Head to Kentucky and Tennessee for the proper bourbon-themed journey expertise. Along with a plentiful quantity of distillery excursions, the realm can also be residence to distinctive experiences the place guests can be taught extra concerning the historical past, science, and tradition across the beloved drink. Select from the actions beneath to plan an ideal Father’s Day weekend, guys journey, or bachelor social gathering, or simply make considered one of them a singular addition to any journey within the space.
Copper & Kings in Louisville, Kentucky lately launched its first bourbon, accessible for visitors who go to the distillery and take the brand new “Bottle-Your-Personal” tour, a part of their Barrel-to-Bottle expertise. After the tour and tasting, visitors can fill their bottle chosen straight from the barrel, hand signed by Head Distillery Brandon O’Daniel.
If merely bottling your personal drink is not sufficient, what about making your very personal customized mix? In that case, check out Louisville Slugger’s distinctive distillery expertise. Barrels and Billets affords a customized bourbon mixing expertise lasting roughly 45 minutes, with six completely different wood-finished bourbons that guests can style and mix. The brand new customized recipes will then be bottled, sealed and labeled with a customized label so visitors can take their new blends residence with them.
In Bardstown, Kentucky, there’s additionally the Whisky Journal’s “International Whiskey Attraction of the Yr”—Heaven Hill Bourbon Expertise, which has been lately renovated with a brand new two-story wing with an expanded customer middle and three new themed tasting rooms. Along with the brand new 5 Brothers Bar and Kitchen, the brand new constructing additionally homes a hands-on expertise known as “You Do Bourbon” the place visitors obtain product schooling earlier than getting to pick out, fill and label their very own bourbon to take residence with them.
Revival Classic Spirits & Bottle Store in Covington, Kentucky includes a full-service bar on the primary ground with one-of-a-kind classic spirits and cocktails plus distinctive tasting flights. The second ground showcases the shop’s library of 4,000+ bottles on the market, together with Pappy Van Winkles to Pre-Prohibition bottles.
Maintain the classic expertise going and head to Louisville, the place you will discover a Twenties-inspired bar and tasting expertise at Neat Bourbon Bar and Bottle Shop. This Highlands space bar highlights historic bourbons whereas providing classic spirits to purchase, commerce and promote.
Touring firm Mint Julep Experiences has launched a brand new “Roll Out the Barrel” high-end journey, the place visitors can fly privately to-and-from both Louisville or Nashville by way of helicopter to Maker’s Mark Distillery. The all-inclusive bundle consists of black automobile service, a farm-to-table lunch at Star Hill Farm, a personal barrel choose and customized bourbon bottles. The expertise can even embody two nights in luxurious lodging at both the Omni Resort Louisville or Omni Resort Nashville.
A brand new high-tech bourbon expertise, Bourbon Live, opened in July 2022 in Lexington’s Distillery District. The situation consists of floor-to-ceiling partitions painted with a particular pigment reworking them into projector screens, showcasing Kentucky’s bourbon historical past and distilleries. It’s a chance for visitors to be taught the fundamentals of bourbon and see bourbon sights digitally whereas sipping on a flight of bourbon.
Louisville, Kentucky has a number of distinctive choices on the subject of enjoyable whiskey bars. However one of many latest additions that’s getting loads of love from pet house owners is Frank’s Whiskey Place, a singular new dog-friendly whiskey bar. The enterprise is called after the proprietor’s canine, a 3-year-old Australian shepherd/Labrador combine named Frank, and his face is a part of the bar’s emblem. The bar includes a customized walnut wooden bar-back with live-edge walnut cabinets for alcohol and darkish railroad ties holding the bar up, and the partitions are full of murals from distilleries on the City Bourbon Path.
Lynchburg, Tennessee is thought for being the house of the Jack Daniels Distillery. They provide a number of various kinds of excursions all through the day showcasing the historical past and course of behind making the drinks. Nevertheless, in case you’re seeking to commemorate your journey to city with a souvenir or two, you will have to move elsewhere because the distillery would not promote any. Close by, The Lynchburg {Hardware} & Normal Retailer has an enormous choice of Jack Daniel’s memorabilia. It is a must-see cease for any guests to city.
The James B. Beam Distilling Co. in Clermont has undergone important renovations to improve guests’ experiences. New customer experiences embody: The American Outpost, a brand new customer and retail middle; The Kitchen Desk, a 5,000 sq. foot restaurant and gathering house championing native farmers; and “Beam Made Bourbon,” an immersive client tour displaying how bourbon is made the “Beam Method”. There’s additionally the Fred B. Noe Craft Distillery, a brand new useful manufacturing facility providing particular distillation course of periods with Freddie Noe, eighth technology Beam Distilling, plus hands-on actions within the mixing lab, a tasting bar and state-of-the-art classroom.
The brand new restaurant, The Kitchen Desk, options indoor and out of doors eating the place visitors can take pleasure in a meal and cocktail whereas taking within the distillery grounds. The restaurant is impressed by the unique Beam household kitchen desk, a spot of storytelling, whiskey sharing and recipes, and every dish and cocktail will characteristic domestically sourced Kentucky elements. A number of the new specialty cocktails supplied embody a “Jim Beam Highball,” a Basil Hayden-based “Golden Hour” with Aperol Aperitivo liqueur and lillet blanc, and a “Smash” that includes Outdated Grand-Dad, lemon, mint and sugar.