Private Bourbon Tours for Large Groups
Updated November 2026 · BourbonTown Tours
Yes, BourbonTown Tours runs private, guided bourbon tours with transportation for large groups across Kentucky. Up to 14 guests ride in one BTT vehicle; groups over 14 travel in multiple vehicles or a bus or motor coach we contract. Groups of 10 to 14 pay $275 per person, plus 6% KY sales tax and a 3% booking fee; larger groups are quoted on your planning call.
Every large group tour is private to your party and never mixed with strangers. We build the day around your headcount: the distilleries, the tour times, one lunch reservation for the whole group and pickup at your hotel or door in Louisville, Lexington or Bardstown. Custom tours typically run three stops, and we can add or subtract on your planning call. Distillery tickets are included, and the rate covers everything except lunch and driver gratuity.
Quick Facts
- Group size per vehicle: up to 14 guests in one BourbonTown Tours vehicle.
- Groups over 14: multiple vehicles, or a contracted bus or motor coach; quoted on your planning call.
- Price for 10 to 14 guests: $275 per person, plus 6% KY sales tax and a 3% booking fee.
- Included: distillery tickets, tastings, the private vehicle and guide, water in every vehicle, and a confirmed lunch reservation. Lunch and driver gratuity are on you.
- Stops: Custom tours typically run three stops, and we can add or subtract on your planning call.
- Pickup: your hotel or door in Louisville, Lexington or Bardstown; pickup time varies by itinerary.
- Reply time: send the headcount and dates before 8 PM Eastern for a same-day reply; later requests are answered the next morning.
How Many People Fit in One BourbonTown Tours Vehicle?
One BourbonTown Tours vehicle carries up to 14 guests. The seat count decides which vehicle your group rides in:
- Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van: 7 to 14 guests, seats 14. Groups of 13 and 14 ride in the Sprinter.
- Ford Transit vans: seat 12.
- GMC Yukon XL SUV: 1 to 6 guests.
- Audi A8 sedan: up to 3 guests.
That is the full fleet. A group of 7 to 14 rides together in one van with one guide, so nobody splits off, nobody drives, and the whole party hears the same stories between stops. Water is stocked in every vehicle. Pickup is at your hotel or door, and the pickup time is set by your itinerary, so it varies from group to group. If your headcount is still moving, tell us the range. A group that grows from 12 to 14 moves from a Transit to the Sprinter; a group that grows past 14 moves to the multi-vehicle or coach format below. See the BourbonTown Tours fleet for photos and seat counts.
Groups of 15, 20, 30 or More: Multiple Vehicles or a Coach
Groups over 14 are covered with multiple BourbonTown Tours vehicles, or we contract a larger vehicle such as a bus or motor coach for the day. Both formats stay private to your group. Which one fits depends on your headcount, your stops and how the day needs to run.
Multiple vehicles suit a group that wants the BTT ride: each vehicle is one of ours, and the whole party follows one itinerary. Each vehicle has its own guide. A contracted bus or motor coach suits a group that wants everyone on one vehicle.
Large-group pricing is quoted on your planning call. We do not publish a per-person rate for multi-vehicle or coach groups, because the price depends on the vehicles your headcount needs, the stops and the date. Send your headcount, dates and where the group is staying, or call 1-844-BOURBON. A real person answers, and we reply the same day between 8 AM and 8 PM Eastern.
Large Group Pricing by Headcount
Each figure in the table is the rate one guest pays, with 6% KY sales tax and a 3% booking fee added on top. The sheet covers groups up to 14 in one vehicle.
| Guests | Per person |
|---|---|
| 2 | $425 |
| 3 | $389 |
| 4 | $375 |
| 5 | $355 |
| 6 | $325 |
| 7 | $305 |
| 8 | $295 |
| 9 | $285 |
| 10 to 14 | $275 |
| 15 or more | Quoted on your planning call (multiple vehicles or a contracted coach) |
The per-person rate falls as the headcount climbs, so a group of 10 pays $275 per person where a group of 4 pays $375, each plus 6% KY sales tax and a 3% booking fee. The rate covers everything except lunch and driver gratuity. Distillery tickets are included whichever experience your group picks; bottles bought at a distillery are on the guest who buys them. A non-drinker pays the full per-person rate and still rides, tours and eats with the group. Corporate groups pay from the same sheet. For a tastings-only day, the Barrel Crawl runs $239 per person at 10 or more guests, plus 6% KY sales tax and a 3% booking fee; lunch is not included. The full bourbon tour cost guide explains every fee.
