Best Distillery Tours on the Bourbon Trail
For those of you that have not toured a bourbon distillery, most follow a similar pattern. Once you are greeted by your wonderful tour guide, you will be introduced to the five laws or keys to making bourbon and given a brief history of what makes each distillery unique.
You will then have a chance to walk through the distilling process as you tour the facility (for full details please see my how it is made section). Some distilleries show you more of the process than others, but every distillery tour I have experienced ends in the same way, along with a few pours of my favorite beverage.
My last visit to Kentucky was my sixth trip down the bourbon trail. While I have not encountered a whiskey experience that I have not enjoyed, some stood out a bit more than others. Below is my compiled list of must see stops along the bourbon trail.
Most Comprehensive Distillery Tour: Jim Beam (Clermont, KY)
If you only have time for one tour on the bourbon trail, the Jim Beam tour is by far the most comprehensive. It starts with a ride on the beautiful Jim Beam bus and leads into the craft section of the distillery to explain the distilling process.
The next step in the process takes you outside, and you get to see the barrel being filled. After that, your tour guide will take you right around the corner to see the barrel emptied and will let you smell some of that delicious barrel strength whiskey.
Next, you will move into the quality control area, where they explain the process and why they are incarcerating this delicious whiskey. You will continue down the hallway to the bottling area, where you can personalize a bottle of Knob Creek with your thumb print. From there you load back onto the bus to go to the Rick house, where you see the aging barrel and all-star barrels such as land mark barrels and Mila Kunis’ barrel.
After all of that walking, it is time for a drink. You will end your tour in the tasting room and bar. At the tasting room you will receive a card. You can pick your three favorite pours of Jim Beam whiskey. You even get to keep your beautiful custom tasting glass. Across from the tasting room, you can sit and enjoy craft cocktails designed specifically for Jim Beam whiskey.
In the summer, after your tour and tasting, you can enjoy some sunshine and barbeque at Fred’s smokehouse before continuing your journey.
Best Family Story: Kentucky Peerless (Louisville, KY)
Kentucky Peerless Distillery has by far my favorite story of any distillery on the bourbon trail. Peerless was the 50th registered distillery in Kentucky and managed to stay open through prohibition, only to close years later. The Peerless Story is full of intrigue and history; the Kraver, later Taylor family had an interesting past.
Corky Taylor personally told his slightly sordid family history that includes everything from keeping the distillery open through prohibition, machine gun guarded rick houses, close family connections with historical figures like Al Capone and General Patton, and how the distillery reopened. The fact that the US government can validate this story makes it even better. Corky had to establish the line of ownership with the government and prove his family legacy to receive the distillery’s original distilled spirit number DSP-KY-50.
The distillery is and according to Corky, always will be, family owned. It definitely has a family environment; even the “adopted members” (or employees outside the family) have a true sense of pride and love for the distillery. If you go in, no matter where you are from, you are treated like an important guest. I have seen them go so far as giving free tours for the next day for out of town guests that missed the last tour.
The tour has some unique portions like the display of barrel making tools and charred staves, but my favorite part of the tour is the distillery’s first barrel. The distillery is giving the first barrel that the distillery filled to the angels share, letting it completely evaporate. I just imagined Corky’s grandparents and great grandfather hanging out in the sitting room, drinking a glass, and sharing stories.
They have a special tasting as well; their Small Batch rye is a combination of six single barrels. Before I took this tour, I didn’t understand the uniqueness of this rye. The tasting completely changed my perspective. They select single barrels that represent different flavor profiles like fruity, spicy, and honey. When I did my tasting, I saved my Small Batch and sampled it again after I sampled each of the other whiskies. It truly brought out all of the flavors that I had originally missed in the rye, making me realized how truly special it really is.
Once you combine the family story with the tour, tasting, and family environment, it makes for an unforgettable experience.
Most Artistic: Maker’s Mark (Lebanon, KY)
The iconic dripping red wax and unique font has gained Maker’s Mark international recognition. Margie Samuels, wife of Bill Samuels (founder and distiller of Maker’s Mark,) created the font that Maker’s Mark displayed on every bottle, and finished the bottle with dripping red wax.
The lady obviously had great taste; she went a step further and patented her designs while also setting the standard for beautiful packaging in the whiskey industry. Her design has won several awards and Margie Samuels is one of the few women to earn a place in the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame. (For more information on this wonderful lady is available on the Maker’s Mark website.)
