Several of our tastings included dark chocolate and cherry-flavored chocolate. Some had palate cleansers (crackers) and others offered gimmicks like holding your nose for the first taste, followed by a slow inhale and taste to exhibit that flavors are detected by both aroma and taste. Not a bourbon connoisseur myself, I enjoyed detecting notes of cherry, vanilla, smoke, and caramel in some of the brands we tasted. Sometimes the finish is smooth, and other times firey. I got a kick out of how it was described as a warm hug in the chest. Yeah, right! That’s where we part ways and I reach for a cocktail recipe.
The Trail
The Kentucky Bourbon Trail is vast and impossible to tour in just a few days – (not sure who would aspire to do the whole thing). It is best to choose a region, or a couple of your favorite brands and start there.
Several companies provide transportation for private and group tours in the area, but we designed our own, based on brands we liked and proximity to our hotel.
Each tour and tasting takes about one and a half to two hours to complete and our driving time added from fifteen minutes to two hours for the tours we chose. We decided that two distilleries per day would be our limit based on available time. We typically finished our tours around 2:00 leaving plenty of time for a light lunch and a rest before heading out to dinner.
Our tours took us to the Louisville Region, the Bardstown Region, and the Lexington Region. Drive time each day was between 15 minutes to 2 hours, (each way). We kept a daily scorecard based on the facility, presentation of the process, and tasting. Our favorites are in order below.
Lux Row – Top in All Three Categories. The grounds are beautiful and the tour delightful. My favorite part on every tour (most especially this one) was stepping inside the Rick House with its rows and layers of Bourbon barrels. The fragrance was intoxicatingly (see what I did there?) aromatic. Imagine brown sugar, caramel, vanilla…
Woodford Reserve shares the top spot with Lux Row. Imagine a serene pastoral drive through rural Kentucky, where horse farms and training centers dot the landscape. Majestic canopied trees line the road, creating a picturesque scene. The drive is a perfect prelude to the experience awaiting you at the distillery. The visitors’ center, nestled amidst this charming scenery, offers a delightful place to unwind and anticipate the upcoming tour and tasting. Pride in craftsmanship and reverence for nature are palpable at every turn, setting the stage for a truly enriching visit.
Willett – This tour included tastings staged along the route. Points for being clever with the tasting. Extra points for our enthusiastic and highly engaged tour guide. We were invited to taste the mash (see the open tank below) which was also unique to this tour. This is a fun, sit-a-while kind of place.
Mitcher’s is located in a historic building in downtown Louisville. This comprehensive tour explains the production process in a ‘condensed’ display/working facility. It is a great starting point for your Bourbon Trail, as Mitcher’s has been honoring the process since 1753 and is the first whisky distillery in the US. The educational experience at Mitcher’s will provide you with valuable insights as you visit other distilleries.
Angels Envy – Founded in 2010, Angels Envy is a relatively new modern production facility in downtown Louisville. The distillery was constructed in a building dating back to the 1900s, which had sat vacant for nearly thirty years before Angels Envy renovated it. While the facility is impressive in its organization and the tour was comprehensive and professional, I personally felt rushed through the bottling area. This is a unique feature of the Angels Envy tour that we had not seen at other distilleries and I would have liked more time here. For anyone interested, Angels Envy personalizes bottles for an additional price. I thought that was a great gift idea for the bourbon lover who has everything.
Four Roses – Reusable sippy cups, presented to us at the beginning of the tour were filled with a Bourbon cocktail made with lemonade. This was a nice touch, especially on a warm day, but the tour fell flat when we entered the distillery which seemed in disarray and even a bit dangerous with slippery inclined ramps and drenched floors. Headphones with a battery pack added an impersonal and commercial feel to the tour. The grounds were pretty and there were lots of staged photo opportunities. The tasting was well presented.
Cocktail Recipes – For those who don’t ‘take my Whiskey neat’ I’ll share Malcolm’s Old Fashioned recipe and ‘The Buck’ which I discovered somewhere along the trail.
Old Fashioned
2 oz Bourbon, 1/2 oz Demerara Simple Syrup, 4 dashes bitters, orange peel garnish. Add ingredients to a shaker with ice, and strain into a single cube rocks glass. Twist the orange peel and drop it into the glass.