How We Run a Big Group Day
Splitting the group across vehicles
Fourteen is the line. Up to 14 guests, we keep the whole group in one vehicle, because one van means one conversation, one set of stories and no headcount at every stop. Over 14, the group travels in multiple vehicles or a contracted coach, and we build one itinerary for the whole party.
Keeping the group together at tastings
A big group wants to taste together, not in shifts. Distillery tour sessions have their own caps, and some large groups need a private or group format instead of the public calendar. You see the plan stop by stop in your written quote before anyone pays.
Distillery group-size rules and booking lead time
Each distillery sets its own group rules, and they change. These are published on the distilleries' own sites as of October 23, 2026:
- Woodford Reserve: large groups book through the distillery's tours team, not the public calendar; groups of 10 or more must cancel at least 14 days ahead; individual reservations open no more than 90 days out (Woodford Reserve).
- Buffalo Trace: the reservation calendar opens up to 8 weeks ahead, and new dates release on Wednesdays at 10 AM Eastern (Buffalo Trace). The distillery lists hours of 9 to 5 Monday through Saturday and 11 to 5 on Sunday, so a large group's Sunday visit starts later. If Buffalo Trace matters to your group, reach out at least 10 weeks ahead so we are ready when your date opens.
We check every stop against your headcount before your quote goes out, and we book distillery tickets once your tour is confirmed.
Lunch for a large group
We book and confirm one lunch reservation for the whole party, and the meal goes on your tab. Lunch falls between stops 1 and 2 or between stops 2 and 3, depending on your itinerary. For big groups, the table is the hard part, so we lock it as soon as your tour is confirmed. A box lunch can be built into the quoted price on request, which suits a Sunday route or a group that wants three stops without a sit-down hour. On Sundays the day fits two distilleries and a sit-down lunch, or three with a box lunch.
Groups We Plan For
Large group bookings come from five kinds of parties, and each one builds a different day.
- Corporate teams and client days. Same sheet as any custom tour, a written quote with stops and times for whoever approves the spend, and nobody on the team drives. Corporate bourbon tours covers the corporate format.
- Bachelor and bachelorette parties. They come in every size. A smaller party rides together in one van; a big one runs in multiple vehicles or a coach, each vehicle with its own guide. See bachelor party bourbon tours and bachelorette party bourbon tours.
- Milestone birthdays. Birthday bourbon tours covers the format.
- Family reunions and retirement trips. Built like any custom tour around the group's interests; every distillery fits. See reunion bourbon tours.
- Derby and event weekends. We do not run Derby tours. On Derby Day our vehicles are hired to take your group to and from Churchill Downs; Kentucky Derby transportation has the per-vehicle rates and lead times. Distillery days the week before or after the Derby run as normal custom tours.
Not sure which distilleries suit your group? The best bourbon distilleries for groups matches stops to group type. 93% of our inquiries come from outside Kentucky, so most large groups plan the whole day from out of state.
When to Book a Large Group Tour
Book as soon as the date is fixed. The month decides how far ahead a day can be built, and big groups need the most room because every stop has to hold your full headcount.
| When | Book ahead |
|---|---|
| Derby week | 4 to 6 months |
| Bourbon Festival, mid-September | 6 months or more |
| October, April and May | Earlier, they fill first |
| The rest of the year | 2 to 4 months |
| Short notice, any month | Sometimes a week, but distillery tours may already be full |
A deposit reserves your date, and your quote includes the full details. No deposit to start planning. For a large group's month-by-month timing, see how to plan a Kentucky bourbon trip.
