It can be a bit overwhelming if you’re trying to plan a day trip on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail because there are so many distilleries to choose from all over the state.
There are currently 60 distilleries on the official trail and additional distilleries that aren’t officially on the trail.
My challenge was to create a bourbon-themed itinerary that showcased a lot of the area for our family from out of town, that took into consideration tour availability and hours of operation on a Sunday.
I’ve visited several distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, and we decided to cram in as much as possible during a bourbon-themed day trip from the Cincinnati Metro.
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One of my first tips for planning this type of aggressive itinerary is to book your distillery tours in advance.
It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to show up at a distillery and get on a tour on the same day, and even less likely that it will be available at your ideal time.
Consider your travel time between stops and leave some margin for the length of your tour, time in the gift shop, bathroom breaks, etc., if you’re trying to fit a lot of stops in your day trip.
Check hours/days of operation before you go. If you’re trying to fit a lot of stops in your day trip.
Make a list of all your stops with their address and hours of operation, and make a note of what time you need to leave to arrive at the next stop.
Keep in mind that you don’t have to finish your bourbon tastings if you don’t want to. It’s ok not to drink everything offered for your tasting.
Pack a cooler with water and non-alcoholic beverages, and snacks to keep you hydrated and loaded up on carbs between stops.
The only way we were able to make all of these stops in one day was because we stuck to the itinerary. You can use this as a guide or pick and choose what appeals to you and works for your time and budget.
(7:45 prep to leave /Leave the house by 8 am)
Bardstown Bourbon Company
1500 Parkway Dr, Bardstown, KY
Bardstown Bourbon Company was the first stop for our bourbon-themed day trip.
This was the first stop for a few reasons.
Bardstown Bourbon Company is 2 hours and 10 minutes from downtown Cincinnati, opens at 9 AM on Saturdays and Sundays, and it was on our way into Bardstown, KY.
Their property can be seen from the expressway, and it’s a short drive off the exit. Their glass rickhouses definitely set the tone of a more elevated experience.
In fact, Bardstown Bourbon Company is self-described as the “first Napa Valley-style destination on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail to combine distilling, culinary, and beverage expertise to create a modern, authentic bourbon experience.”
We didn’t have enough time to book a tour for logistical purposes for this specific trip.
They offer a variety of tours and tasting experiences for guests to choose from, ranging in price, duration, and experience.
We knew we had a short amount of time for this stop, but we still wanted to stop in and check out the gift shop and see what the tasting area looked like anyway.
The restaurant onsite is a beautiful space, and I’d love to come back to dine there and experience a tasting and tour.
Walk Around Downtown Bardstown, KY
Bardstown has been named the “Most Beautiful Small Town in America” in the Best of the Road Competition sponsored by Rand McNally and USA Today.
Keep in mind that most of the shops in downtown Bardstown are closed on Sundays. We just walked down a few blocks and back before lunch.
If we had visited on a Saturday, we definitely would have browsed inside several shops, but that also would have made staying on time more of a challenge.
There’s a great variety of local shops, bars, and restaurants downtown.
I do want to note that Gallery on the Square is open on Sundays, featuring art from local artists.
Admire the Nelson County Courthouse
The Nelson County Courthouse is positioned in the center of the roundabout and named in honor of Thomas Nelson, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.
The structure was constructed between 1891 and 1892.
Make sure you stop to admire the compass on the bricks in front of the courthouse, which also lists several distilleries in the area.
History fans will appreciate all of the signs on the buildings downtown, too.
Dine at the Home of the Oldest Bourbon Bar in the World – The Old Talbott Tavern Bar
107 W Stephen Foster Ave, Bardstown, KY
As soon as you step onto the old sloping floors of the Old Talbott Tavern building, you experience and appreciate the building that dates back to 1779.
The Old Talbott Tavern has several dining rooms that are perfect for groups.
Each dining room in the tavern has a unique style and decor.
The restaurant and bar open at 11 daily, and we arrived at 11 for the bar area to maximize our time on the itinerary.
Be on the lookout for the old photos and pricing on the wall.
It seemed appropriate to dine at the World’s Oldest Bourbon Bar on a bourbon-themed day trip.
We split two of their appetizers to start our meal. Their homemade cornbread is sweet and served with delicious bourbon butter.
Their Fried Green Tomatoes are a twist on the southern classic made with beer-battered tomato slices and their house-made ranch drizzled on top.
I ordered their “Blackened Shrimp & Grits,” made with blackened shrimp served over creamy cheese grits and topped with sautéed peppers, cheddar cheese, onions, and bacon.