The Buck
1 1/2 oz Bourbon, 1/2 oz Lemon Juice, 1/4 oz Simple Syrup, 4 oz Grapefruit Soda. Mix Bourbon and lemon juice, together. Pour over ice and top with soda. Variation: top with ginger ale, or ginger beer instead of grapefruit soda.
Picture Retirement 
It looks like a fascinating tour Suzanne – it reminded me of the wineries we toured in our European cruise several years ago. So much goes into the background of production that goes unseen without tours like this. Glad you had such an enjoyable time with friends to share it with.
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Leanne, it was a fun and educational experience. If I ever face Bourbon making questions on a Trivia game I am prepared.
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Thanks for sharing your experience, Suzanne. Thanks, too for including the barrel making video. I love the tradition held in this simple yet vastly complex process. Cheers!
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Dan, I wanted to tour a Cooperage like the one in the video, but we failed to make reservations in advance, assuming we would ‘fit it in.’ Bad assumption. Reservations are required. The process is extremely envolved and specific to the industry. If you haven’t done the Bourbon Trail, I highly recommend it. Thanks for stopping by.
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What a fabulous tour, Suzanne. I am inspired that you and Malcolm booked your flights shortly after the conversation suggesting this trail. This is a great reminder to seize the moment. We have a Nanaimo Bar Trail nearby. Just sayin’. 😀
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Donna, I never saw these two guys get things done so effeciently. Usually Claudia and I have to get involved, but not this time. I put on my head phones to watch a movie and by the time it finished the plans were in place. I just googled the Nanaimo Bar Trail – yep, I’m in. Let’s do it!
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Awesome!! You will love this area. Lots of bloggers here as well (Deb @ WBA, Erica, Judith, Ann…the list is endless). 😀
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And we could probably convince Terri to come out this way! ❤
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I would love that. We will need Janis and Cathy too. Maybe July or August next year.
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That would be awesome!
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This sounds like a really interesting few days. We both like bourbon so would both enjoy the tastings but there might be arguments about who would be driving and have to forego that treat!
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Sarah, I like Bourbon but am not at the level of appreciation that the others have developed, so I happily accepted designated driver status. With only two tastings per day and food in between, they never needed me. You could always hire a chauffeured tour bus. 🙂 We saw lots of those.
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Suzanne, you and Malcolm know how to have fun! Touring along the Bourbon Trail is a a great way to see Kentucky. I enjoyed your reviews of each distillery. Did you bring any home? We are not bourbon drinkers but we enjoyed a tour of the Wild Turkey distillery several years ago when we were in Lexington to watch Georgia play Kentucky.
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Beth, we brought 4 bottles home with us, packed in dirty laundry and checked in our luggage. They survived. We were reminded of Scotch distillery tours we took while in Scotland. In fact, some of the potstills we saw in Kentucky were made there. We find the process fascinating, and Malcolm enjoys Bourbon, so it’s a win-win for us. Riding through the countryside is a huge bonus. Have a great week.
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Amazing – we have done the Trail five times and yet I still learned stuff from your blog. Next time we travel I will send you the itinerary in advance.
I am still learning about this blog stuff. Found Morgan’s blog today.
Maybe I will write one about an old guy in retirement. A physical therapist this week told me I am doing well for a guy in his late 70’s. But I told him I want to do as well as a guy in his 50’s. His laughter was not kind.
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Hey John, this was our second trip and yes, there is always something new to learn. Next time I want to visit a cooperage to see the barrel making and charring process. I think that would be pretty amazing. The pot stills at Woodford Reserve looked exactly like the ones we saw in Scotland. Sure enough, they were made there.
Morgan doesn’t keep her blog up anymore. She should, since she takes much better trips and is a better writer than me. Just this year they have been to Italy and Japan. She updates her Instagram and has lots of beautiful photos from their travels there. You can find her here https://www.instagram.com/captain_morgan_v/
I always fill in the next few words when my doctor starts a sentence with ‘you are in good shape__ __ ___ ____For an Old Lady’! Glad you are doing well. Cheers! Love to Linda.
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Suzanne, This looks like a fun and educational tour. Your photos are beautiful. I had done wine production and tasting tours but not bourbon. Thank you for sharing your experience and scorecard.
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Hi Natalie, wine production has a lot of similarities to bourbon, and tastings are always fun, regardless of the product. Glad you like the photos. Have a great week.
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Chocolate certainly does have a lot of amazing uses! Sounds like a laid back and lovely tour.
