Four Roses Distillery sits at 1224 Bonds Mill Road in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, about 40 to 45 minutes from Lexington and 20 to 25 minutes from Frankfort. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, built in a rare Spanish Mission style with stucco walls and tiled roofs along the Salt River, and the only major Kentucky distillery that systematically uses two mash bills and five proprietary yeast strains to produce ten distinct bourbon recipes. Every bottle of Four Roses starts as one of those ten recipes. BourbonTown Tours pairs Four Roses with Wild Turkey and Buffalo Trace for a Lawrenceburg-region day that covers more bourbon production variety in a single afternoon than almost any other cluster on the trail. This guide covers the ten-recipe system explained clearly, every experience available in 2026, and how to build the day.
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Four Roses Quick Facts
| Address | 1224 Bonds Mill Road, Lawrenceburg, KY 40342 |
| From Lexington | 40 to 45 minutes (30 to 35 miles) |
| From Frankfort | 20 to 25 minutes (15 to 18 miles) |
| From Louisville | 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes (55 to 65 miles) |
| From Bardstown | 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes (45 to 55 miles) |
| Days Open | Mon, Wed to Sun (closed Tuesday and major holidays) |
| Hours | Mon and Wed to Sat 9am to 4pm; Sun 12pm to 4pm |
| Bar 1888 | Open during visitor center hours, no reservation required |
| Gift Shop | Open during visitor center hours |
| Parking | Free, on-site surface lot |
| Historic Status | National Register of Historic Places |
The Ten-Recipe System: What Makes Four Roses Production Different
Four Roses is the only major Kentucky distillery that systematically combines two mash bills and five proprietary yeast strains to produce ten distinct bourbon recipes. Every barrel of Four Roses starts as one of these ten recipes. Understanding this system is the reason the tour at Four Roses is more technically interesting than most other Bourbon Trail stops.
The two mash bills work like this. Mashbill B has a higher rye content, producing more spice, herbal notes, and a drier character. Mashbill E has a lower rye and higher corn content, producing softer sweetness, more caramel and vanilla, and a rounder palate. These two mash bills already produce noticeably different new-make spirits before any yeast is involved.
The five proprietary yeast strains each emphasize different flavor families. Some lean fruity with stone fruit and apple characteristics. Some are floral. Some are spicy. Some produce richer, deeper notes. Four Roses codes these with letters — OESF, OBSV, and three others — and each yeast strain produces meaningfully different results even when the mash bill stays the same.
Two mash bills multiplied by five yeast strains produces ten recipes. Each recipe is distilled, filled into barrels, and aged separately. When the blending team builds a product, they pull from these ten aged recipes in different proportions. Four Roses Bourbon, Small Batch, Small Batch Select, and Single Barrel releases are all built from specific combinations of those ten recipes. On the tour, the guide explains which recipes are in your glass and why the flavor is what it is.
No other major Kentucky distillery operates this way. This is the information gain that makes Four Roses worth visiting for serious bourbon enthusiasts, and it is what makes the tasting more educational than a standard Bourbon Trail pour.
Every Experience Available at Four Roses in 2026
Four Roses offers three experience formats at the Lawrenceburg distillery plus an additional warehouse tour at the Cox’s Creek facility near Bardstown. All experiences are booked online through the Four Roses website. Walk-in spots are held back when capacity allows but advance reservations are strongly recommended, particularly for Friday through Sunday visits and spring through fall season.
When you visit Four Roses through BourbonTown Tours, all distillery fees are included in your per-person rate of $275 to $425 depending on group size. You pay one price and we handle every reservation, every tasting fee, and all logistics.
Tell us your dates and we will build your Lawrenceburg day.
Legacy Distillery Tour and Tasting
Duration: 45 to 60 minutes.
The core experience at Four Roses. A guided walking tour through the historic distillery covering fermentation, distillation, and the control room where the two mash bill and five yeast strain system becomes visible in practice. The guide explains how the ten recipes work, how they are aged separately, and how the blending decisions shape each product in the lineup.
