ABOVE: Woodford Reserve distillery BELOW: Bourbon samples are provided at the end of the tours.
SOUTH
Kentucky Bourbon Trail Tour
If you’re interested in sampling the history, the industry and the culture of Kentucky, the Kentucky Bourbon Trail tour is your roadmap. The Kentucky Distillers’ Association formed the Kentucky Bourbon Trail® tour in 1999 to offer a firsthand look at the art and science of crafting bourbon, its more than 200-year-old history and the tradition of the commonwealth’s signature spirit. Bourbon tourism has been growing in popularity. More than 2.5 million visitors have made stops on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail tour over the last five years, the distillers’ association says. The 10 distilleries on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail tour are scattered from Lexington to Louisville. Visitors can start and stop their distillery tour wherever they like, but figure on at least three days to visit all 10 distilleries. All the distilleries charge a fee for their tours that can last an hour or more and offer samples at the end for those 21 or older. Most offer non-alcoholic beverages as well. Those who do visit all 10 and get their official Kentucky Bourbon Trail passport stamped at each stop can collect a free T-shirt. If that doesn’t quench your thirst, the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft tour, also through the Distillers’ Association, offers a look at another 13 small, up-and-coming distilleries from Newport to Bowling Green. – Mike Boyer w w w.
m a g a z i n e . c o m : : A P R I L /M AY 2 0 1 8
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