GerTex Posted July 15, 2019 Share Posted July 15, 2019 Going on a 4 Day KBT Tour with two of my friends in early August. We are staying in an AirBNB in LV/Butchertown for 4 Nights. L Day 1 (Arrival Day) * Afternoon Arrival * Explore Butchertown and Downtown with possible distillery visits (OF, EW, AE) and / or Louisville Slugger Museum Day 2 (Southern Route) * Quick Visit at Jim Beam (no tour) * 10am Maker's Tour * 12:30pm Willett Tour * 3pm Barton Tour * Quick Visit at Heaven Hill (no tour) * Dinner at Old Talbott Inn * Evening Entertainment at Downtown LV Day 3 (Eastern Route) * Quick Stop at Daniel Boone Gravesite * 9am Buffalo Trace Tour * 11am Woodford Tour * Lunch at Wallace Station * Quick Visit at Wild Turkey (no tour) * 3pm Four Roses Tour * Evening Entertainment at Downtown LV Day 4 (Louisville) * 8am Churchill Downs Museum and Historic Tour * 11am Bulleit Tour * Lunch at Wagner;s Pharmacy * Afternoon Explore Butchertown and Downtown with possible distillery visits (OF, EW, AE) and / or Louisville Slugger Museum Day 5 (Back Home) Looking for some feedback: Is this schedule doable ? We have two afternoons in Downtown Louisville. I am leaning towards doing the EW Speakeasy Tour but not OF or AE. Louisville: Any must visit Bars / Restaurants ? Skipping Jim Beam and Heaven Hill Tours, Lux Row and Bardstown Distilling all together, right call ? Thanks for the feedback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tanstaafl2 Posted July 15, 2019 Share Posted July 15, 2019 I thought the downtown OF tour was nicely done. Kind of a toss up between that and EW. Bars depend a lot on what kind of bar you like. I tend to go to more off beat cocktail bars that are not necessarily bourbon or even whiskey centric. And even then the turn over can be pretty rapid in the bar world. I liked Lola which is located over and a part of the Butchertown Grocery. Spendy but sometimes have interesting music if that interests you. Social media probably has the latest activity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richnimrod Posted July 15, 2019 Share Posted July 15, 2019 The only comment I'll make is the days all seem pretty fully packed. ...Which is fine, if you're trying to get a lot into the trip. I assume relaxation and contemplation will be in the evenings and afterward... because you won't have time for too much of it during any of the days. The travel between locations can occasionally bollocks up a plan this tightly scheduled as well, just so you know. The Barton Tour is somewhat better than it once was a few years back; but, the distillery is quite "well-aged" and pretty 'industrial', so some are a little underwhelmed by this aspect. Personally, I like it, especially if you get an opportunity to compare it with a new, modern, shiny place like Bardstown Distilling Co. (quite a difference, and very well-designed...pretty even!). ...Or Lux Row, also new and very nice. Hope you have good weather and a great time. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lcpfratn Posted July 15, 2019 Share Posted July 15, 2019 I don’t think you’ll be able to visit Beam and make a Maker’s tour at 10:00am. Making it back to Willet for a 12:30pm tour will also be tough. The time you have allotted from the start of your BT tour to the start of your Woodford tour is also pretty tight, so you might want to reconsider that. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flahute Posted July 15, 2019 Share Posted July 15, 2019 Maker's is pretty far out there on roads that can't be driven fastly so I agree with Jeff that this seems tight. Generally, your schedule sounds technically feasible but it seems there's no room for anything to go wrong and there's no room for lingering a bit to take things in when done with a tour. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vosgar Posted July 15, 2019 Share Posted July 15, 2019 If you like good home cooking, you might consider Kurtz's restaurant in Bardstown instead of the Old Talbot Inn. IMO, the Talbot might have the better atmosphere but Kurtz has better food. Others might recommend The Rickhouse Restaurant and their steaks, but the only time I was there it didn't impress me. If you'd rather go with a fun bar with good food you can't go wrong with Mammy's Kitchen and Bar. In Louisville I was going to recommend Bourbon's Bistro because they have a very nice whiskey selection along with good food, but it looks like they've changed the menu and their outstanding pork chop is no longer on it . Still a nice place and if you like to have a cigar, their outdoor porch is the place to eat, drink and relax. And from the looks of your itinerary, you're going to want to relax. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PowderKeg Posted July 16, 2019 Share Posted July 16, 2019 Some comments: AFAIK you can only tour Bardstown Bourbon Co thru Mint Julep Tours (read that as expensive and a lot of time), so nothing to miss there unless you want to spend a whole bunch of money and time on one tour. Since you list Beam as a quick stop, assume it doesn't rank high on the must do list. Suggest skipping there altogether and head straight to Makers for their first tour of the day - there's no way you can stop at Beam at 9 am and still make a 10 am tour at Makers anyway. Makers doesn't reserve a specific tour time, only a day, so you can end up waiting around for an open tour when they're busy, which can easily foul up any tour plans/times you have reserved later elsewhere. If you still want to hit a Beam site, do the Urban Bourbon tasting at 4th st, it's open late and has Beam bling. Def recommend the Speakeasy tasting, fit it in if at all possible. OF is also a very good tour, but would skip if you can only go on a Sun or Mon, since they don't run (but still tour). Michters was also surprisingly enjoyable, the tour is the shortest distance of all - half the length the building - but the tasting and unique olfactory experience made up for it. LuxRow was also pretty good - if you have extra time in Bardstown and can fit it in comfortably. I wouldn't drop Willett or Barton though. All the Bardstown locations are minutes apart, so easier to hit one after the other with the short travel times. Don't bet on any tour starting or ending exactly on time - some are much netter than others, but don't plan your stops down to the minute. Traffic and never ending construction projects can foul things up too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GerTex Posted July 16, 2019 Author Share Posted July 16, 2019 Thanks for the feedback so far. I will make adjustments based on your feedback: Day 1: Skipping Jim Beam visit altogether and heading straight to Maker's in the morning to catch their first tour of the day. That means I would have 3hrs between Makers and Willett Tours. Day 2: I will move the times around to allow 3hrs between all tours I will also book the Speakeasy Tour at Evan Williams. Thanks again for your advice. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishnbowljoe Posted July 16, 2019 Share Posted July 16, 2019 Heaven Hill could be a little sketchy. They’re updating the visitor center, so there is construction going on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CardsandBourbon Posted July 25, 2019 Share Posted July 25, 2019 What type of food do you like? Downtown restaurants include Bristol Bar & Grill. If you eat there get an order of Green Chili Wonton's. Don't fight me on this, just do it. More casual is Troll Pub, Bluegrass Brewing Co. (BBC). Breakfast one day at Dish on Market. Get the Presidential Breakfast, an egg, toast, fruit, bacon, milk and a shot of OGD BIB. Supposedly this was Truman's breakfast every day. Bardstown Road has a number of good places to eat too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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