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
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