We Also Have Bourbon Kentucky is justly proud of its bourbon, and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail is an excellent way to get out into the countryside, learn about bourbon distilling and sample some product. As America’s only native spirit, bourbon is is an $8.5 billion signature industry in Kentucky alone, where 95 percent of the world’s supply is crafted. In 2016, Kentucky distilleries filled 1,886,821 barrels of bourbon, the most in a year since 1967. There are now 1.5 barrels for every person living in Kentucky. The Kentucky Bourbon Association hosts an informal Bourbon Trail tour of distilleries, with a passport and map directing you to the 10 major brands, from the Frankfort-Versailles corridor in the east to Makers Mark in Loretto, in the south, and back up I-65 to Louisville. In 2014, a Craft Tour was established, adding 13 smaller distilleries. Adam Johnson, director of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Experiences, estimates that in 2016 there were almost 400,000 passports requested and one million distillery visits. The longest distance between any two of the major distilleries is 81 miles, between the Town Branch distillery in Lexington and the Bulleit Experience in Louisville. The addition of five Louisville distillery locations – The Evan Williams Bourbon Ex-
80 TOPS LOUISVILLE | june 2017
perience, Bulleit Frontier Whiskey Experience, Jim Beam Urban Stillhouse, Angel’s Envy and Copper & Kings Brandy Distillery – has made it more convenient for Louisvillians who want to stay in town. But a summertime trip to the countryside is never a bad option. Get your passport stamped at every distillery, and the Kentucky Bourbon Association will send you a T-shirt. And don’t forget that urban bourbon trail: It’s more than a tour. It’s an assignment. If you choose to accept, you’ll receive a passport with the names and locations of 35 participating bars and restaurants. The task, then is to visit them and have your passport stamped.
There are now 1.5 barrels for every person living in Kentucky.
Get your passport stamped six times, and you’ll receive an Urban Bourbon Trailblazer t-shirt and an official Citizen of Bourbon Country certificate. Get 35 stamps, and you’ll be guaranteed an experience of wonderful food and drink. We don’t recommend getting all 35 stamps on the same night.
you can start at any of the participating joints, getting your passport and your first stamp.
You can start by picking up the printed passport at the Visitors Center on Fourth and Jefferson. You can also download an electronic passport using the iPhone or Android app. Or
You don’t have to purchase bourbon to get a stamp. But why in the world would you not??
The app includes a list of participants and a map. Or you can download the list and the map at bourboncountry.com/things-to-do/urban-bourbon-trail.