The Kentucky Bourbon Trail (sometimes informally shortened to "the Bourbon Trail") is the name of a program sponsored by the Kentucky Distillers' Association (KDA) to promote the Bourbon whiskey industry in Kentucky. The KDA has registered the phrase "Kentucky Bourbon Trail" as a protected trademark.

History

The KDA launched the Kentucky Bourbon Trail program in 1999. At the time, it included seven of the eight distilleries in the region. In 2008, an eighth distillery, the Barton 1792 Distillery, joined the Trail program. However, the distillery was purchased by the Sazerac Company the following year, and Sazerac withdrew both the Barton 1792 Distillery and the

Buffalo Trace Distillery Buffalo Trace Distillery is a distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, owned by the Sazerac Company. It has historically been known by several names, including the George T. Stagg Distillery and the Old Fashioned Copper (O.F.C.) Distillery. Its namesak ...

from the KDA at the beginning of 2010. The two Sazerac distilleries continue to host public tours, and a Sazerac spokesperson stated they still feel they are "very much a part of the Bourbon Trail", but Sazerac wishes to promote its distilleries independent of the KDA. In August 2012, the Town Branch Distillery was added to the trail, bringing the number of distilleries back to seven. The Heaven Hill Evan Williams distillery in Louisville was added in May 2013, expanding the primary tour program to include eight destinations. In 2014, The Bulleit Experience at Stitzel-Weller Distillery joined the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, raising the number to nine destinations. In June 2018, Old Forester opened an urban distillery in downtown Louisville and became a member of the Bourbon Trail. O.Z. Tyler Distillery in Owensboro joined the same month. In July 2018, the KDA announced that Lux Row Distillers would be added to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. In October 2012, the KDA announced that it would expand the Kentucky Bourbon Trail program to include a new "Craft Tour" of seven artisan distilleries. 2012 had the highest-ever rate of completion for participation in the trail. In December 2013, the Craft Tour added Danville's Wilderness Trail Distillery, thereby expanding to eight destinations. Several other distilleries have been added and the Bowling Green branch of Corsair Artisan Distillery closed on August 30, 2018, bringing the current number to 13 destinations on the Craft Tour. The KDA opened an official welcome center for the Bourbon Trail in August 2018 at the

Frazier History Museum The Frazier History Museum, previously known as the Frazier Historical Arms Museum and the Frazier International History Museum, is a history museum located on Museum Row in the West Main District of downtown Louisville, Kentucky. An affiliate of t ...

in downtown Louisville.

Trail member sites

The program sends free T-shirts to people who mail in a promotional "passport" that has been stamped by all the participating distilleries. As of 2019, the destinations on the main Bourbon Trail are: * Angel's Envy Distillery in Louisville * Bardstown Bourbon Company in

Bardstown Bardstown is a home rule-class city in Nelson County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 11,700 in the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Nelson County. Bardstown is named for the pioneering Bard brothers. David Bard obtained a l ...

* Bulleit Distilling Co. in Shelbyville * Bulleit Frontier Experience at the

Stitzel–Weller Distillery Stitzel–Weller Distillery is a former distillery located in Shively, a suburb of Louisville, Kentucky. It was founded in 1935, sold in 1972, and closed in 1992. It produced a number of notable brands, and since 2014 it has served as a publi ...

in Louisville * Evan Williams Bourbon Experience in Louisville * Four Roses Distillery in Lawrenceburg * Green River Distilling Co. in Owensboro * Heaven Hill Visitor Center in Bardstown * Jim Beam American Stillhouse in Clermont * Lux Row Distillers in Bardstown *

Maker's Mark Distillery Maker's Mark is a small-batch bourbon whisky produced in Loretto, Kentucky, by Beam Suntory. It is bottled at 90 U.S. proof (45% alcohol by volume) and sold in squarish bottles sealed with red wax. The distillery offers tours, and is part of ...

in Loretto * Michter’s Fort Nelson Distillery in Louisville * Old Forester Distilling Co. in Louisville * O.Z. Tyler Distillery in Owensboro * Rabbit Hole Distillery in Louisville * Town Branch Distillery in

Lexington Lexington may refer to: Places England * Laxton, Nottinghamshire, formerly Lexington Canada * Lexington, a district in Waterloo, Ontario United States * Lexington, Kentucky, the largest city with this name * Lexington, Massachusetts, the oldes ...

* Wild Turkey Distillery in Lawrenceburg * Woodford Reserve Distillery near Versailles The members of the Bourbon Trail "Craft Tour" are: * Barrel House Distilling Co. in Lexington * Bluegrass Distillers in Lexington * Boone County Distilling Co. in Boone County * Boundary Oak in Radcliff * Casey Jones in

Hopkinsville Hopkinsville is a home rule-class city in and the county seat of Christian County, Kentucky, United States. The population at the 2010 census was 31,577. History Early years The area of present-day Hopkinsville was initially claimed in 179 ...

* Castle & Key in Frankfort * Dueling Grounds Distillery in Franklin * Hartfield & Co. in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

* James E. Pepper in Lexington * Jeptha Creed Distillery in Shelbyville * Kentucky Artisan Distillery in Crestwood * Kentucky Peerless Distilling Company in Louisville * Limestone Branch Distillery in

Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...

* MB Roland Distillery, Pembroke (Christian County) * Neeley Family Distillery in

Sparta Sparta ( Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referr ...

* New Riff Distillery in Newport *

Old Pogue Old Pogue is a brand of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey. Located in Maysville, Kentucky, the Old Pogue Distillery carries strong family ties dating back to the 1870s, and is privately owned by members of the Pogue family. History The Pogues ...

Distillery in Maysville * Preservation Distillery in Bardstown * Second Sight Spirits in Ludlow * Wilderness Trail Distillery in Danville *

Willett Distillery Willett Distillery, also known as Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (KBD), Ltd., is a private family-owned and -operated company that produces bourbon and rye whiskey.

in Bardstown

References

External links

Kentucky Bourbon Trail
official website from the Kentucky Distillers' Association {{KYBourbonTrail Bourbon whiskey Tourism in Kentucky 1999 establishments in Kentucky Heritage trails Whisky trails

History

Trail member sites

See also

References

External links