Nashville to Kentucky Bourbon Country: Planning a Private Tour
Updated November 2026 · BourbonTown Tours
Bourbon tours from Nashville start with a drive north: Bardstown is about 2 hours 30 minutes and 155 miles from downtown Nashville, and Maker's Mark in Loretto is about 2 hours 45 minutes. Kentucky distillery country runs on Eastern time, so your clock jumps an hour ahead on the way up. You have two ways to do it: we pick your group up in Nashville, or you stay the night in Bardstown or Louisville and we pick up at your hotel. Your Bourbon Experience Coordinator quotes Nashville pickups individually. BourbonTown Tours has run 3,000+ private tours since 2012, every one of them private to the group that booked it.
Quick Facts: Nashville to Bourbon Country
- Nashville to Bardstown: about 2 hours 30 minutes, 155 miles.
- Nashville to Maker's Mark (Loretto): about 2 hours 45 minutes, 156 miles.
- Nashville to downtown Louisville: about 2 hours 45 minutes, 175 miles.
- Bardstown to Maker's Mark: about 30 minutes.
- Time zone: Nashville is Central. Bardstown, Loretto and Louisville are Eastern, one hour ahead.
- Closest major bourbon stops to Nashville: the Bardstown distilleries and Maker's Mark.
- Pickup: we can pick your group up in Nashville, quoted individually by your Bourbon Experience Coordinator, or at your Bardstown or Louisville hotel.
- Private tour rate: $275 to $425 per person depending on group size, plus 6% KY sales tax and a 3% booking fee.
Why Nashville People Come North for Bourbon
Nashville has a real whiskey culture, and Tennessee whiskey is its own category with its own law. Kentucky is bourbon's home ground, and the Bardstown distilleries and Maker's Mark are the closest major bourbon stops to downtown Nashville.
Tennessee whiskey and bourbon are different categories
Jack Daniel's is Tennessee whiskey. Tennessee law requires that whiskey be made in Tennessee and filtered through maple charcoal before aging, a step bourbon rules do not call for. Our explainer on whether Jack Daniel's counts as bourbon walks through both sets of rules side by side.
Kentucky puts the big names close together
Kentucky Bourbon Trail® members in or near Bardstown include Heaven Hill, Bardstown Bourbon Company and Maker's Mark. Maker's Mark is about 30 minutes south of Bardstown, so one day covers both.
Getting There: The Drive from Nashville
Most people looking for the bourbon trail from Nashville mean Bardstown. The Nashville to Bardstown drive is about 155 miles, mostly interstate, and takes about 2 hours 30 minutes. Nashville to Maker's Mark or downtown Louisville takes about 2 hours 45 minutes.
The hour you lose driving north
Nashville runs on Central time. Kentucky distillery country runs on Eastern. Leave Nashville at noon Central and you reach Bardstown around 3:30 in the afternoon on the Eastern clock. A morning tour time in Kentucky means a very early start from Nashville. You get the hour back on the drive home.
Nashville pickup or a night in Kentucky
We can pick your group up in Nashville and drive you both ways. Your Bourbon Experience Coordinator quotes Nashville pickups individually. A Bardstown day from Nashville adds about five hours of round-trip driving to a full touring day, and the lost hour pushes the start earlier. A night in Bardstown or Louisville is the easier option for a full tasting day. Either way, our guide has the wheel.
Where Nashville Groups Stay
Pick the base that matches the distilleries you want. For a Bardstown and Maker's Mark day, stay in Bardstown. The morning starts minutes from the first stop. See our private Bardstown bourbon tours for how a day out of that town runs.
For Louisville distilleries, or for the clusters north and east of Bardstown around Frankfort and Versailles, stay in Louisville. Our private bourbon tours from Louisville page covers that base. Our where to stay guide compares Bardstown, Louisville and Lexington side by side. We do not book or sell hotel rooms.
If you stay over, we pick up at your Bardstown or Louisville hotel on tour day and bring you back there when the last tasting ends.
How We Build Your Day
There is no fixed Nashville itinerary. We build each day around your group, your dates and what the distilleries have open. Custom tours typically run three stops, and we can add or subtract on your planning call.
On that call we ask: first Kentucky visit or a return? Production depth or specific bottles? Is Maker's Mark a must? Nashville pickup or a Kentucky hotel? The answers decide the cluster and the order of stops.
Standard distillery experiences are included; premium and VIP add-ons are quoted on your planning call. If Maker's Mark is on your list, bring a card: the distillery is card only. Our Maker's Mark distillery guide and our list of the best Bardstown distilleries help you pick before we talk. For a fully open plan, start with custom tours.
The Audi A8 sedan carries up to 3 guests. An SUV carries 1 to 6, and a passenger van carries 7 to 14. Larger groups use multiple vehicles, each with its own guide.
Nashville Visitor Profiles
Bachelor and bachelorette
Nashville is a major bachelorette city, and plenty of those groups want a second act. A Bardstown day puts the party in a private van with a driver, so nobody has to be the designated driver. See our bachelorette party bourbon tours and bachelor party bourbon tours for how we run those days.
Couples
Couples from Middle Tennessee often make it a two-night getaway, and the Audi A8 suits a slower day for two. Couples marking a milestone can start with our anniversary bourbon tours.