I know, I know, this is a bourbon trail blog so why and I giving you her family history? Margie Samuels’ artistic design on the first bottle is celebrated today with other artist renderings of Maker’s Mark on every wall and corner of the distillery. While the distillery tour follows the standard path of every whiskey tour, you will be amazed by almost every wall in the distillery. Try to pay close attention!
Most bourbon enthusiasts are aware and admire the beautiful Dale Chihuly ceiling at the end of the tour. Many patrons miss the sculpture by Stephen Rolfe Powell in the gift shop and the mesmerizing paintings by Michael Flohr in the cafe. Many also walk by the beautiful artwork from so many other renown and local artists that adorn every wall of the distillery.
I cannot blame any of the patrons that are more interested in the whiskey than the artwork, because it is an amazing pour. They put so much effort into making every pour just as special as the last, even going so far as to climate control the most precious barrels to get that perfect flavor. However, on your next trip to the Maker’s Mark distillery, I urge you to look around and admire your surroundings.
I wasn’t sure that you could make whiskey more amazing on a painting, sculpture, or mosaic than in a glass but the art work at Maker’s Mark might have proven me wrong.
Most Unique Experience: Bourbon 30 (Georgetown, KY)
Okay, Bourbon 30 is not a distillery (and is not technically part of the bourbon trail). It is the best tasting experience I have ever had. Jeff Mattingly (owner of Bourbon 30) comes from a long line of crafters and distilling is truly his passion. Bourbon 30 is going to begin distilling at their current location at some point, but right now they focus on crafting.
The name Bourbon 30 comes from when Jeff and his brothers were younger. They would wait until their father was distracted to steal his bottle of bourbon. Once one of them got the bottle they would tell each other “It’s Bourbon 30”.
I know, now you’re ready for a drink. Once you walk in, the first thing that you notice is the line of barrels in the middle of the gift shop with rubber bungs (whiskey barrel corks). This is what makes the tasting special. Your taste is pulled directly out of the whiskey barrel. You get to nose the barrel and get walked through tasting of Jeff’s favorite barrels.
If that isn’t enough to entice you into visiting, you can fill or craft your own bottle of whiskey. That’s right! You can open barrels and blend your own custom bottle; they will even make you a custom label if you give them advanced notice. Most distilleries will not allow you to do something like this unless you select your own barrel.
This makes an experience that is usually reserved for the larger liquor stores an attainable goal for all whiskey lovers.
Most Beautiful Distillery: Castle and Key (Frankfort, KY)
Castle and Key is going to be under construction until this fall, but it is a must see once it opens to the public! I was extremely lucky that the team at Castle and Key arranged for me to take an early tour with their Master Distiller and one of my personal heroes, Marianne Eaves. It was a truly unforgettable experience.
Even under construction, this entire distillery was my personal fairytale dream! In 1887, COL Edmund Hanes Taylor built this distillery to provide a destination experience to the distilling industry. He did exactly that by building a beautiful distillery complete with an English courtyard. However, since 1972 it sat unoccupied (over 40 years), and it fell into ruin.
Marianne explained to me that they were recreating COL Taylor’s vision of the distillery, not only in the restoration, but with the whiskey. They are using some of the original equipment, but more importantly, they are trying to recreate the whiskey as COL Taylor meant it to be enjoyed. Marianne is using different strains of yeast and white corn (from the original recipe) in the mash to create a complex flavor profile in the whiskey and rye. Sadly, the whiskey is still aging, but the Gin and Vodka are absolute must haves for your collection.
Every part of the distillery was absolutely breathtaking, from the English gardens to the fresh limestone water reservoir decorated with a gorgeous chandelier (the “key” to their aging whiskey.) They have incorporated history into every inch of the distillery by using everything from recovered wood on the ceilings and the old coal stoves to historical decorations in the gift shop. At the end of the tour you get to enjoy spirit tastings and a classic cocktail in the old and beautifully renovated boiler room.
Castle and Key is an absolute must see in the fall! I guarantee that everyone in your party will love their trip through time at this beautiful distillery, and their dedication to recreating COL Taylor’s vision at the birthplace of bourbon tourism. It has something for everyone in your party from the beautiful grounds to a long and preserved history, and of course, my favorite: wonderful spirits.
Go start your journey down the bourbon trail. I hope you enjoy these amazing places as much as I did. I will most certainly be visiting them again. I am off to yoga. Cheers!
Which Whiskey and how is it made? Part 1 Bourbon: divine intervention or happy accident?
https://www.makersmark.com/history/family/margie-samuels