This dish is filling and flavorful.
Their Catfish dish is a deep-fried catfish fillet served on a toasted hoagie
roll with house-made tartar sauce and served with a side.
I got to try a few bites of my friend’s dish, and the catfish had the perfect amount of breading.
The guys both ordered the Tavern Burger.
It’s a half-pound burger served on a grilled bun with lettuce, tomato, red onion, and your choice of cheese with a side. Their housemade ranch is great for dipping your fries, too.
My husband tried their Southern Tea, made with Larceny, a splash of mango, Kentucky sweet tea, and an orange garnish.
Visit the Jesse James Room at Talbott Tavern Inn
Don’t miss seeing the Jesse James Room on the second floor of the Inn. We took turns going up to the room while waiting for our food to arrive at the restaurant.
The Jesse James Room isn’t for overnight guests and is open to the public. It doubles as a museum exhibit.
The most intriguing part of the room to me was all of the visible bullet holes in the wall that are rumored to be from Jesse shooting at the birds he saw in the murals on the wall.
If you want to go more in-depth, download the 15-minute self-guided audio tour.
You can view a gun on display that was previously owned by Jesse James.
The Talbott Tavern and Inn has 6 rooms to choose from that are named after someone famous or infamous who visited the Tavern, including Abraham Lincoln and Daniel Boone.
Jailer’s Inn Bed & Breakfast
111 W Stephen Foster Ave, Bardstown, KY
Jailer’s Inn Bed & Breakfast is located next to The Old Talbott Tavern, and we stopped for a quick picture.
The bed and breakfast is housed in the building that was previously The Old Nelson County Jail from 1797 to 1987.
The structure is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places as the oldest operating jail complex in Kentucky.
The 9 suites in the bed & breakfast include a complimentary tour of the historic jail. If you’re feeling extra daring, book a night in the jail cell.
Guided tours of the historic jail are available daily from 2-6 PM for a $5 fee.
Oscar Getz Museum of Bourbon History
114 N 5th St, Bardstown, KY
The museum is free to visit, but if you’re feeling generous, there’s a suggested donation of $10 that goes directly to the museum and Spalding Hall, preserving the history and growth of the building.
The museum is housed inside Spalding Hall, which dates back to 1826 and was previously used as a college seminary, a hospital for both the North and South during the Civil War, an orphanage, and a preparatory school.
The museum is open from 12-4PM on Sundays and from 10am- 4PM, Tuesdays to Saturdays.
I’d previously visited the Oscar Getz Museum of Bourbon, and I knew that this would be a great stop for our bourbon-themed day.
Oscar Getz was a businessman in the whiskey brokering business before prohibition in Chicago. After prohibition, he was very successful in starting his own business when he got back into whiskey brokering.
Guests can view Getz’s impressive collection of over 50+ years of rare artifacts tied to American whiskey from pre-colonial days to post-prohibition.
There are over 1500 rare and one-of-a-kind bottles of bourbon and whiskey on display, and it was interesting to see the names of whiskeys that are no longer in production.
You’ll also see a doctor’s prescription using whiskey for “medicinal” purposes during prohibition and a whiskey bottle that has a combination lock on it to keep kids and “the help” out.
If you’re looking for a fun photo op, take a picture by the bar in one of the rooms of the museum.
We recognized several infamous names in the museum, including George Remes, a famous bootlegger who lived in Cincinnati, and Carrie Nation, a member of the Temperance movement who had a reputation for destroying bars using her hatchet.
We spent around 45 minutes in the museum and ran out of time. It was bittersweet to leave because we found the exhibits so interesting.
Save a little time to check out the gift shop while you’re there.
Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience Tasting
1311 Gilkey Run Rd, Bardstown, KY
Heaven Hill Distillery offers a variety of tours and tasting experiences.
We booked the 1:15 PM “Whiskey Connoisseur Tasting Experience” at Heaven Hill Distillery.
Guests are asked to arrive 10-15 minutes before their tasting for check-in. That worked in our favor because it allowed us a few minutes to explore the museum portion of the distillery before our tasting.
I enjoyed learning more about Elijah Craig, known as the “Father of Bourbon.”
He was a Baptist preacher who also founded a distillery in 1789, which are career paths you typically don’t associate together.
He was the first distiller to age whiskey in new charred oak barrels, and you can learn more about the charring process at one of the exhibits.
Our tasting experience started inside a barrel-shaped room where we watched an 11-minute film highlighting the story of the Shapira family and Heaven Hill Distillery.
The 45-minute tasting experience takes you through five bourbons and whiskeys. You also get a bourbon ball as a sweet treat after your tastings.
