Plan Your Kentucky Bourbon Trip: Quick Guide

Kentucky Bourbon Trip Quick Facts

• Driving clusters: Louisville; Bardstown and beyond; Frankfort and Versailles; Lawrenceburg; Lexington.
• Stops: three per day is typical on a custom tour; the planning call is where you add or drop one.
• Day length: 6 to 8 hours.
• Drive times from Louisville: Bardstown about 50 minutes, Frankfort and Versailles about 60, downtown Lexington about 90.
• Book ahead: 2 to 4 months for most of the year; earlier for fall and spring weekends; 4 to 6 months for Derby week; 6 months or more for the Bourbon Festival.
• Buffalo Trace: reach out at least 10 weeks ahead.
• Private tour price: $275 to $425 per person depending on group size, plus 6% KY sales tax and a 3% booking fee.

Research and Decide Which Distilleries to Visit

Kentucky has more distilleries than any one trip can hold, so deciding which ones to visit is the first real choice. A few ways to narrow the list:

• Understand your preferences. Before you work through the list, decide what kind of experience you want. Are you interested in the traditional process of making bourbon, or in trying newer styles? Do you prefer small craft distilleries or the large, well-known operations? Knowing that narrows the options quickly.
• Research the tours. Most distilleries run guided tours of their production and history, and some add hands-on experiences or seated tastings. Check what each one offers and how long it takes.
• Consider location. The distilleries spread across the state, so group stops that sit close together. From Louisville, Bardstown is the closest cluster at about 50 minutes, Frankfort and Versailles take about 60, and downtown Lexington about 90, so pairing nearby stops saves the most road time.
• Read reviews. Travel sites such as Tripadvisor and Yelp carry reviews from past visitors, which give an honest view of what each distillery offers.
• Consider special events. Many distilleries hold tastings, festivals and other events through the year, and September is Bourbon Heritage Month statewide. Planning around an event can shape the whole trip.
• Ask for recommendations. Friends or family who have visited before may know a smaller stop worth the detour.

Our directory of bourbon distilleries in Kentucky groups every distillery we visit by driving cluster, with what each one gives a visitor and the drive times between them.

Map Out Your Route

A clear route is what keeps a day from turning into a day in the car. Windshield time, not distance, decides what fits.

Start from the distilleries you most want to see, then group them by cluster so the hops between stops stay short. Inside Bardstown, Heaven Hill to Bardstown Bourbon Company is about 5 minutes and Heaven Hill to Willett about 8. Across clusters the drives grow: Maker's Mark in Loretto and Buffalo Trace in Frankfort sit about an hour and fifteen minutes apart, so those two rarely share a day.

Next, think about the logistics: how many days you have, where you will be staying and how you will get around. Once you have a rough list, map it in a GPS or map app; Google Maps lets you build a custom map with several destinations, which makes the route easy to adjust before you set out.

Check each distillery's hours as you go. Some run tours only at set times, and some close on set weekdays: Four Roses runs no tours on Monday or Tuesday, Bulleit is closed on Tuesday, and Castle and Key on Monday and Tuesday. Woodford Reserve opens every day from March through December but only Thursday through Monday in January and February, so a winter trip loses it on Tuesday and Wednesday. Sunday hours are shorter and vary by distillery.

Plan for lunch, too. Tasting on an empty stomach is no good for safety or for enjoyment, so build a meal into the middle of the day. On a private tour we book and confirm the restaurant table, and the meal goes on your tab.

Leave some room in the day. Tours can run long, and a little slack keeps one delay from undoing the rest of the plan.

Check Tour Availability and Book in Advance

Make sure the distilleries you want are open and bookable on your dates before you build the trip around them. Many distilleries require reservations, and peak months fill first.

How far ahead to book:

• Derby week: 4 to 6 months.
• The Bourbon Festival in mid-September: 6 months or more.
• Fall and spring weekends: earlier, they fill first.
• The rest of the year: 2 to 4 months.
• Short notice: We can sometimes build a day on a week's notice, but distillery tours may already be full.

If Buffalo Trace matters to you, reach out at least 10 weeks ahead.

If you are booking yourself, check each distillery's tour schedule directly, since times vary by season and by day of the week. Many distilleries take bookings on their own websites, and a phone call works when you have questions or special requests. Keep track of every reservation and confirmation so the day runs smoothly.

On a private tour with BourbonTown Tours, that work is ours: we book distillery tickets once your tour is confirmed, and the tickets are included in the rate.

Plan Your Accommodations

After a full day of touring and tasting, you want a comfortable, convenient place to rest before the next one. Some steps for choosing it:

• Set a budget. Know what you want to spend before you start browsing hotels or rentals.
• Decide on the type of stay. Options run from traditional hotels to bed and breakfasts, cabins and campgrounds.
• Research locations. Louisville, Bardstown and Lexington all work as a base. The right base is the one closest to the clusters you picked; Louisville to downtown Lexington is about 90 minutes, so a base on the wrong side puts that drive into every day.
• Check availability. Peak months (October, April and May), Derby week and Bourbon Festival weekend fill first; Bardstown hotels fill 6 or more months ahead of the Festival.
• Read reviews. Past guests' reviews tell you about the staff, amenities, location and cleanliness.
• Consider amenities. On a longer stay, details such as breakfast make a difference.
• Book early. Booking well ahead, especially in peak season, gives you the choice of places and one less thing to worry about.

Louisville, Bardstown and Lexington each work as a base, and our guide to where to stay for a Kentucky bourbon tour compares them. On a private tour we pick you up and drop you off at your hotel or your door in Louisville, Bardstown or Lexington.

Transportation and Safety

Getting between distilleries is the part of the plan that needs the most care, because every stop ends with a tasting.

• Choose how you will travel. You can rent a car, book a private tour, or use public transportation. A rental car gives you control of the schedule but means someone navigates and someone stays sober. A private tour puts a professional driver behind the wheel and builds the day around your list.
• Map the route. Use a map app to find the most efficient route between your stops, and allow for opening hours, events and closures.
• Plan for safe driving. If you drive yourself, follow the traffic rules and never drink behind the wheel. Pick a sober designated driver for the group, or hire a driver for the day.
• Take breaks between visits. Drink water and eat something between tastings, and pace yourself through the day.
• Follow each distillery's safety rules. Closed-toe shoes are required, there is no smoking outside the designated areas, and you keep a safe distance from equipment. Our page on what to wear on a bourbon tour covers the rest.
• Stay safe in the evening. If your day runs late, stick to well-lit, busy areas and trust your instincts.

If you would rather not drive at all, our private bourbon tour transportation page explains the vehicles and how a driver-only booking works.

Frequently Asked Questions