Within a few short hours of being in Louisville, I turned to T and said, “I think I’m going to write a blog post titled, Travel: Forget What You Think You Know because Louisville is sooo not what I thought it be.” Of course, I didn’t expect Louisville to be horrible by any means or else I would have never planned a trip to celebrate T’s birthday there. But the city, restaurants, and specifically the distilleries are so much more sophisticated and hip than T and I could have ever imagined. Now before you call me an East Coast/ DC snob, let’s be completely honest here. Unless you are from Louisville and/or have spent a decent amount of time there, the words hip and sophisticated are probably not the first words to come to mind. And if they are, you’re either flat-out lying, or probably should get out more. I KID, I KID!
But not really.
A good friend of mine jokingly asked, “How is that for T’s 40th birthday you went to Bora Bora, and for his 43rd, you chose to go to Kentucky?!” Well, when you put it that way, it does kinda sound like T’s birthday celebrations have gone a bit downhill. But I digress.
And while I would NEVER EVER EVER even think about comparing the stunning island of Bora Bora to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail (NEVER EVER EVER–I haven’t gone completely mad), it is a pretty awesome place to visit. If you like bourbon even a little bit, then I promise you will love exploring the Trail. The distilleries are fantastic–I would put many of them on the same level (or even higher) as many wineries we’ve visited in California, Oregon, Washington, and Virginia.
Some things to note:
*Many distilleries require you to take their tour (usually one hour in duration) if you want to do tastings. The good news is that every single tour we went on was fun, interactive, and informative. We learned A LOT.
*Book tours in advance–you can typically book them on online. Tour sell out quickly, so plan accordingly.
*if you choose to stay in and around the Louisville area and strictly do the Urban Bourbon Trail like we did, then there is no need to hire a driver (or bother driving yourself for that matter). There is Uber in Louisville and it’s easy to get around.
*If you choose to visit the distilleries outside of the city, then absolutely hire a car service. Distilleries out in the countryside are far away from one another and can easily be an hour to two hours away from the city and one another.
Below is how to spend a fantastic weekend in Louisville and along the Urban Bourbon Trail.
Day 1
Arrive and head straight to Whiskey Row, the heart of the Kentucky Urban Bourbon Trail. You are clearly going to need some food in your stomach if you’re going to last beyond the first distillery, so start with a casual lunch (and delicious bourbon cocktails to boot!) at Bristol Bar & Grille. The food and service were both good–nothing out of this world by any means, but a nice spot to grab a bite along the trail.
evan williams
Located in the center of Louisville’s Whiskey Row, the experience at Evan Williams is interestingly different from the “typical” bourbon tour. This is more of a technology-infused tour where videos enhance the guide-led narration that speaks to the history of bourbon as well as Louisville. The tour is interactive with reconstructions of the wharf front, the town, and the interior of the original distillery. The actual working distillery is toward the end of the tour, right before the tasting room. The tasting room is set up like an upscale saloon where we tasted four bourbons, as well as a delicious chocolate bourbon ball.
Things to know: Tour price (including tastings): $12pp; last tour each day is one hour prior to closing (Monday-Thursday and on Sunday, they close at 5:30 pm, Friday-Saturday, they close at 6pm).
The tasting room experience was great– the most interesting part was tasting just how much each bourbon changes when adding a few drops of water.
copper and kings
A fantastic space that is unique, trendy, and just the right amount of quirky. You have the option to take a guided tour of the distillery, but we opted to head upstairs to their awesome loft where funky art adorns the spacious room and bartenders whip up delicious drink concoctions. A really fun addition to Louisville’s Urban Bourbon Trail.
Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co
Once the second largest distillery in Kentucky, Peerless was known to produce up to 200 barrels of bourbon per day before Prohibition shut it down for decades. They’ve reopened in the past few years offering both tours and tastings. We chose to just do the tasting (I mean, might as well jump directly to the best part, right?) and sampled 3 different bourbons and another chocolate bourbon ball of deliciousness. A nice place along the trail, but nothing really stood out here as being all that spectacular. Two huge bonuses are that you don’t have to tour the facility, like many other distilleries require, and reservations for tastings are not required.
Dinner at butchertown grocery
This warm and stylish restaurant is absolutely fantastic. The food, service, and ambience are top-notch and on par with many of our favorite eateries in DC. Favorites include the gnocchi, cavatelli (because when you’re on vacation, you kinda want all of the pastas), and charred broccolini–you know, to balance out all of the pastas. We really loved this restaurant–highly recommend!
Day 2
BULLEIT
We loved the tour at Bulleit and our guide was knowledgeable, funny, and sarcastic–in my book, the perfect trifecta. Something different and interesting about this tour is that you get to see a Cooper House, where they repair the barrels. The tour is both inside and outside so dress accordingly. A fantastic place to learn about how bourbon is made, stored and served.
Things to know: 1 hour tours (including tastings) are $12pp; Monday-Saturday tours: 10am-4pm, Sunday: 1-4pm; last tour departs at 3pm each day.
Obviously the best part of the tour: the tasting.
angel’s envy
Quite possibly my favorite distillery of the trip. Angel’s Envy’s modern distillery is just so inviting. The facility is pristine and impressive and the tour is interesting, entertaining, and equally informative.
The tour culminates with a tasting in their impressive Finishing Room.
Perhaps the most distinctive aspect of Angel’s Envy is the private cocktail bar adjacent to the tasting room. Talented and creative mixologists whip up fresh, innovative, and downright delicious concoctions for tour participants.
Things to know: Tour price (including tastings–but not cocktails ordered at the bar): $20 pp; limited to 10 participants per tour; tours are held on the hour with the last tour starting at 4pm; and on the half hour every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
drinks & apps at Bourbons bistro
Because obviously you haven’t had enough bourbon at this point and you are in desperate need of some Old Fashioned’s…go to Bourbons Bistro, where they boast a selection of more than 130 bourbons. Their bar food is good, too–although after a full day of bourbon-hopping, anything fried will just about do.
DINNER AT PROOF ON MAIN
This is such a distinctive and cool restaurant. Together with the adjoining 2c Museum Hotel, art exhibitions regularly rotate throughout the hotel and carry in the the restaurant. The result? A visually stunning and alluring space that is as welcoming as it is gorgeous. Imaginative, modern cuisine with local ingredients is the restaurant’s focus. The food and service were both great–definitely recommend dining here!
The roasted beet salad and charred octopus are both excellent.
Where to Stay
DUPONT MANSION BED & BREAKFAST
There are a number of hotels in and around Louisville but for long weekend getaways, we are often drawn to the charm and comfort of bed and breakfasts. We stayed at the spectacular Dupont Mansion, located in historic “Old Louisville”, the nation’s second-largest National Historic Preservation District. They think of everything at this B&B: complimentary wine, snacks, coffee, water, you just about name it, and it’s available for the taking. Our gracious host was wonderful and breakfast was perfect. I can’t recommend this place enough!
We stayed in the spacious and beautifully appointed Alfred I. DuPont Suite
We will 1000% return to the Bourbon Trail one day. Next time, we’ll leave the city and venture out to the rural areas–where I’m sure T and I will fit in seamlessly and will probably be mistaken for locals. Till next time, Kentucky!
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