The Bourbon Trail: The best itinerary for bourbon enthusiasts

Experience a bourbon adventure on the Bourbon Trail. Explore distilleries, savor bourbon tastings, and relax at the charming Inn of Woodhaven. This is a great trip for a couple, friends, or multiple couples.

Our Bourbon Trail trip happened because we had to cancel our Machu Picchu 4 day hike in Peru due to the double mask mandate outside! Plus, we still had the Airbnb gift certificate from my son who gave us for Christmas a few years ago. These two events brought us to Louisville, Kentucky in the summer of 2022.

Once we knew when we were going. We decided which bourbon distilleries we wanted to go to. I visited all of their websites. On their website, we could sign up for a tour. The only one we couldn’t register for a tour was Buffalo Trace.

Where we stayed

We stayed at the Inn of Woodhaven. This hotel was chosen because of their location and they are on airbnb website. We knew we wanted to take the bourbon tours in Louisville but we also wanted to go out to Bardstown. It was located perfecting for us.

When we arrived at the Inn of Woodhaven, Jeremy, the owner, greeted us. He carried our one bag in and gave us tour of the Inn. After the tour, we were led to our suite. There was a bathroom with a steam shower, a sitting room that also held a jacuzzi bath tub and a separate room where the bed was.

There were nice peacefully places to sit through out the house.

In the mornings we enjoyed breakfast. Jeremy’s partner was the cook. They had a breakfast bar with fresh cooked breads and other cold items. We often picked omelets from their little menu. The breakfast came with our reservation/ It was a nice way to start the morning to plot out our day.

Our 6 day Itinerary

day 1

Drive to the Inn of Woodhaven

day 2

We decided to have a heavy tour day. We picked these as they were relatively close.

Heaven Hill Distillery $25-$40 Tour experiences range from 45 – 90 minutes. Operations Monday – Thursday: 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Friday and Saturday: 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Sunday: 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. You can eat at the Five Brothers Bar & Kitchen. Their hours are Monday – Saturday: 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and Sunday: 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

Willett Distillery $23.32-$26.50 Difference in price is for military personal. Tour Experience is 1 hour 15 minutes. Operations Monday-Saturday from 10:00 am-5:30 pm. You can eat at The Bar at Willett. Make reservation ahead. Their hours are Wednesday-Saturday 11am – 5:30pm.

When making your reservations on line, do mention if you are coming due to a celebration of some kind. They might just give you some special treatment.

Maker Mark’s Distillery $26-$200 Tour experiences range from 45 minutes to 2 hours. Operations all 7 days from 9:30 am- 5:00 pm with last tour at 3:30. There are no food options.

day 3

We wanted an easy traveling and bourbon tasting day. We also wanted to make sure we got our lunch in. So we went to one distillery and then spent the rest of the afternoon at the Inn.

Buffalo Trace Complimentary (Free) Tour experiences range from 45-90 minutes. Operation Mon-Sat 9:00am-5:00pm Sunday 11:00am-5:00pm Book at least 3 months in advance. There are no food options.

day 4

We spent this day in the city of Louisville. The vibe for these distilleries were very different than the ones out in the country. Their doors open up to the city streets. There were no rick house to be seen.

Old Forester $16-$32 Dependent on your age and military experience. They offer one tour experience. Operation Tuesday-Saturday from 10:00 am -5:00 pm Book 3 months in advance. There are no food options.

Michter’s $25-$100 Tour experiences ranging from 1 to 2 hours. Operation Sunday: 12:30 pm-7:00 pm
Monday- Saturday 10:00 am-7:00 pm There are no food options.

Angel Envy $25-$145 Tour experiences ranging from 30 minutes to 1 hour. Book 3 months in advance. Operations Monday-Wednesday 10:00 am -5:00 pm Friday and Saturday 10:00 am-8:00 pm Sunday 12:30 pm-5:30 pm Last tour is one hour before close. There are no food options.

day 5

Our last full day of our trip was out in the country again. We saved my husband’s favorite bourbon at the time, last.

Woodford Reserve $25-$500 Tour experiences ranging from 45 minutes to 2 hours. Book 3 months in advance. Operations Monday-Saturday: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm Sunday: 12:00 pm-4:30 pm There are no food options.

Four Roses $16-$45 Tour experiences ranging from 30 minutes to 1 1/2 hours. Operations Wednesday – Saturday 9:00 am – 4:00 pm Sunday 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm There are no food options.

day 6

We stopped at Buffalo trace on our way home.

Bourbon Trail Passport

Purchasing a Kentucky Bourbon guidebook might be for you. It depends if you like to have everything in one place. One you can get, especially if you are true bourbon enthusiast, is a Bourbon Trail Passport. You will get extra goodies if you purchase the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Passport.

1. Show your Field Guide at any KBT^® distillery and you will be able to purchase special bottles and swag, or get access to special tastings, tours, and other experiences (offerings will vary by distillery).
2. For the KBTCT^™, as you complete each region, you will receive a challenge coin for that region at the last distillery you visit. When you complete all four regions, you will receive a Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour^® tasting tray stave!
3. If you complete both the KBT^® and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour^®, you will receive a surprise Bourbon gift. You must scan both QR codes for the KBT^® system to recognize your completion.

My take aways from the trip:

1. Do make sure you get your reservations ahead of time.
2. Do balance out your vacation of heavy bourbon tours days with lighter ones or none at all.
3. Do make sure you know where you will eat lunch if you are out all day in the Kentucky country side.
4. I like to bring back something from every trip, this time I brought back a bourbon glass from each location. It’s a good idea to hand wash these as the lettering will wash off, over time, in the dishwasher.