The tour concludes with a seated tasting of several expressions typically including Four Roses Bourbon, Small Batch, Small Batch Select, and Single Barrel, with the guide connecting each pour back to the specific recipes in the glass. The branded tasting glass is often included as a takeaway, though this is subject to change.
Available Monday and Wednesday through Sunday. No tours on Tuesday. Book 2 to 3 weeks ahead for weekend visits. Weekday morning slots have better short-notice availability.
Tasting-Only Experience
Duration: 30 to 45 minutes.
A seated tasting at the visitor center without the production floor walkthrough. A host guides the group through a multi-pour lineup highlighting different recipes or labels, explaining yeast influence and mash bill impact on each expression. No production access included.
Works well for groups who have already done production tours elsewhere and want to focus on understanding the Four Roses recipe system through the glass rather than through the distillery floor. The most accessible option for walk-in visitors when tour slots are sold out.
Available during all regular operating days. Friday through Sunday slots fill faster than weekday availability.
Cox’s Creek Bottling and Warehouse Tour
Location: Cox’s Creek, Kentucky, near Bardstown. This is a separate campus from the Lawrenceburg distillery.
Duration: 45 to 60 minutes.
A tour of Four Roses’ single-story rickhouses and bottling operation covering aging philosophy, barrel placement, and the bottling process. The tasting at the end focuses specifically on how aging affects the different recipes over time.
The Cox’s Creek facility uses single-story rickhouses, which is unusual in Kentucky bourbon production where multi-story warehouses are standard. The single-story design means barrels age at more consistent temperatures than in taller rickhouses where heat stratification is significant. This makes the Cox’s Creek warehouse tour a genuinely different production education from the Lawrenceburg distillery visit.
Book separately through the Four Roses website. Some tour packages combine Lawrenceburg and Cox’s Creek in a single day. BourbonTown Tours can coordinate both stops when building multi-day itineraries.
Who This Tour Is For
✓ PERFECT FOR
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Bourbon connoisseurs — 10 unique recipes from 2 mash bills and 5 yeasts -
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Architecture lovers — stunning Spanish Mission-style building -
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Romantics who love the legend behind the name -
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Visitors who appreciate sustainable production practices
✗ CONSIDER ANOTHER DISTILLERY IF
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You want hands-on experiences (try Jim Beam or Maker’s Mark) -
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You prefer wheated bourbons (try Maker’s Mark) -
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You’re hunting for rare bottles (try Buffalo Trace)
Pro tip: Ask about single barrel picks — Four Roses’ 10 recipes mean endless variety for collectors.
Bar 1888
Bar 1888 is the on-site bar at the Four Roses visitor center. No ticket or tour reservation is required. You pay per drink during visitor center hours.
The bar serves seasonal cocktails, straight pours, and rotating single-recipe pours from the ten Four Roses recipes. The single-recipe pour option is the most interesting offering at Bar 1888 and is not available in standard retail settings. You can taste individual recipe components side by side and understand directly how the yeast strain changes the character even when the mash bill stays constant. For serious bourbon enthusiasts, 30 minutes at Bar 1888 before or after the tour is time well spent.
Bar 1888 is open during all visitor center hours Monday and Wednesday through Sunday. Sunday hours start at noon. The bar does not require a reservation and accommodates walk-ins during all operating hours.
The Spanish Mission Architecture
Four Roses is the only Kentucky Bourbon Trail distillery built in Spanish Mission style. The campus dates to the early 1900s with stucco walls, tiled roofs, arched entries, and a campus aesthetic more reminiscent of early 20th century California missions than the traditional limestone and brick of most Kentucky distilleries.
The building sits along the Salt River in Anderson County with landscaped grounds that make arrival feel different from any other stop on the trail. First-time visitors who have done three or four other distilleries consistently note the architecture as a surprise. It looks nothing like what they expected Kentucky bourbon country to look like.