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It was a lot of fun. Chocolate makes everything better.
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Chocolate?? I’ve done a lot of wine tastings over the years and never once been given chocolate as part of it – it’s always savoury biscuits (crackers), water and occasionally cheese. Chocolate? I can’t even imagine that working!? Glad you had a good time on the bourbon tour, such things are always good fun.
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Yep, chocolate is a thing. Here’s why. https://cocoarunners.com/chocopedia/perfect-pairings-dark-chocolate-and-red-wine/ I’m surprised you’ve never been offered it when tasting red wine. Anyway, it does the same thing for Bourbon as it does for red wine. The flavors come alive. Now, would I eat a piece of chocolate cake while sipping a glass of cabernet? Maybe.
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This looks interesting and might be a good reasons to visit Kentucky for the first time. Even though I’m not a Bourbon drinking, I’m a sucker for any production process tour.
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Tracey, I am the same way about production tours. It could just as well have been a pottery business.
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If we ever get to Kentucky, I know my hubby would LOVE this tour! Looks like a lot of fun, Susanne. Thanks for sharing the details! And I like Bourbon.
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Terri, it’s a really fun thing to do with friends. We had a lot of good laughs.
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Suzanne,
Several years ago, Helen and I attended a production of “Antiques Roadshow” in Louisville, then took a tour of the Makers Mark Distillery (my favorite). It was fascinating and, you’re correct, a tour guide makes all the difference in what you come away with. A cooperage tour sounds extremely interesting. Thanks for the tip. Enjoy your Labor Day. Joe
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Joe, we drove out to Makers Mark the last time we were in Kentucky, but were too late for a tour. The grounds there are beautiful. Louisville seemed changed since our last visit – very high concentration of homeless people. I don’t remember it being that way a few years ago. The Brown Hotel actually has a police officer posted at the entrance to keep vagrants out. Sad.
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What a fun trip! We’ve been to Louisville and Bardstown and visited several distilleries. Woodford was also one of favorites, but Angel’s Envy is our top fav. Based on your recommendation, we need to try Lux next time we’re in the area. A good Old Fashioned is our favorite!
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Laurel, a friend of mine does the Trail regularly and he just sent me three itineraries and all of them inclded staying in Bardstown. We’ve been twice now, and picked the Brown Hotel both times. Unfortunately, that part of town is looking a bit sketchy these days. Next time, we will definitely choose Bardstown. We brought home a couple of bottles of (can’t get it in our market) Angel’s Envy. I personally think that is a marketing gimick, but oh well. I think you will love the tour at Lux Row. Malcolm makes a very good Old Fashioned. I forgot to mention the Bourbon soaked cherries that he uses. Makes all the difference.
Hope all is well with you guys. I miss your tales. Any travel plans coming up, or just enjoying life?
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Suzanne, thanks for thinking of us (and missing us)! I’ve been working on a long overdue catch-up post. I didn’t realize just how much time I needed to get fully settled into our new life in North Carolina. We are thoroughly loving life in Flat Rock and have a couple of brief trips planned this month. I figured you guys use the “good” cherries. It definitely makes all the difference! We also use Bourbon soaked cherries, as well as bitters that we bought at Woodford. It would be fun to have Old Fashioned’s together! 🙂
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Laurel, I’ll look forward to the catch up post. We will have that Bourbor one day.
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Sounds like a great time, Suzanne. I’ve never tried Bourbon before, but it would be fun to be introduced to it with a tour and a tasting. And I’ve never been to Kentucky, so I think I should look into this as something new to explore.
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Christie, even if you don’t drink Bourbon the tours are fun. Besides, everyone loves a Bourbon cocktail. We are already thinking of which diltilleries we will visit next time. The drive through Kentucky makes any trip there worthwhile. Thanks for stopping by and have a great week.
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We did this years ago with some friends and it was so much fun because of the bourbon, of course. But experiencing each distillery, and how different they each are, got us talking for hours. Funny about Four Roses, it was our favorite, but it sounds like it has changed. We went to Makers Mark where you get to dip the top of your bottle into the red wax. A memory, that place.
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Ally, Four Roses had a lot to love, we just couldn’t get past the condition of the distillery. If they had left that part off the tour we would have raved about the place.
The first time we visited, it was just the two of us and we had a great time. It’s so much more fun with friends. Especially those who don’t judge the plate of fried chicken you are having with your Bourbon cocktail!
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