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When to do the bourbon trail and how long to do it right?


dhedrick
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The title pretty much says it all. Aside from the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, when is the best time to your the trail as well as the additional surrounding distilleries? How long do I need to really do it "right".

Now that I'm within driving distance I was thinking I will probably do a long weekend 1-2 times annually, but since I've never been before, I would like to make a real vacation of it at least once.

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My recommendation - is to NOT go around the KBF (less crowds, more possibility of finding decent bottles in gift shops, etc). My dad and I did it over a Memorial Day weekend, and we had a blast. The weather was nice, it wasn't crowded, and we had a blast. Doing it over a long weekend was a bit trying, but that was what we had. We did 3 distilleries a day for the first two days (WT, FR and Woodford on day 1; BT, Barton and JB on day 2), and 2 the last day (MM and HH). We scheduled it so we spent one night in Frankfort, and the next two in Bardstown - where we could do some tastings in the evening. We could have spent two days in Frankfort and only hit two each day there, but it wasn't terribly rushed to be honest (although we're morning people, so we hit the 9am tours at the first stop each day!)

If I could take a week and go back and do it, I would probably look to do it between Labor Day and KBF so the weather is decent, and the crowds haven't cleaned out the gift shops. Or, I would pick a week in May. Have fun!

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I think you're best off with your current plan which is to hit it one long weekend at a time.

That gives you time to reflect on what you've seen and go back with a new small mission each time.

Trying to do it all in one big vacation will likely be overwhelming, and the common themes behind the distilleries might even get tiresome if all done back to back.

It's like the difference between attending class many times over the semester and learning the subject incrementally instead of cramming the night before the exam.

The more I have learned about the distilleries the more I get out of the tours, even the same ones I took before. The first times it was just sensory/concept overload. A few distilleries over a long weekend is about the perfect bite size.

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We did 8 distilleries in 3 days plus travel to and from KY, plus an extra day for side trips, during March spring break. 2 or 3 distilleries per day, with travel between, and time for local shopping, was really best for us. Next time I want to get to other areas of KY, and change up which distilleries we tour.

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Visiting from the other side of the world, I've put a lot of thought into my trips both times I've been to KY. Personally I like a laid back approach, don't like to be rushed, and like to spend more time than just 'tour time' at distilleries if the mood takes. There's nothing nicer than grabbing a drink or bite to eat and kicking back to soak up a distillery atmosphere. There's also so much 'bourbon' stuff to do around Louisville, Bardstown & Frankfort outside of the distillery tours (that I'd happily spend a month there if I could!) So, saying that, for me, I'd go with 5-7 days upfront, then a more precise plan for weekend visits in the future.

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If youre an out-of-stater, I would suggest late May, or early September right before the KBF. Those times will get you the best weather and natural scenery the region has to offer. Late Sept-October would be great too, but as mentioned above, the KBF festival may leave the area depleted of special offerings, which means nothing to me anyway.

I love that sweet smell of a rickhouse...

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+1 on May/Sept..great time of year. Fall is nice and you can do a few side trips around Lex to wineries if you get a bit bored with the same theme on the tours (heck, there's one just across Hwy 60 from the turn off to Woodford Reserve).

Side trips (around the distilleries):

Wineries (partial list): http://www.kentuckywine.com/wineries-vineyards/wineries-list/

Trappist monks: https://www.gethsemanifarms.org/

If you're a running and can get a team together (warning, it's a 200 mile relay): http://www.bourbonchase.com/

Mammoth Cave area: http://www.mammothcave.com/

Rockcastle Shooting Center (a bit out of the way but near Mammoth Cave): https://sites.google.com/site/rockcastlelive/

Shaker Village: http://www.shakervillageky.org/

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A few thoughts.

You can visit 3 distilleries a day, but you will feel rushed. 2 is much more enjoyable.

Buffalo Trace and Barton are not part of the Bourbon Trail, but you will still want to visit them.

A cooperage visit to Independent Stave is also worth your time.

There are many craft distillers, with their own tour, in the area. A visit to one is fun just to see the difference from the big guys.

The area can get a little crowded during events such as Kentucky Bourbon Festival, Bourbon Chase, spring sampler, Kentucky Derby, Bourbon Affair, etc.

Most distilleries shut down for a while in the summer. This may be 2 days or 2 months when you will not get to see some operations such as fermentation and distilling.

Some operations such as bottling may not operate every day or weekends.

Several distilleries offer more than one tour. You may need to take multiple tours to see the entire operation.

Take your time and understand that you will probably want to visit again no matter how much you do or experience.

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A few thoughts.

You can visit 3 distilleries a day, but you will feel rushed. 2 is much more enjoyable.

Buffalo Trace and Barton are not part of the Bourbon Trail, but you will still want to visit them.

A cooperage visit to Independent Stave is also worth your time.

There are many craft distillers, with their own tour, in the area. A visit to one is fun just to see the difference from the big guys.

The area can get a little crowded during events such as Kentucky Bourbon Festival, Bourbon Chase, spring sampler, Kentucky Derby, Bourbon Affair, etc.

Most distilleries shut down for a while in the summer. This may be 2 days or 2 months when you will not get to see some operations such as fermentation and distilling.

Some operations such as bottling may not operate every day or weekends.

Several distilleries offer more than one tour. You may need to take multiple tours to see the entire operation.

Take your time and understand that you will probably want to visit again no matter how much you do or experience.

Sound advice IMHO. Pretty much nailed all the key points. Do make time for Independent Stave. Really cool tour. Also, be sure to call ahead / visit distillery websites for hours and plan your trip accordingly. It's a blast.

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as cazolman stated, there are times they shut down for maintenance, etc. While driving to FL over the summer (mid-July), I had to stop and take a Dickel tour. Of course, that was during their shut down week, but it was still a cool place to see anyway. If you can plan around those, do so.

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I suggest October-November or March-April. Distilleries will be running, crowds will be small, weather shouldn't be too bad.

Take your time and do other things.

You might want to contact Mint Julep or another tour company for some or all of your visit, the most obvious benefit being you don't have to worry about drinking and driving that way.

Be sure to sign up for the hard hat tour (reservations required) at Buffalo Trace rather than just taking the walk-in tour.

There is a lot to be said for making Louisville your base, in terms of the many lodging, dining, and drinking choices as well as attractions both bourbon (Evan Williams Experience, Brown-Forman Cooperage, Bulleit Experience at Stitzel-Weller) and non-bourbon (Louisville Slugger, Muhammad Ali Center). If you don't like cities and prefer something more intimate, Bardstown has some wonderful B&Bs.

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Take your time. Im up in KY for business every fall and usually only have 1 day to devote to distillery hopping so Im always rushed.

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