What tours offer a taste of their premium bourbon or whiskey and sell it?

[WineGuy]

I've never done a tour and think it would be a fun summer trip. Do any offer tastings of their high end premium whiskey? Is there a fee to tour?

I am just starting out with tasting bourbon and it would be too much to buy 10 bottles of $50 bourbon just to find the 1 or 2 bottles I really like.

Any suggestions for a quick 2 day trip?

[TNbourbon]

I have seen, more than a couple of years ago, Saz 18 sold in the Buffalo Trace gift shop. The Evan Williams 23yo has been offered at the Bourbon Heritage Center (for a very dear price).

Otherwise, just enjoy what's offered (in the latter case, EWSB and Elijah Craig 18yo SB.)

[barturtle]

Most tours are free (Woodford is the exception)

If you get a pour (some don't) it'll likely be the house brand...BT at BT, etc.

Nearly all will give you a bourbon ball or some sort of bourbon laced candy.

Your best bet to try many bottlings without buying them all is to visit one of the bourbon oriented bars. Buying them by the drink is cheaper than buying a bottle of something you might not drink. There are good bourbon bars in many areas of the country these days. I'm not sure where you are located (might wanna update your profile), but I'm sure someone could point you in the direction of suitable places.

[WineGuy]

Most tours are free (Woodford is the exception)

If you get a pour (some don't) it'll likely be the house brand...BT at BT, etc.

Nearly all will give you a bourbon ball or some sort of bourbon laced candy.

Your best bet to try many bottlings without buying them all is to visit one of the bourbon oriented bars. Buying them by the drink is cheaper than buying a bottle of something you might not drink. There are good bourbon bars in many areas of the country these days. I'm not sure where you are located (might wanna update your profile), but I'm sure someone could point you in the direction of suitable places.

Thanks for the suggestions.

What places offer the best tours? I'd like to see how they make bourbon from start to finish.

[barturtle]

In Chicago check out Delilah's and Twisted Spoke (half price whiskey Wednesdays)

If you can book in advance BT is your best bet for a start to finish tour (book a Hard Hat Tour). Four Roses is nice, as it is usually the least crowded and in a small enough space to see damn near everything standing in place, but no warehouses on site or bottling. Wild Turkey is cool too, but no bottling on site. Maker's is very pretty (but I think a bit sterile) Woodford, no bottling on site, also pretty, but their setup is atypical of bourbon distillers. Beam has a visitors center, not actual tours. HH distilling is off site, but they have a very nice visitors center. Barton and B-F have no tours at present.

If you have time for two, and you can do any two in a day easily, BT and FR.

[WineGuy]

In Chicago check out Delilah's and Twisted Spoke (half price whiskey Wednesdays)

I will try them both. Delilah's website has $2 Makers Mark. WOW - I was expecting to see $7-10 per shot.

[scratchline]

Woodford's may not have a bottling room, but when I was there, the dumping room had an open barrel and we got to drink straight from it. That alone was worth the price of the tour. Point being, that sometimes even if there's no tasting offered, a tasting is offered.

-Mike

[OscarV]

I've never done a tour and think it would be a fun summer trip. ?

If you go in the summer there is the posibility that some are closed for maintenance at that time of year.

Hit the link below it has all the distilleries listed with all the info you'll need to check it out.

http://www.kybourbonfestival.com/participatingBourbons.htm

[camduncan]

Thanks for the suggestions.

What places offer the best tours? I'd like to see how they make bourbon from start to finish.

Check out the Kentucky Bourbon Trail -

http://www.kybourbon.com/english/pages/trail.html

There's a downloadable map in pdf format which might be useful.

(it's what I will be following next month when I am there, so I can't speak from experience....yet)

[WineGuy]

Check out the Kentucky Bourbon Trail -

http://www.kybourbon.com/english/pages/trail.html

There's a downloadable map in pdf format which might be useful.

(it's what I will be following next month when I am there, so I can't speak from experience....yet)

Thanks for the link. I've never been to Kentucky but imagine a very fun trip.

[craigthom]

Jim Beam has no tour to speak of, but the tasting is two of their four "small batch" collection. You don't get to pick which two, unless you do a really good sales job ("I've never had Basil Hayden, but I've wanted to"). Tasting more than two is a trick I haven't accomplished.

Here are the tours and what they cover. I haven't been on the Buffalo Trace hard hat tour, so it is excluded:

Jim Beam - a gift shop, a movie, a peek into a warehouse, and samples.

Heaven Hill - warehouse and the best tasting of them all.

Maker's Mark - fermenting, distilling, warehouse, bottling, tasting. Tasting includes diluted white dog (what they call "bourbon eligible spirit" or something like that). This is the only tour that shows you the whole thing without reservations.

Four Roses - little film, grain inspection station, fermenting, distilling (white dog sample), tasting. Very personal and friendly.

Wild Turkey - tour was a lot shorter last time. Fermenting, distilling, warehouse. Used to include dumping and bottling and lab, but at least the first two of those are no longer at this site.

Woodford Reserve - Costs $5 and is the only one not free. Includes fermenting, distilling, warehouse. Beautiful facility, although, personally, I prefer sites that have that ancient industrial feel, like Wild Turkey.

Buffalo Trace - stock tour includes standard models and movie, warehouse, bottling, tasting. The bottling line you see is their small single barrel one where everything is done by hand. Tasting includes vodka. I passed, but I was the only one! Life is too short to drink vodka.

There are lots of other distilleries, open and closed, that you can drive by and see, but these are the ones that actually want you to visit.