Holiday Celebrations in Kentucky: Make the Most of Festive Occasions
Updated November 2026 · BourbonTown Tours
BourbonTown Tours builds private bourbon days for holiday and seasonal celebrations, from December gift-shop runs to October foliage drives. Holiday dates are subject to distillery availability. 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. Private tours run $275 to $425 per person, plus 6% KY sales tax and a 3% booking fee. See the best times for Kentucky bourbon tours.
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Quick Facts
- Each holiday or fall tour carries only your group, never strangers.
- 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.
- Custom tours typically run three stops, and we can add or subtract on your planning call.
- Pickup is at your hotel or door in Louisville, Bardstown or Lexington.
- Holiday dates are subject to distillery availability, and we can sometimes build a day on a week's notice, but distillery tours may already be full.
- You must be 21 to consume alcohol, and some experiences may require all attendees to be 21.
December and holiday-season tours
Holiday Gift Shopping: Find bourbon bottles and exclusive items at distillery gift shops, perfect for gifting to loved ones or adding to a collection. Bottles are always yours to buy. A bourbon tour gift card puts the whole day under the tree.
We can sometimes build a day on a week's notice, but distillery tours may already be full.
Fall foliage tours
Scenic Drives for Autumn Foliage: Take in the fall colors between distillery stops on your private day.
October weekends fill first, so book earlier than the usual 2 to 4 months, and the Bourbon Festival in mid-September 6 months or more. If Buffalo Trace matters to your group, reach out at least 10 weeks ahead.
Planning Around a Festival
BourbonTown Tours runs private bourbon distillery tours, not festival tours. Send us the festival you are planning around, such as the Kentucky Bourbon Festival or Bourbon & Beyond, and your dates, and we build the private distillery days to fit. Tickets, hours and prices are the festival's own to set. For dates and planning, see Kentucky's bourbon and wine festivals.
What your tour includes
On a holiday date the rate still covers distillery tickets and tastings, the private vehicle and guide, and a lunch table we reserve on the route; the meal goes on your tab, or we add box lunches to the quote. December gift-shop bottles are yours to buy.
A deposit reserves your date. Your quote includes the full details.
Frequently asked questions
Do you run tours on holidays?
Yes. Holiday dates are subject to distillery availability, so a holiday tour is built against what is open on your date. Tickets are booked once your tour is confirmed and every reservation is listed in the itinerary, and where a first choice cannot run we propose another stop in the same driving cluster. Sunday hours are shorter and vary by distillery, which matters when a holiday falls on a weekend.
How far ahead should we book a holiday or fall 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. The Bourbon Festival in mid-September needs 6 months or more. For a December or fall date that includes Buffalo Trace, reach out at least 10 weeks ahead. We reply the same day between 8 AM and 8 PM Eastern. Requests after 8 PM get a reply the next morning.
Can you build a tour around a festival?
Yes. Send us the festival you are planning around and your dates, and we build the private distillery days to fit. Festival tickets are the festival's own to sell. Bourbon Festival week in mid-September needs 6 months or more of notice, and Derby week 4 to 6 months. Every tour is private to your group and covers everything except lunch and driver gratuity.
What if I don't drink but I still want to take the tour?
That's no problem. Non-drinkers pay the full per-person rate. The distilleries, their heritage, and the history are entertaining and fascinating without ever taking a sip. A non-drinking guest rides with the group, takes the tours and skips the pours, because the per-person rate is set by how many people are in the party, not by how many are tasting.
How do I dress, and what can't I bring?
Closed-toe shoes are required and comfort is key. Dress for the weather twice over: you move between indoor production floors and outdoor walkways, and a rickhouse, the warehouse where barrels age, sits at whatever temperature the day outside is, so a winter holiday tour calls for a warm layer. No firearms of any kind are allowed, and there is no smoking in the vehicle.
Is it customary to tip the driver?
Gratuity is customary. Driver gratuity is not included in the tour price. On a holiday tour the rate still pays for distillery tickets, tasting fees, trip planning by a Bourbon Experience Coordinator, the private vehicle with a professional guide who drives the tour, and a confirmed lunch table, but lunch and the driver's gratuity stay with you.
Plan your holiday celebration in bourbon country
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.
Your holiday tour includes:
- Distillery tickets and tasting fees, booked against what is open on your date
- A private vehicle and driver from your hotel or door, with water stocked
- A written itinerary with every reservation confirmed, lunch table included (the meal is on your tab)