How to Choose a Private Bourbon Tour in Kentucky
Updated November 2026 · BourbonTown Tours
The best private bourbon tour in Kentucky is the one built around your group alone, with distillery tickets included and a published per-person rate. BourbonTown Tours has run 3,000+ private tours since 2012 at $275 to $425 per person depending on group size, plus 6% KY sales tax and a 3% booking fee, with pickup in Louisville, Bardstown or Lexington.
691 five-star reviews · Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice 2024, 2025, 2026 · 3,000+ private tours since 2012
Quick Facts
- Every BourbonTown Tours tour is private to your group, never mixed with strangers.
- Custom tours typically run three stops, and we can add or subtract on your planning call.
- We book distillery tickets once your tour is confirmed, and the tickets are included.
- Vehicles: an Audi A8 sedan for up to 3 guests, a GMC Yukon XL SUV for 1 to 6 and a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van for 7 to 14.
- Book 2 to 4 months ahead for most of the year, and earlier for fall and spring weekends.
- If Buffalo Trace matters to you, reach out at least 10 weeks ahead.
- You must be 21 to consume alcohol, and some experiences may require all attendees to be 21.
BourbonTown Tours: Best for Fully Custom Private Experiences
| Price | $275 to $425 per person depending on group size, plus 6% KY sales tax and a 3% booking fee |
|---|---|
| Includes | Everything except lunch and driver gratuity. Distillery tickets are included. |
| Standout | Every tour is custom-built and private to your group, never mixed with other groups. |
| Track record | 3,000+ private tours since 2012 · Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice 2024, 2025 and 2026 |
| Best For | Groups who want total control over their itinerary. |
How to Choose the Right Tour
Other companies running bourbon tours in Kentucky include Mint Julep Experiences, Bourbon Excursions, Kentucky Bourbon Boys and Unfiltered KY Tours. Whichever company you look at, ask each one the same questions before you book:
- Is the tour private to your group, or shared with other guests?
- Are distillery tickets included, and who books them?
- Does the quoted price show the sales tax and any booking fee?
- How many distilleries fit the day, and do the stops sit in one driving cluster?
- Which vehicle carries a group your size?
The distilleries we visit fall into five driving clusters: Louisville, Bardstown and beyond, Frankfort and Versailles, Lawrenceburg, and Lexington. A day spent inside one cluster spends its hours at the stops rather than in the vehicle. Kentucky bourbon distilleries by cluster lists every stop we visit, and what a private bourbon tour costs sets out the rate for every group size.
Choose BourbonTown Tours if
- You want a completely custom itinerary
- You want a tour private to your group, never mixed with strangers
- You want distillery tickets booked for you and included
- Your group is 2 to 14 guests. Groups over 14 travel in multiple vehicles or a bus or motor coach we contract.
What we tell people comparing tour companies
Ask every company for the all-in number. Our published rate is $275 to $425 per person by group size, and the 6% KY sales tax and 3% booking fee sit on top, stated up front. Ask who books the distillery tickets and whether they are included; ours are, booked once your tour is confirmed. Ask whether the stops sit in one driving cluster, because windshield time between clusters, not distance on a map, is what costs you stops. Ask how fast they answer: we reply the same day between 8 AM and 8 PM Eastern. And if Buffalo Trace matters to you, reach out at least 10 weeks ahead, whichever company you book. Most people planning a trip along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail® want the same thing: several distilleries in one day, without anyone in the group having to drive. A private tour solves that.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a private bourbon tour with BourbonTown Tours cost?
Private tours run $275 to $425 per person depending on group size, plus 6% KY sales tax and a 3% booking fee. Group size is the only thing that sets the per-person rate: $425 per person for two guests, falling to $275 once a group reaches ten or more. The rate covers everything except lunch and driver gratuity. A deposit reserves your date. Your quote includes the full details.
What does a BourbonTown Tours private tour include?
The rate covers everything except lunch and driver gratuity. Your group gets its own vehicle and driver, never mixed with strangers, and distillery tickets are included: we book distillery tickets once your tour is confirmed. A box lunch can be built into the quoted price on request. Bottles are always on the guest, including any bottle you buy at a distillery gift shop.
How many distilleries can we visit in one day?
Custom tours typically run three stops, and we can add or subtract on your planning call. Sunday hours are shorter and vary by distillery, so a Sunday runs as two stops around a sit-down lunch or three with a box lunch. Keeping the day inside one driving cluster, such as Bardstown and beyond or Frankfort and Versailles, keeps the time at the stops.
How far ahead should we book a private bourbon tour?
Two to four months ahead is best. Fall and spring weekends fill first, so plan earlier for those seasons. We can sometimes build a day on a week's notice, but distillery tours may already be full. Derby week needs 4 to 6 months, and the Bourbon Festival in mid-September 6 months or more. If Buffalo Trace matters to you, reach out at least 10 weeks ahead. When you compare companies, ask each one when it books the distillery tickets. We book ours once your tour is confirmed, so an early request is what puts your first-choice stops on the day, and we reply the same day between 8 AM and 8 PM Eastern.
What vehicles does BourbonTown Tours use?
Every group rides in its own vehicle: an Audi A8 sedan for up to 3 guests, a GMC Yukon XL SUV for 1 to 6, a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van for 7 to 14 and Ford Transit vans that seat 12. Groups over 14 travel in multiple vehicles or a bus or motor coach we contract. We pick your group up at your hotel or door in Louisville, Bardstown or Lexington.
Plan your private bourbon day
BourbonTown Tours has run 3,000+ private tours since 2012. Every tour is private to your group, never mixed with strangers, and covers everything except lunch and driver gratuity. Distillery tickets are included.
Private tours run $275 to $425 per person depending on group size, plus 6% KY sales tax and a 3% booking fee.
