Bardstown Bourbon Company recently opened a large visitor’s center and broke ground on a new bottling facility.
Visitors made more than two million stops along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail in 2019, with 2020 gearing up to be another record year — until the COVID-19 pandemic hit and distillery tours stopped cold in mid-March.
Now that distilleries are gradually reopening, what can visitors expect on tours that are known for fun, authentic and informative group experiences like sampling bourbon straight from a barrel, tasting various labels at a bar or watching the production and bottling processes?
In early June, Team Kentucky Healthy at Work issued guidance for distillery tours, including strict cleaning protocols, employee health and safety training and distancing guidelines, posting of signs promoting social distancing and forbidding patrons to touch exhibits. Individual facilities can decide whether patrons must wear masks and whether those who won’t can enter.
Though opening dates and site policies will vary, some area distillery industry and tour officials provided a glimpse at what tour-goers will and won’t be able to do during future visits.
Production has continued with additional safety protocols at Woodford Reserve and Old Forester Distilling Co., both Kentucky-based Brown-Forman brands in Woodford County and Louisville, respectively.
Last fiscal year, Woodford Reserve’s visitors center welcomed around 155,000 guests, and this year was on pace to welcome 160,000 to 165,000, Brown-Forman Home Place senior manager Erik Brown said.
Of course, those projections have changed with COVID-19, and tours at all properties were closed to the public in mid-March. Brown said upon reopening, a date not determined by press time, smaller tour group sizes will be the norm, and there may also be disposable glasses used in tastings, or traditional glass vessels that are sanitized two or even three times.
Guests will be shown around the grounds outside, Brown said, but likely won’t be allowed into production areas for safety reasons.
Visitors may also request private, personalized tours within their own comfort zones, he said.
“We’re kind of creating different experiences, so if you want more of a private experience and you want that safety, I think we’ll be able to meet everyone where they’re at,” and accommodate special requests, he said.
Brown said he’s been impressed by the willingness among fellow Kentucky Bourbon Trail member distilleries to collaborate and talk through the new and unforeseen challenges the pandemic brought to the industry. Talks began early among Brown-Forman officials about how to move forward, he added.
“We really started to look at, ‘How do we continue to communicate with consumers and make sure that we’re top of mind so people will want to come visit once we reopen,’” he said.
In Frankfort, Buffalo Trace Distillery plans to reopen for tours beginning July 1, public relations and events manager Amy Preske said. All tours and tastings will require advance registration, and new gift shop policies will be announced.
“As you can imagine, we will have to reduce the number of visitors per tour, tasting and within our buildings,” the company said in a statement. “The great news is we have a 35,000-square-foot expanded visitor center and will be able to spread out to comply with CDC social distancing recommendations.”
On a typical Saturday pre-pandemic, Bardstown Bourbon Company might welcome up to 500 guests for tours, dining and other experiences, vice president of hospitality and product development Dan Callaway said. A new visitor’s center recently opened, and work continues on a 47,000-square-foot bottling facility set for completion next spring.
A flight of bourbon at Bardstown Bourbon Company.
After closing to the public in mid-March, tours reopened June 10 and the distillery’s onsite restaurant is slated for a July 10 opening. In the interim, virtual tours and cocktail classes online replaced in-person visits, and will continue, Callaway said.
Visitors can expect smaller tour sizes, masks will be encouraged and tasting glasses will be double-washed in an industrial high-temperature machine.
Though production areas are off-limits, Callaway said guests can enjoy the beautiful outdoors at the distillery while guides give presentations, and will still have a great time, whether tasting from a barrel, a variety of bourbons, or pairing bourbon with different food, depending on the selected experience.
“It’s the people that make it happen here, and our team is ready to go and engage and tell you our story.” — Dan Callaway, Bardstown Bourbon Co.
“It’s the people that make it happen here, and our team is ready to go and engage and tell you our story,” he said. “The people will be right here; the bourbon is right here … the whole experience is going to be happening and you really can engage with it.”
Along with his wife, Hope, Jerry Daniels is co-owner of Lexington-based Stone Fences Tours, now in its third year. Many of his tours are bourbon-centric, pairing tours and history, horses, bourbon barons of yesteryear and more.
With distilleries closed, he’s been spending his free time during the pandemic creating a historical video podcast, “Behind the Label,” and says the research he’s done will better inform his traditional bourbon tours.
He’s also been keeping in touch with distillery officials across the region to stay abreast of opening dates and new procedures.
Daniels operates one tour van and was eyeing purchasing another, but COVID-19 put that on hold for now. He said he’s already scoured his van top to bottom and will again between each use, limiting guests to 10 per tour with only people of the same household and/or who have already been traveling together.
“Right now, we just want to make it through this year,” he said. “We just love doing it.”
At Woodford Reserve, Old Forester and affiliated locations, Brown said consumers will know that when it’s deemed safe to open again, they can feel confident that officials there have done their due diligence to make sure that employees and guests are protected.
That may mean starting slowly with opening retail areas first, then adding on other events and tours gradually.
“We’re going to crawl before we walk, and walk before we run,” he said.
