Making the Rounds: 9 distilleries within a 45-minute drive from Lexington

by

The Bluegrass boasts an embarrassment of riches as far as places to appropriately celebrate bourbon culture. Below, we’ve identified 9 great distilleries within a 45-minute drive of Lexington. Most distillery tours leave on the hour every hour from the time the Visitors Center opens until one hour before close; it’s always a good idea to check with the distillery before heading out.

Tips for Getting the Most from Your Distillery Visits

• Always double-check hours and tour timing with the distilleries you’re planning to visit –some distilleries have seasonal hours and most are closed on major holidays. Craft distilleries are especially likely to change their hours.

• If possible, secure your tour tickets in advance either through the distillery’s website or by calling.

• Be sure to pad your timing for early arrival and for some gift shop time after the tour – plan to arrive at least 15 minutes ahead and stay up to 30 minutes after.

• If you want to leave the details to someone else, consider traveling with a professional tour company. Mint Julep Tours offers public, private and custom guided Kentucky Bourbon Trail trips.

• Dress appropriately – you’ll likely be walking a lot, so comfortable shoes are a must. Some distilleries require close-toed shoes for certain tours. And you’ll be switching between inside and out frequently so consider layering.

• Ask questions! The tour guides love to talk about their bourbon (and sometimes other topics like history or cocktails), and they appreciate guests who are interested in the intricacies of the products they represent. Remember, if they didn’t like talking about bourbon, they wouldn’t be working as bourbon tour guides!

• Take your best camera. Many of the distilleries have stunning architecture and grounds and inside the buildings there are many opportunities for unique shots of fermenters, stills, barrels and of course 

Toggle Map
×
Your browser does not support the HTML5 Geolocation API. Enter your address in the text field above and try again.
You denied permission to use your current location. Enter an address in the text field above or change your location sharing settings for this page.
Unable to find your current location. Enter an address in the text field above and try again.
Location search timed out. Enter an address in the text field above and try again.
  • 1

    1200 Manchester Street Building #9, Lexington, Kentucky 40504
    (859) 259-0159
    Website

    Located in the heart of Lexington’s Distillery District, Barrel House produces a variety of products, including vodka, moonshine, bourbon barrel aged rum and RockCastle bourbon.

    ×
    Your browser does not support the HTML5 Geolocation API. Enter your address in the text field above and try again.
    You denied permission to use your current location. Enter an address in the text field above or change your location sharing settings for this page.
    Unable to find your current location. Enter an address in the text field above and try again.
    Location search timed out. Enter an address in the text field above and try again.
  • 2

    401 Cross St., Lexington, Kentucky 40508
    Website

    Located in downtown Lexington, Town Branch offers the only local combination brewery and distillery tour. Pearse Lyons Reserve malt whiskey was the first malt whiskey to be made in Lexington since prohibition.

    ×
    Your browser does not support the HTML5 Geolocation API. Enter your address in the text field above and try again.
    You denied permission to use your current location. Enter an address in the text field above or change your location sharing settings for this page.
    Unable to find your current location. Enter an address in the text field above and try again.
    Location search timed out. Enter an address in the text field above and try again.
  • 3

    108 E. Fourth St., Paris, Kentucky
    (859) 559-3494
    Website

    Hartfield & Co. distills to incredibly low proof, around just 55-60 percent alcohol by volume, then matures in micro barrels at just 5.8 gallons. This produces a rich, full-flavored bourbon in only three and a half months.

    ×
    Your browser does not support the HTML5 Geolocation API. Enter your address in the text field above and try again.
    You denied permission to use your current location. Enter an address in the text field above or change your location sharing settings for this page.
    Unable to find your current location. Enter an address in the text field above and try again.
    Location search timed out. Enter an address in the text field above and try again.
  • 4

    7855 McCracken Pike, Versailles, Kentucky 40383
    (859) 879-1812
    Website

    The oldest operating distillery in Kentucky, dating back to 1838, Woodford Reserve’s grounds and buildings are visually stunning and are an amazing example of the Scotch-Irish influenced limestone distillery architecture.

    ×
    Your browser does not support the HTML5 Geolocation API. Enter your address in the text field above and try again.
    You denied permission to use your current location. Enter an address in the text field above or change your location sharing settings for this page.
    Unable to find your current location. Enter an address in the text field above and try again.
    Location search timed out. Enter an address in the text field above and try again.
  • 5

    113 Great Buffalo Trace, Lexington, Kentucky 40601
    (800) 654-8471
    Website

    Buffalo Trace is the most complex of the bourbon distilleries, producing bourbon, rye, vodka, liqueurs and even bitters; it also has the distinction of being the oldest continuously operating bourbon distillery, due to receiving one of the few operat

    ×
    Your browser does not support the HTML5 Geolocation API. Enter your address in the text field above and try again.
    You denied permission to use your current location. Enter an address in the text field above or change your location sharing settings for this page.
    Unable to find your current location. Enter an address in the text field above and try again.
    Location search timed out. Enter an address in the text field above and try again.
  • 6

    283 Crab Orchard Road, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601
    (504) 512-2564
    Website

    A true farm-to-bottle to distillery, Three Boys grows its own corn right on the property next to the pastures where its Angus cattle graze.

    ×
    Your browser does not support the HTML5 Geolocation API. Enter your address in the text field above and try again.
    You denied permission to use your current location. Enter an address in the text field above or change your location sharing settings for this page.
    Unable to find your current location. Enter an address in the text field above and try again.
    Location search timed out. Enter an address in the text field above and try again.
  • 7

    1417 Versailles Road, Lawrenceburg, Kentucky 40342
    (502) 839-2182
    Website

    Of those listed here, Wild Turkey has the newest, most modern major distillery and visitors centers, completed in 2014 at a cost of more than $100 million.

    ×
    Your browser does not support the HTML5 Geolocation API. Enter your address in the text field above and try again.
    You denied permission to use your current location. Enter an address in the text field above or change your location sharing settings for this page.
    Unable to find your current location. Enter an address in the text field above and try again.
    Location search timed out. Enter an address in the text field above and try again.
  • 8

    1224 Bonds Mill Road, Lawrenceburg, Kentucky
    (502) 839-3436
    Website

    Four Roses is the only bourbon distillery to use more than one yeast strain – and they use five! With its Spanish Mission-Style architecture, it is also among the most visually striking of all the bourbon distilleries.

Tags

by

.