Taking "the tour"

[Dedward429]

So I'm taking a trip to KY in Oct for the intended purpose of taking tours/visiting my favorite distilleries. FR, WT, BT, EW, OF, JB. Im going to schedule tours well in advance, but was wondering if anyone has any advice or wisdom to share while visiting these places? Also, am I missing any key distillery? I have 7 days so I have plenty of time. Appreciate any advice you have to offer. Cheers!

[GeeTen]

1.  Don't try to schedule more than a couple of distillery tours per day. 

 

2.  Check out a map of The Bourbon Trail and try to group your tours geographically so you're not driving long distances between tours (some distilleries are a long way from each other).  And you get a checklist to other distilleries that you might want to visit.

 

3.  Eat lunch!

 

4.  Don't be afraid to use the "spit bucket" and drink water between samples - Kentucky State Police can be very unfriendly (unless, of course, you bring your designated driver or your badge).

 

Have a nice, relaxed vacation and enjoy your time in the Motherland.  JMHO.       

 

[Richnimrod]

One caveat... Don't wait to iron out your itinerary, and make the decisions that will place you at each distillery at a predetermined time/date.   Then, Immediately make those tour reservations.   My son and I tried to make reservations in early March for a similar excursion to The Motherland in late April, and found no openings . . . at any of our preferred locations/times.   DON'T WAIT!

[fishnbowljoe]

You forgot MM on your list.  It’s one of my favorite distilleries. Their story is a bit questionable, but the grounds are beautiful. 

 

My only piece of advice would be to not plan things on too close of a timetable. Leave yourself plenty of time at each distillery,  and to get from one distillery to the next. It’s very easy to get distracted. You meet people with the same interest and can get to chatting. Then there’s the gift shops with all their BSO’s. (Bright Shiny Objects)  

[IamMatt]

Just spend a week there in July.

 

--Adding my voice to the "book your tours NOW" chorus.  Especially BT. 

 

--I have heard WT puts out allocated bottles first thing in the AM so you you might want to book your tour then, or at least get to the distillery store first thing.

 

--Consider doing a Makers Mark tour if you have time.  We are not the biggest MM fans but their grounds are beautiful.

 

--You can visit most distilleries without booking a formal tour; some will let you taste without a tour and some will not.  You probably know Whiskey Row on Main Street in Louisville has a bunch of distilleries represented so you can get a lot of visits in a short period.  Also in Louisville, check out the Frazier Museum if you can, it's "the first stop on the Bourbon Trail."  Check out Evergreen Liquor and Westport Whiskey and Wine. 

 

--Spend some time in Bardstown.  It's small enough that everything is close by.  Look into the Talbott Tavern, Volstead Bourbon Lounge, and having a meal at Mammy's, and check out The Blind Pig.  It's a small store but they do two samples for $5.  Good stores include Toddy's, Liquor World, and Bourbon Home Liquors.  Also check out the Getz Museum of Whiskey History there.  La Herradura is a Mexican restaurant with a pretty good bourbon selection in the bar (no ambiance, though); I tried 3 different Lucky 7 expressions there.

 

--"The Bourbon Trail" is a trademark of the Kentucky Distiller's Association, and there area a LOT of distilleries that are not on the official Trail, so don't get locked into just official "Bourbon Trail" lists and maps. 

 

 

[Old Hippie]

Consider Woodford. A beautiful and historic property but what I like best is they have no secrets so ask them anything you want

[markandrex]

MM, this hallway alone does it for me!

[Clueby]

4 hours ago, Old Hippie said:

Consider Woodford. A beautiful and historic property but what I like best is they have no secrets so ask them anything you want

HA...they sure didn't like me asking about how much of what's in a Woodford bottle is distilled elsewhere and blended with the stuff that comes from their beautiful pot stills.  The like to push the illusion that it goes straight from those stills, to the bottling line, to the consumer.

[smokinjoe]

4 hours ago, markandrex said:

MM, this hallway alone does it for me!

That is a gorgeous walk for sure.

[MJL]

9 hours ago, IamMatt said:

Just spend a week there in July.

 

--Adding my voice to the "book your tours NOW" chorus.  Especially BT. 

 

--I have heard WT puts out allocated bottles first thing in the AM so you you might want to book your tour then, or at least get to the distillery store first thing.

 

--Consider doing a Makers Mark tour if you have time.  We are not the biggest MM fans but their grounds are beautiful.

 

--You can visit most distilleries without booking a formal tour; some will let you taste without a tour and some will not.  You probably know Whiskey Row on Main Street in Louisville has a bunch of distilleries represented so you can get a lot of visits in a short period.  Also in Louisville, check out the Frazier Museum if you can, it's "the first stop on the Bourbon Trail."  Check out Evergreen Liquor and Westport Whiskey and Wine. 

 

--Spend some time in Bardstown.  It's small enough that everything is close by.  Look into the Talbott Tavern, Volstead Bourbon Lounge, and having a meal at Mammy's, and check out The Blind Pig.  It's a small store but they do two samples for $5.  Good stores include Toddy's, Liquor World, and Bourbon Home Liquors.  Also check out the Getz Museum of Whiskey History there.  La Herradura is a Mexican restaurant with a pretty good bourbon selection in the bar (no ambiance, though); I tried 3 different Lucky 7 expressions there.

 

--"The Bourbon Trail" is a trademark of the Kentucky Distiller's Association, and there area a LOT of distilleries that are not on the official Trail, so don't get locked into just official "Bourbon Trail" lists and maps. 

 

 

Toddy's is a hidden gem. 

[Richnimrod]

52 minutes ago, MJL said:

Toddy's is a hidden gem. 

Well, it used to be, anyway.   IMO, it's worth the time only if you're looking for Bargain Bourbons.   Their 'bottom shelf' offerings are usually fairly priced.   

10-years ago, they had some "less-common" bottles also fairly priced.   I haven't seen any hard to get bottles at anything close to reasonable prices in the last 6-years or more.

Kroger's on the other side of B'town has specials sometimes.  Those can be bargains, if any are bottles you want.

[Clueby]

1 hour ago, Richnimrod said:

Well, it used to be, anyway.   IMO, it's worth the time only if you're looking for Bargain Bourbons.   Their 'bottom shelf' offerings are usually fairly priced.   

10-years ago, they had some "less-common" bottles also fairly priced.   I haven't seen any hard to get bottles at anything close to reasonable prices in the last 6-years or more.

Kroger's on the other side of B'town has specials sometimes.  Those can be bargains, if any are bottles you want.

Yeah the shelf above the counter is more of a museum these days.

[Dedward429]

Thank you for all the great info everyone. This was all very helpful. After I'm done taking a few notes I'm going to head over to the Distillery tours thread because i just realized that was a thing. Sorry for not checking there first. Cheers!

[JT3NSB]

13 hours ago, Clueby said:

Yeah the shelf above the counter is more of a museum these days.

Saw that museum shelf myself last Sat.  Wow.  They have it, if you want it and want to pay a premium! 

[Wedelstaedt]

On 8/24/2023 at 1:36 PM, Old Hippie said:

Consider Woodford. A beautiful and historic property but what I like best is they have no secrets so ask them anything you want

I second Woodford. The tour is ok, but the pastoral drive on the way to the distillery and the gorgeous grounds make it a great experience. IMHO. 
 

Cheers.