The National Register of Historic Places listing recognizes the architectural and historical significance of the property. The campus is photogenic from multiple angles and rewards the group that takes 15 minutes to walk the grounds before or after the tour.
How BourbonTown Tours Builds a Four Roses Day
Four Roses sits in a tight cluster with Wild Turkey and Buffalo Trace. Wild Turkey is a short drive from Four Roses on the opposite side of Lawrenceburg. Buffalo Trace is 20 to 25 minutes north in Frankfort. Woodford Reserve is 30 to 40 minutes northwest in Versailles. All four in a single day is aggressive but the geographic efficiency makes it one of the best bourbon days in Kentucky when the timing works.
The most common structure is Buffalo Trace in the morning, Four Roses in the early afternoon, and Wild Turkey as the late stop. The order shifts based on what tour slots are available at Buffalo Trace, which releases tickets every Wednesday at 10am Eastern and sells out within two minutes. When Buffalo Trace tour tickets are not available, the grounds and tasting room visit there still fits the day and we fill the tour slot at Four Roses or Wild Turkey instead.
BourbonTown Tours checks availability across every stop in the Lawrenceburg cluster before building your itinerary. We know the real visit time at each distillery, which combinations route efficiently, and how to protect the experiences that matter most to your group when something changes on the day.
Request a free quote for your Four Roses and Lawrenceburg day. Or call 1-844-BOURBON.
What Visitors Say About Four Roses
The guides are the most consistent praise across recent reviews. Visitors who have done multiple Bourbon Trail stops describe Four Roses guides as among the most knowledgeable and enthusiastic on the trail, with specific guides called out by name in reviews more than at most other distilleries. The ten-recipe system gives guides a genuinely interesting story to tell and visitors respond to that.
The Spanish Mission architecture and grounds receive consistent praise from visitors who were not expecting the visual distinctiveness of the property. Reviews from first-time Four Roses visitors frequently include some version of surprise at how different it looks from every other stop.
Bar 1888 gets strong marks specifically for the single-recipe pour access. Enthusiasts who know the Four Roses lineup describe the ability to taste individual recipe components as an experience not available anywhere else.
The most common complaints involve bottle availability in the gift shop, particularly for Single Barrel expressions and limited releases that sell out. Some visitors also note frustration with tour sell-outs when arriving without reservations, and a recurring complaint involves arriving on Tuesdays when the distillery is closed. Tuesday is the one dark day in the operating week and it catches visitors who assume daily operations.
When to Visit Four Roses
Spring and fall are the best windows for the full Four Roses grounds experience. The Spanish Mission campus looks best in good weather and the Salt River setting is most pleasant from April through June and September through October.
Summer weekends bring the highest booking competition. Friday and Saturday tour slots fill furthest in advance from June through August. Book 3 to 4 weeks ahead for summer weekend visits.
Tuesday is always closed. This is the most important logistical fact about Four Roses. Every multi-distillery day that includes Four Roses must be planned for Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. If your group is visiting Kentucky for three or four days, make sure Four Roses lands on the right day in the sequence.
Derby Week, the first week of May, fills the entire region. Book 5 to 6 weeks ahead if your trip overlaps with Derby Week.
What to Wear and Practical Logistics
The distillery tour involves walking through active production areas. Closed-toe shoes are appropriate. The campus includes some outdoor walking between buildings. A light layer is useful in any season as production and warehouse spaces shift in temperature from the exterior.
Arrive 20 to 30 minutes before your tour start time with a valid ID. Age verification is required for tastings. The visitor center is well organized with clear parking and signage. The gift shop and Bar 1888 are accessible on arrival without waiting for a tour to start.
If hunting specific bottles is a priority for the group, manage expectations before the visit. Single Barrel expressions and limited releases sell out periodically and availability fluctuates. The bar offers access to single-recipe pours that the gift shop does not always have in bottle form.
