For years, I have been heading to a golf trip in Kentucky with a local group of guys. On our way down to the golf course, we always make a stop at a new distillery and try some great bourbon along the way. Add in my trips with the wife and other friends and I’ve been to a lot of different distilleries over the years. In this post, I’m going to share my personal favorite stops and give you a short rationale on why I love it.
Best Kentucky Bourbon Tours
1 – Willett Distillery
This place is one of my absolute favorite distilleries out there. Family owned and you feel like family once you walk on to the property. My wife loved the fact that there were two cats on the property (Rowan and Noah) and I loved the fact that my tour included a total of 4 people. I got to learn about the history of the brand and the way they ensure all of their products hit a certain level of quality. After I was done, we headed to the tasting room and I got to try a few different variations of bourbon and rye.
What sets this apart from the other tours out there is:
1 – It’s small and personal. I didn’t feel like I was going into some corporate marketing ploy. I felt like I was having someone show me the real bourbon industry.
2 – The property is beautiful. I really wish I could just stay the night and drink bourbon right out of a barrel. And the pot still they use (like the bottle of Willett) is breathtaking.
2. Glenn’s Creek Distillery
If you want an off the beaten path stop, look no further than Glenn’s Creek Distillery. I promise it’s most likely not haunted (on the site of the old Old Crow Distillery), but the backdrop could be that of a horror movie. A narrow one-lane road running down by a creek. Old rickhouses that are crumbling. And some good old boys making some pretty amazing liquor (especially bourbon).
The tour is awesome because it’s so personal. The guys at Glenn’s Creek are not going to be wearing company polos or waiting around to tell you the 100 year history of a company. They are going to be distilling and you are going to be a part of that process. Only once in my life have I seen an old soy sauce fermentation tank that has been turned into a still. You also get to help make bourbon by pouring white dog into a freshly charred oak barrel. Then you get to sign the barrel. Once it is ready to be bottled, you can see a Facebook post and order a bottle from them (to be picked up at your next visit).
You won’t be disappointed if you make a stop at Glenn’s Creek (and you can make a quick stop at Castle and Key right after you are done.
3 – Kentucky Peerless Distillery
If you haven’t caught on, I’m a big fan of visiting smaller distilleries. I hadn’t personally heard of Peerless until I was doing a quick Google search after I couldn’t get into a tour at Angel’s Envy. So I walked into Peerless and I was not disappointed.
This tour has a lot of history and it was a story I hadn’t heard at the other distilleries. I learned about the medicinal purposes of bourbon (from prohibition) and heard about the story of Kentucky Peerless restarting itself from the ground up.
The tour itself wasn’t a long walking tour, but the tasting at the end was amazing! I got to try the typical Peerless Rye, but then I got to try some single barrel variations. That was amazing. I wish I would have bought a few of these because I can’t believe how yummy they were.
4 – Whiskey Thief Distillery (Formerly Three Boys)
Have you ever wanted to taste bourbon straight from the barrel?
I would assume any honest bourbon drinker would love to taste a spirit just like the master distillers of a company.
That’s why the tour at Whiskey Thief is so amazing!
For this tour, you head right down to the distillery barn and you get to taste 5 different barrels. The whiskey thief goes into the barrel and then you get to taste it in a glass as you hear about the distilling process. Personally – It might be the highlight of my bourbon tasting career!
Conclusion
The big name distilleries are always worth a stop when down on the Bourbon Trail, but I think these small distilleries are a stop worth making. I think you will get a personal experience that will draw you closer to the companies and the people behind the bourbon.
What are your thoughts? What are the distilleries that you can’t miss on the Bourbon Trail?