Bourbon Tour Transportation: Your Plan, Our Private Driver and Vehicle
Updated November 2026 · BourbonTown Tours
Transportation Only is our private vehicle and professional driver for a day you plan yourself: distilleries, wineries, breweries, horse farms or a night out. SUV for 1 to 5 guests, $100 an hour. Van for 6 to 14 guests, $150 an hour. 4-hour minimum, plus 6% KY sales tax and a 3% booking fee. Available every day of the week.
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Quick Facts
- SUV for 1 to 5 guests: $100 an hour. Van for 6 to 14 guests: $150 an hour. Both plus 6% KY sales tax and a 3% booking fee.
- Minimum booking: 4 hours. Billing runs from the time our vehicle leaves our garage until it returns.
- Available every day of the week.
- We start and end where you need us: your hotel, your door or the airport. Louisville, Bardstown and Lexington are the most common starts. A Nashville pickup is quoted by your Bourbon Experience Coordinator.
- The vehicle carries your group and nobody else.
- You plan the stops and book your own tickets and meals. Your driver handles the road.
- Groups over 14 travel in multiple vehicles or a bus or motor coach we contract.
What groups book us for
Most transportation days fall into six kinds of trips:
- A distillery day you plan yourself. Your group picks the distilleries and holds the tickets, and we drive between them. Many groups use it to visit Kentucky Bourbon Trail® distilleries without anyone giving up the tastings to drive. Plan on three stops, the same as our custom tours.
- Wineries. The closest are south of Louisville in Bullitt County, east in Shelbyville and across the river in southern Indiana. Two on the same side of town fit a 4-hour booking best. See wineries near Louisville and Kentucky wine tours by private driver.
- Breweries. Louisville, Lexington and Bardstown each have a brewery scene a group can work through in an afternoon or evening. See Kentucky brewery tours.
- Horse farms. The farms around Lexington, Versailles, Midway and Paris run fixed appointment times, so we build the hours backward from yours. See Kentucky horse farm tours.
- Historic sites and nights out. Museums, Waverly Hills night tours and dinner downtown. When the tour runs after dark, a driver who knows the gate matters. See Kentucky historic sites.
- Race days. Keeneland in April and October, and Churchill Downs on race days. Derby itself is priced per vehicle: see Kentucky Derby transportation.
What it costs: two common days
Transportation is charged by the hour, by vehicle, not per person.
- A winery afternoon for 5: SUV, 4 hours. 4 × $100 = $400, plus 6% KY sales tax and a 3% booking fee.
- A distillery day for 10: van, 7 hours, garage to garage. 7 × $150 = $1,050, plus 6% KY sales tax and a 3% booking fee.
Driver gratuity is customary. Tickets, tastings and meals are on your group. If you would rather we plan the day, book the tickets and hold the lunch table, that is a custom private tour, priced per person. See Kentucky bourbon tour cost.
How to book a driver
- Send your date, headcount, pickup point and the stops you have in mind, through the form or at 1-844-BOURBON.
- We reply the same day between 8 AM and 8 PM Eastern. Requests after 8 PM get a reply the next morning. Your quote names the vehicle and the hours.
- A deposit reserves your date.
Fridays and Saturdays are when most of our transportation days run, and fall and spring weekends fill first, so send those dates early. A week's notice can still work any time of year.
The vehicles
Your headcount decides the vehicle.
| Vehicle | Seats | Rate tier |
|---|---|---|
| Audi A8 sedan | up to 3 | SUV rate |
| GMC Yukon Denali SUV | 1 to 5 | SUV rate |
| Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van | 6 to 14 (seats 14) | van rate |
| Ford Transit van | 6 to 14 (seats 14) | van rate |
Our larger vehicles all accommodate wheelchairs. Every vehicle is stocked with water. See our fleet.
Driver or guide: which day is yours?
On Transportation Only, a professional driver runs your plan. You pick the stops, hold the tickets and set the pace, and the learning comes from each distillery or venue. On a custom private tour, a Bourbon Experience Coordinator plans the day, we book every distillery ticket, and a professional guide drives and teaches bourbon along the way. If your list is set, book a driver. If it is still forming, a custom tour does that work for you. See custom private bourbon tours.
Plan the drive times first
Time on the road, not mileage, sets how many stops fit.
- From Louisville, Bardstown is about 50 minutes and the Frankfort and Versailles cluster about 60.
- From Lexington, Versailles is 15 to 20 minutes and Frankfort about 30.
- Maker's Mark to Buffalo Trace is about an hour and fifteen minutes.
Leave an hour between stops in different towns. Send us your running order before you lock it in, and we will tell you if a leg is too tight. Routing advice comes with every booking. See Kentucky distillery drive times.
Frequently asked questions
What does transportation only cost?
SUV for 1 to 5 guests, $100 an hour. Van for 6 to 14 guests, $150 an hour. 4-hour minimum, plus 6% KY sales tax and a 3% booking fee. Four hours comes to $400 in the SUV or $600 in a van before tax and the booking fee. Billing runs garage to garage, and driver gratuity is customary.
Do you run transportation every day?
Yes. We run transportation only bookings every day of the week. Fridays and Saturdays are the busiest, and fall and spring weekends fill first, so send those dates as early as you can. A week's notice can still work any time of year, and we reply the same day between 8 AM and 8 PM Eastern.
Can we mix distilleries, wineries and breweries in one booking?
Yes. The plan is yours, so a booking can take in a distillery, a winery and a brewery, as long as the drive times work. Keep stops on the same side of town, leave an hour for any leg between towns, and check each venue's hours against your date. Send us the list and we will flag any leg that runs tight.
Who books the tickets and the meals?
You do on a transportation only booking. That includes distillery tickets, tastings, winery and brewery reservations, and every meal. If Buffalo Trace is on your list, start at least 10 weeks ahead. If you want us to book the tickets and hold the lunch table, that is a custom private tour, priced per person.
Where can you pick us up?
Anywhere your day starts: your hotel, a private address or the airport. Louisville, Bardstown and Lexington are our most common starting points, and a Nashville pickup is quoted by your Bourbon Experience Coordinator. Billing runs from the time our vehicle leaves our garage until it returns, so the pickup point shapes the hours on your quote.
How many guests fit in each vehicle?
The Audi A8 sedan takes up to 3 guests and the GMC Yukon Denali SUV takes 1 to 5, both at the SUV rate. A group of 6 to 14 rides in a van: the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter seats 14 and the Ford Transit seats 14. Groups over 14 travel in multiple vehicles or a contracted bus or motor coach.
Does the driver guide the day?
Your driver handles the road and the timing, not the commentary. You get a professional driver for the hours you book, and each distillery or venue runs its own tour. If you want a guide who teaches bourbon between stops and a day planned for you, book a custom private tour instead.
Can you drive us on Derby Day?
Yes. Derby is the one day we price per vehicle, not by the hour, and the Derby rates include tax and gratuity, plus the 3% booking fee. Any party up to 14 can book the van for Derby. The rates and how race day runs are on our Kentucky Derby transportation page. Book Derby week 4 to 6 months ahead.
Book a driver
Send your date, headcount, pickup point and the stops you have in mind. The quote comes back the same day with the vehicle and the hours.