BourbonTown Tours Pro Tip
“Four Roses is the stop where bourbon nerds get the most out of a distillery visit. The ten-recipe system sounds complicated until the guide explains it and then it changes how you taste everything. We always put Four Roses earlier in the day before the palate gets tired because you want to be paying attention during that tasting. The single-recipe pours at Bar 1888 are worth the extra time. And the architecture genuinely surprises people every single time. Nobody expects a Spanish Mission building in Anderson County. We build the Lawrenceburg day around Four Roses and Wild Turkey with Buffalo Trace as either the morning anchor or the grounds stop depending on ticket availability. Three very different distilleries in a tight geographic cluster. It is one of our best days.”
— BourbonTown Tours, 3,000+ private Kentucky bourbon tours since 2012
Request a free quote for your Four Roses tour. Or call 1-844-BOURBON.
Your Group, Four Roses, and the Lawrenceburg Cluster. One Day. We Handle Everything.
BourbonTown Tours manages every reservation, builds the itinerary around what is available on your specific dates, provides private luxury transportation from your hotel or the airport, and adjusts the day in real time when anything changes. Every tour is 100% private. Your group, your vehicle, your guide, your itinerary.
3,000+ tours since 2012. 650+ five-star reviews across TripAdvisor and Google. Never mixed with strangers.
Request a free quote for your Four Roses tour or call 1-844-BOURBON.
Frequently Asked Questions About Four Roses Distillery
What is the two mash bill five yeast strain ten recipe system at Four Roses?
Four Roses uses two distinct mash bills — one higher rye and one lower rye — and five proprietary yeast strains that each produce different flavor characteristics. Combining two mash bills with five yeast strains produces ten distinct bourbon recipes. Every barrel of Four Roses is distilled as one of these ten recipes, aged separately, and then blended in specific proportions to build each product in the lineup. No other major Kentucky distillery operates this way.
What days is Four Roses Distillery open?
Four Roses is open Monday and Wednesday through Sunday. It is closed on Tuesday and on major holidays. Monday and Wednesday through Saturday hours are 9am to 4pm. Sunday hours are 12pm to 4pm. Always confirm the specific date on the Four Roses website before visiting.
How far is Four Roses from Lexington Kentucky?
Four Roses is approximately 30 to 35 miles from Lexington, a drive of 40 to 45 minutes in normal traffic. It is one of the closest major Bourbon Trail distilleries to Lexington.
Can you combine Four Roses with Wild Turkey and Buffalo Trace in one day?
Yes. Wild Turkey is a short drive from Four Roses on the opposite side of Lawrenceburg. Buffalo Trace is 20 to 25 minutes north in Frankfort. All three in a single day is achievable. BourbonTown Tours builds the sequence based on what tour slots are available, particularly around Buffalo Trace’s Wednesday 10am ticket release.
What is Bar 1888 at Four Roses Distillery?
Bar 1888 is the on-site bar at the Four Roses visitor center, open during all visitor center hours with no reservation required. It serves cocktails, straight pours, and rotating single-recipe pours from the ten Four Roses recipes. The single-recipe pour option lets visitors taste individual recipe components side by side, which is not available in standard retail settings.
Why is Four Roses architecture different from other Kentucky distilleries?
Four Roses is built in Spanish Mission style with stucco walls, tiled roofs, and arched entries dating to the early 1900s. It is the only Kentucky Bourbon Trail distillery in this architectural style and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The campus sits along the Salt River in Anderson County with landscaped grounds.
What is the Cox’s Creek tour at Four Roses?
The Cox’s Creek Bottling and Warehouse Tour is offered at Four Roses’ separate bottling facility near Bardstown, approximately 45 to 55 miles from the Lawrenceburg distillery. The tour covers the single-story rickhouses and bottling operation with a tasting focused on how aging affects the different recipes. It is booked separately and some tours combine both campuses in a single day.
Do I need a reservation to visit Four Roses?
Reservations are strongly recommended for tours and are required to guarantee a specific time slot. Walk-in spots are held back when capacity allows but are not guaranteed, especially on weekends. Bar 1888 and the gift shop are accessible without reservations during all visitor center hours.