Why Groups Book BourbonTown Tours
691 five-star reviews across every platform and a Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice award in 2024, 2025 and 2026. We have run 3,000+ private tours since 2012. Every tour is private to your group, never mixed with strangers, and the group sees its full itinerary in writing before the day.
"Bourbon Town Tours hosted a great experience for our large group. From start to finish we had a great time. BBT took the guesswork out of all the planning for us. Ron had great communication and gave us our schedule way ahead of time. The transportation was clean, great AC and made it such an easy ride for us."
Jacqueline Persang · Google
Related Group Planning Guides
- Corporate bourbon tours · team outings, client days and incentive trips.
- Best bourbon tours for corporate groups · how to choose a corporate format.
- The BourbonTown Tours fleet · every vehicle and seat count.
- Bourbon tour transportation · transportation-only hourly bookings for groups that hold their own tickets.
- Kentucky bourbon tour costs · the rate for every headcount, with fees and the deposit.
- Private vs group bourbon tours · private days compared with shared public tours.
- Private bourbon tours from Louisville · the most common large-group pickup city.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can BourbonTown Tours take a group larger than 14?
Yes. Up to 14 guests ride together in one BourbonTown Tours vehicle. Groups over 14 are covered with multiple vehicles, or we contract a larger vehicle such as a bus or motor coach for the day. Every format stays private to your group. Large-group pricing is quoted on your planning call, so put your headcount and dates in your first message or call 1-844-BOURBON.
How much does a large group bourbon tour cost?
Groups of 10 to 14 in one vehicle pay $275 per person, plus 6% KY sales tax and a 3% booking fee. Smaller groups pay up to $425 per person on the same sheet. That per-person figure includes every guest's distillery tickets; only lunch and driver gratuity sit outside it. Groups over 14, in multiple vehicles or a coach, are quoted on the planning call.
What vehicle does a group of 10 to 14 ride in?
A group of 13 or 14 rides in our Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van, which seats 14. Our Ford Transit vans seat 12, so a group of 7 to 12 can ride in either van. Every vehicle is private to your group, carries water, and picks up at your hotel or door. See our fleet page for photos and seat counts before you send your headcount.
Can you run a bourbon tour for 20 or 30 people?
Yes. A group of 20 or 30 travels in multiple BourbonTown Tours vehicles, or in a bus or motor coach we contract for the day. We build one itinerary for the whole party, book the distillery tickets and set the lunch reservation for your full headcount. The format and the price are set on your planning call once we know the headcount, dates and pickup point.
Do Kentucky distilleries limit group size?
Yes, and each distillery sets its own rules. Woodford Reserve asks large groups to book through its tours team and requires 14 days' notice to cancel for groups of 10 or more. We check every stop against your headcount before your quote goes out.
How far ahead should a large group book a bourbon 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. Large groups planning around Derby week need 4 to 6 months, and around the Bourbon Festival in mid-September 6 months or more. If Buffalo Trace matters, reach out at least 10 weeks ahead, because its calendar opens up to 8 weeks out.
How does lunch work for a large group?
We book and confirm one lunch reservation for your whole party, placed between stops 1 and 2 or 2 and 3 depending on your itinerary. The meal is on your tab. A box lunch can be built into the quoted price on request, which suits Sunday routes and big groups that want three stops. Tell us about dietary needs when you send your headcount.
Plan Your Group's Bourbon Day
Send the headcount, the dates and where the group is staying. Your large group quote includes:
- A routing plan with every stop, tour time and the lunch reservation, checked against your headcount.
- The vehicle plan: one vehicle up to 14 guests, or multiple vehicles or a contracted coach above 14.
- The full price for your group, with 6% KY sales tax and the 3% booking fee shown.
Request a Large Group Quote
Tell us your headcount, your dates and where the group is staying in Louisville, Lexington or Bardstown. We answer large-group requests the same day if they arrive between 8 AM and 8 PM Eastern, and the next morning if they arrive later. No deposit to start planning.
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)