Here are the Bourbon Distilleries, Restaurants And Attractions We (Dawn, Nina, Dave & Michael) Recommend:
Louisville
(We stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn Downtown that is walking distance from 4th street, and they have a great 8th floor bar called 8 Up that has a great view of the city.)
- Old Forrester -really good tour for new Bourbon drinker, nice bar but a bit pricey, very busy, book ahead
- Kentucky Peerless small craft distillery
- Angel’s Envy -if you don’t have time for a tour, you could go to their gift shop (not far from Old Forrester)
- Michter’s – we didn’t do the tour but they had a cool bar upstairs
- Evan Williams – has a mock tour and history of Heaven Hill and then you do a tasting
- Stitzel-Weller – good history tour; not a working distillery. Original place where Pappy’s, Weller, and Old Fitzgerald were made. We took an Uber there and back ( a bit outside the city). If you go, make sure you talk to Perry.
- Jim Beam – Great tasting area, self dispensing bourbon machines!! And you can dip your own bottle of Knob Creek”
Restaurants: - 4th Street – has cool restaurants and bars. We liked Guy Fieri’s Smokehouse. They also have a cool Jim Beam gift shop
- Mama’s Mustard, Pickles, and BBQ – outside of Louisville, great BBQ (if you go, then buy us a jar of Mama’s rub)
Frankfurt
- Buffalo Trace – offers several FREE tours that should be booked online ahead of time, also very busy.
- Woodford Reserve – not to far from Frankfurt; beautiful distillery, good tastings, and nice gift shop (if they have a double double oak which releases once a year in the gift shop, please buy us a bottle)
- Castle & Key – very close from Woodford and very beautiful. Old EH Taylor distillery that looks like a castle. Bourbon still aging but they have gin and vodka cocktails at the end of the tour .
- Wild Turkey – built a new gift shop and visitor center a few years ago. Jimmy Russell often sits in the gift shop on Saturday morning and signs bottles (if you don’t know him then Google him).
Options in between Louisville and Frankfurt
- Jeptha Creed– small family owned distillery
- Bulleit Frontier Whiskey Experience – you can take a tour or at least stop in the gift shop and they have a bar that makes really good drinks.
- Maker’s Mark – A bit of a drive but it’s iconic. Their facility that ages their 1846 bourbon is gorgeous! You can hand dip a bottle
- Four Roses – Beautiful, Spanish architecture
- Lux Row – Interesting new distillery
Note: Pick up a Bourbon Passport that you can have stamped at each bourbon distillery on the Bourbon trail.
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