You’ll learn more about what makes each product unique, including the mashbill, age, and aging location.
Keep in mind that the products available on this tasting experience are based on availability and are not guaranteed for purchase.
One of the products that we tried during our tasting wasn’t available for purchase that day, which made it even more special that we got to try it.
Several of the products we tried that day were available in the gift shop. If you’re trying to accomplish a similar schedule to ours, I recommend checking out the gift shop before your tour.
There is also a kitchen and bar on-site.
Four Roses Distillery
1224 Bonds Mill Rd., Lawrenceburg, KY
We left Heaven Hill immediately for our tasting at Four Roses Distillery.
We didn’t have much margin between tastings because it was a 38-minute drive, and our reservation said that we needed to arrive 20 minutes before our 3 PM tour.
I called the distillery on our way there, and I was told their recommendation was due to the train schedule being unpredictable. The train crossed the road you must travel across to get to the distillery.
The building and property at Four Roses is beautiful, with a nice outdoor patio for guests to enjoy.
We had plenty of time to look over the items in the gift shop before it was time for our tasting.
I booked “A Taste of History” because it was one of the few tours available that day, and it worked with our schedule.
“A Taste of History” included a brief history about the brand and a guided flight tasting with their award-winning bourbons.
The flight included pours of Four Roses Bourbon, Small Batch Bourbon, Single Barrel Bourbon, and Small Batch Select.
You may notice oyster crackers with your tasting. They are available to eat at any time to help cleanse your palate.
Our 30-minute tasting finished early, which was probably dependent on how many questions our guide received from participants.
This experience is scheduled for 30 minutes and does not include a tour of the distillery or grounds.
We were pleasantly surprised that our beautiful tasting glass was ours to keep at the end of the tasting, creating an even greater value.
If you have additional time and want to stay a while, there is a bar on-site too.
Wild Turkey Distillery Visitor Center
1417 Versailles Rd, Lawrenceburg, KY
We knew that visiting the Wild Turkey Distillery Visitor Center would be a long shot because of their hours on Sunday, but we were able to make it happen because it was only 16 minutes from Four Roses.
Their Visitor Center is open until 4 PM on Sundays and until 5 PM Wednesdays through Saturdays.
From their property, you can see the “S” Bridge and Young’s High Bridge, a railroad bridge that dates back to 1889.
Their property has plenty of outdoor seating for guests to stay and enjoy the views.
There is also a nice outdoor bar area and a fire pit for cooler temperatures.
Guests can still visit the gift shop if they don’t have a tour or tasting booked.
If you purchase a shot, you do get to keep the glass.
I would definitely love to come back to this distillery for a tour and tasting.
Buffalo Trace Distillery
113 Great Buffalo Trace, Frankfort, KY
Buffalo Trace Distillery closes at 5 PM daily.
We knew that we had limited time at Buffalo Trace Distillery because it was 31 minutes from the Wild Turkey Distillery Visitor Center.
All of us had previously been on tours and tastings at Buffalo Trace Distillery, and this stop was more about making purchases for hard-to-find products to take home.
Tours and tastings are free and book up quickly, so I’d highly recommend making a reservation in advance.
The good and bad of arriving right before the gift shop closes is that you don’t have the big crowds, but there may be limited availability on some of the products.
The gift shop at Buffalo Trace has the following spirits available for purchase on a limited basis:
- Buffalo Trace Bourbon
- Eagle Rare Bourbon
- White Dog Mash Bill #1
- Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cream
- Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon
- E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch
- Wheatley Vodka
- W.L. Weller Special Reserve
- Sazerac Rye
If you have additional time, check out the beautiful grounds and the historic barrel on display.
Extend Your Stay in Bardstown, KY
Here are some accommodation options in Bardstown, KY, and nearby that have high guest review scores of 8+ if you want to extend your visit.
- Distill-Inn – 984 Frost Avenue, Bardstown, KY
- Talbott Tavern Inn – 107 W Stephen Foster Ave, Bardstown, KY
- La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham Bardstown – 3305 East John Rowan Blvd, Bardstown, KY
- SureStay Hotel by Best Western Bardstown General Nelson – 411 W Stephen Foster Ave, Bardstown, KY
- Holiday Inn Express & Suites – Bardstown by IHG – 950 Morton Ave, Bardstown, KY
- Fairfield Inn & Suites Bardstown – 1070 Morton Avenue, Bardstown, KY
- Bourbon Manor Bed & Breakfast Inn – 714 N 3rd Street, Bardstown, KY