Corporate
Nashville companies bring clients and staff north for a private day the guests cannot get at home. See corporate bourbon tours for how we run team and client days.
The Weekend Plan: Two Nights, One Tour Day
Night one: drive north
Leave Nashville Friday afternoon, set your watch an hour ahead, and check in at your Bardstown or Louisville hotel.
Tour day with BourbonTown Tours
We pick up at your hotel or in Nashville. Your guide drives every leg, lunch fits between stops, and we drop you where we started.
Day three: drive home
Head south after breakfast. You gain the hour back on the way.
Practical Logistics for Nashville Visitors
Choose your pickup
Tell us on your planning call whether you want a Nashville pickup or a Kentucky hotel pickup. A Kentucky hotel pickup means a later, easier morning.
Lock dates with us first
Distillery availability on your weekend decides what is possible. Confirm your tour date before you book rooms. Fall and spring weekends fill first. Large groups wanting specific distilleries should plan two months out.
Plan around Sundays
Willett is closed Sunday, and Heaven Hill opens later on Sunday. Check current hours when you book.
Know what is not included
The rate covers everything except lunch and driver gratuity. We book lunch; the meal goes on your tab. Gratuity for your guide is customary.
Frequently asked questions
How far is Nashville from the bourbon distilleries?
Bardstown is about 155 miles and 2 hours 30 minutes from downtown Nashville. Maker's Mark in Loretto is about 2 hours 45 minutes, and downtown Louisville is about 2 hours 45 minutes. Add an hour on the clock for the move from Central to Eastern time. We can pick your group up in Nashville, or you can stay in Kentucky and we pick up at your Bardstown or Louisville hotel.
Can I do a bourbon day trip from Nashville?
Yes. We can pick your group up in Nashville and drive you home, and your Bourbon Experience Coordinator quotes that pickup individually. It is a long day: about five hours of driving round trip on top of touring, plus a lost hour heading north. For a fuller tasting day, we recommend one night in Bardstown or Louisville.
Do you pick up in Nashville?
Yes. We can pick your group up in Nashville, drive you to Kentucky distillery country and bring you back. Your Bourbon Experience Coordinator quotes Nashville pickups individually, so the price depends on your group and route. If you would rather start closer to the first stop, stay overnight in Bardstown or Louisville and we pick up at your hotel. Call 1-844-BOURBON to compare both options.
Is Jack Daniel's bourbon?
Jack Daniel's is Tennessee whiskey, a separate category under Tennessee law. That law requires the whiskey to be made in Tennessee and filtered through maple charcoal before aging. Bourbon rules have no such step. Our page on whether Jack Daniel's is bourbon covers the full set of rules for each category.
Which distilleries are closest to Nashville?
The Bardstown distilleries and Maker's Mark are the closest major bourbon stops to Nashville. Bardstown, home to Heaven Hill, Bardstown Bourbon Company and Willett, is about 2 hours 30 minutes from downtown Nashville. Maker's Mark in Loretto is about 2 hours 45 minutes away and about 30 minutes south of Bardstown, so one day covers both.
Do I lose an hour driving to Kentucky?
Yes. Nashville is on Central time, and Bardstown, Loretto and Louisville are on Eastern time, one hour ahead. A 2 hour 30 minute drive to Bardstown shows up as 3 hours 30 minutes on the clock. You gain the hour back driving home to Nashville.
How much does a private bourbon tour cost?
Private tours run $275 to $425 per person depending on group size, plus 6% KY sales tax and a 3% booking fee. The rate covers everything except lunch and driver gratuity. Standard distillery experiences are included; premium and VIP add-ons are quoted on your planning call. See our bourbon tour cost page for the full per-person table by group size.
Where should a Nashville group stay for a bourbon tour?
Stay in Bardstown for a Bardstown and Maker's Mark day. It puts the first stop minutes away. Stay in Louisville if you want Louisville distilleries, Whiskey Row at night, or the Frankfort and Versailles cluster. We pick up at your hotel in either town.
Sources
- Drive times and distances, downtown Nashville to Bardstown, Loretto and downtown Louisville, and Bardstown to Loretto (OpenStreetMap Valhalla routing, cross-checked against OSRM): Valhalla and OpenStreetMap directions, checked November 2026
- Nashville to Bardstown distance and drive time cross-check, checked November 2026
- Central/Eastern time zone boundary in Kentucky, 49 CFR 71.5, checked November 2026
- Tennessee whiskey requirements, Tenn. Code Ann. 57-2-106, checked November 2026
- Maker's Mark location, Star Hill Farm, Loretto, Kentucky, checked November 2026
- Jack Daniel's distillery in Lynchburg, checked November 2026
Plan Your Private Bourbon Day from Nashville
Tell us your dates, your group size and whether you want a Nashville pickup or a Kentucky hotel pickup, and we build the day around it. Private tours run $275 to $425 per person depending on group size, plus 6% KY sales tax and a 3% booking fee. See the full breakdown on our bourbon tour cost page.
Your tour includes:
- Trip planned by a Bourbon Experience Coordinator; a professional guide drives the tour
- Distillery tickets booked for you
- Lunch reservation made (meal on your tab)