As of 2024 there are 46 stops on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Since the trail’s creation in 1999, visits have exploded, up 370% over the past 10 years. 2.1 million people visited the 18 participating distilleries in 2022, a 38% increase over the 2019 record of 1.7 million.
Fun fact: there are 11 million barrels of bourbon aging in Kentucky. That's more than 2 barrels for every person living in the state!
I recommend buying tickets online in advance for any distilleries you want to visit during your stay.
Best bourbon tours
Angel’s Envy
Angel’s Envy began as an idea shared between a father and son in 2006, and in 2013 three generations of Hendersons broke ground on the distillery. Get an insider’s look at a fully operational urban distillery on Main Street, from beginning to bottle, followed by a tasting in the stunning Finishing Room.
Jim Beam
The James B. Beam Distilling Co. homestead in Clermont is the family home of American whiskey, with all of their celebrated bourbons under one roof. Make a day of it.
Maker’s Mark
Generations of the Samuels family have carried a recipe from Prohibition to one of the most beloved bourbon brands in the world. Every bottle is still hand-dipped in that famous red wax, and when you visit, you can dip your own.
Rabbit Hole
In 2012, founder Kaveh Zamanian left his twenty-year psychology practice to make bourbon and rye. His striking distillery in the heart of Louisville is a modern cathedral to distilling, with every step from grain to bottle on display.
Woodford Reserve
Kentucky’s oldest and smallest distillery is a National Historic Landmark on the grounds where Elijah Pepper began making whiskey in 1812. It has one of the only heat-cycled barrelhouses in the world and makes the only bourbon triple distilled in copper pot stills.
Four Roses
Visit the historic distillery on the Salt River in Lawrenceburg, or the single-story rack warehouse and bottling facility in Cox’s Creek, and sample their award-winning, famously mellow bourbons at each.
Evan Williams Bourbon Experience
An artisanal distillery and immersive experience on downtown Louisville’s historic Whiskey Row, across the street from where Kentucky’s first commercial distiller had his distillery in the late 1700s.
Other great tours: Old Forester, Willet Distillery, Lux Row Distilleries, Buffalo Trace, Wild Turkey and Castle & Key.
The first Black-owned bourbon distillery in Kentucky has also opened: Brough Brothers Distillery.
See every stop and a map on the official Kentucky Bourbon Trail website.
Not in the mood for bourbon?
Check out one of Louisville’s great breweries: Awry Brewing, Mile Wide Beer Co., Gravely Brewing Co., Goodwood Brewery, Falls City Brewery, Against the Grain, Atrium Brewing, Monnik Beer Co., Old Louisville Brewery, West Sixth NuLu and Chimera.
Want more on bourbon and tasting rooms?
Download a free copy of the official Louisville Visitor Guide: 2026 guide or 2025 guide.