The birthplace of bourbon, Kentucky is brimming with the spirit of tradition. The official Kentucky Bourbon Trail is a program sponsored by the Kentucky Distillers Association to promote the state’s bourbon industry and preserve its heritage. Since its inception in 1999, 16 distilleries have become part of the program and offer public tours complete with history, education, and yes, tastings.
Let your spirit be your guide as you explore the famed Kentucky Bourbon Trail.
Must-See Highlights
Louisville is at the heart of the KBT, offering six of the 16 distilleries on the tour (four of which are within a mile of each other) as well as the famed Kentucky Bourbon Trail Welcome Center at the Frazier Museum. Tour the complete exhibition, which includes a unique bottle room and authentic secret speakeasy entrance. You’ll also find bourbon’s influence in other places throughout the city, from bourbon-inspired meals to memorabilia and other marks of its lasting heritage.
Shepardsville and Owensboro bring you nose to nose with Jim Beam, along with a chance to grab your own bottle of Knob Creek right off the bottling line.
Bardstown, also known as the KBT trailhead and the Bourbon Capital of the World, is home to Heaven Hill Bourbon Heritage Center, where you can take tours and enjoy tastings in a barrel-shaped room. The city also hosts other distilleries, museums, and some of the best bars and taverns in the state.
Lebanon, Lexington, Lawrenceburg, Danville, and areas in northern Kentucky offers multiple other points of interest, including distilleries and other influences that provide a further testament to bourbon’s role in the state’s history.
Planning Your Trip
The 16 distilleries on the tour are sprinkled throughout the Bluegrass State. The program has put together a nine-day itinerary (among others) to see and explore them all, but you can set your own schedule and visit them as you wish.
When you stop at your first distillery, pick up a free souvenir passport and collect your commemorative stamp at each location. Visit all 16 distilleries to complete your passport, then redeem it for a free official Kentucky Bourbon Trail Tasting Glass, a well-deserved trophy that testifies to your Kentucky Bourbon commitment.
You can also reserve a seat on the KBT Tour, which partners you with a transportation company that will shuttle you throughout the tour. There’s no planning required, and certainly no chance of drinking and driving.
Where will your spirit guide you first?
