Can You Buy Bottles at Distilleries and Bring Them Home?

Quick Facts

• Buying: distillery gift shops sell bottles on site; anyone tasting or buying shows a valid ID.
• Checked bags: up to 5 liters (1.3 gallons) per passenger of spirits over 24% and up to 70% alcohol, unopened retail packaging (TSA, citing 49 CFR 175.10(a)(4)).
• Carry-on: 3.4 oz (100 ml) or less, fitting in one quart-sized bag.
• Over 70% alcohol (140 proof): outside the TSA checked-bag allowance; check with your airline.
• Shipping: Kentucky distilleries may ship direct only to states with matching (reciprocal) laws, under a 2020 Kentucky law.
• On a BourbonTown tour: bottles are yours to buy, including the one you dip at Maker's Mark.

What you can buy at a distillery gift shop

Kentucky distillery gift shops sell bottles on site, along with apparel and gifts. Buffalo Trace's shop (Buffalo Trace distillery guide) sits in Warehouse A, an 1881 aging warehouse, and the distillery posts a daily product availability page, because its shelf changes day to day. Allocated bottles such as the ones that draw lines are sometimes on the shelf and never a promise, at Buffalo Trace and at Heaven Hill alike; the Heaven Hill distillery guide covers that shop. Some purchases come with an experience. At Maker's Mark you dip your own bottle in red wax, and the bottle is one you buy. On the Knob Creek bottling line at Jim Beam, the bottle is bought separately. Every shop checks ID before you taste or buy. What allocated bourbon means explains why some bottles never reach the shelf, and the Maker's Mark distillery guide covers the dipping line.

Flying home with bourbon

Checked bags are the way to fly bottles home. TSA limits spirits over 24% and up to 70% alcohol to 5 liters per passenger, which is 1.3 gallons, and the bottles must be in unopened retail packaging. Most bourbon sits between 80 and 140 proof, which is 40% to 70% alcohol, so it falls inside that rule. A standard 750 ml bottle means six bottles fit under 5 liters per person, with room to spare. Carry-on bags allow only containers of 3.4 oz (100 ml) or less that fit in one quart-sized bag, so a full bottle cannot ride in the cabin. Bottles above 70% alcohol fall outside the checked-bag allowance. TSA tells travelers to check with the airline before flying with alcohol, and the officer at the checkpoint has the final say. Wrap each bottle in clothing or a padded sleeve, and pack them in the middle of the bag. For fly-in trips, see planning a bourbon tour from out of state.

Driving or shipping it home

Driving home is the simplest route for bottles, because no TSA limit applies to your car. Your home state's own rules on bringing spirits across state lines still apply, so check them before you load a case. Shipping is narrower than most guests expect. A Kentucky law that took effect in 2020 lets Kentucky distilleries ship direct to consumers, but only into states with matching reciprocal laws, and that list is short. Ask the shop before you buy more than you can carry. General parcel carriers set their own rules for shipping alcohol, so a bottle you bought cannot simply go in a box at the hotel. If your group is flying and buying heavily, plan to check an extra bag rather than counting on shipping.

How we plan bottle stops on a private tour

We never build a day around a bottle we cannot guarantee. Allocated bottles at Buffalo Trace and Heaven Hill are sometimes on the shelf, and that is all we promise. What we do is put the shop time in the plan. At Buffalo Trace, the distillery suggests arriving 45 to 60 minutes early if you want to shop before your tour, and we build that into the timing. Maker's Mark needs about two hours because of the checkout lines and the bottle dipping, so we count it as a long stop. Our private vehicles carry your group and your shopping bags, and water is stocked in every vehicle. Bottles stay on your own tab, separate from the tour rate. If bottles are a priority, tell us on your planning call and we route toward the shops that suit your list. See hands-on bourbon experiences for the stops where you fill, dip or thieve.

Frequently asked questions