Travel Blogger Tips for Your Kentucky Bourbon Trail® Distillery Visits

Guest blogger Chelsea Gilson of My Kentucky Bucket List shares her top tips for Bourbon Trail™ distillery visits.

As a couple, my husband and I are always checking things off our Kentucky Bucket List. It’s hard to tell just how many distilleries we’ve visited and experiences we’ve done. That is why we are partnering with the Kentucky Bourbon Trail® experience to share some essential tips for your distillery visits, which you will want to save and share with your travel partners. Let’s jump right into it!

Tip 1: Map out your itinerary and book must-do experiences in advance because they will sell out!

You can never be too prepared for your distillery visits. While you can almost always show up and check out the gift shops, you’ll want to book your actual experiences in advance. Business hours and experiences vary from distillery to distillery, so plan for distances and timing accordingly.

To help simplify the planning process, the new Trip Builder tool on the Bourbon Trail™ website helps you visualize your route and the distance between stops. It’s super easy to see hotels and restaurants near Bourbon Trail™ distilleries, as well. As Kentucky locals, we often do one experience or sometimes several a day, and it’s a great tool to start our planning process. We even have a three-day itinerary of some of our favorites you can see here.

Tip 2: There are a ton of experiences to pick from, so take full advantage of the variety.

Every distillery has their own process, history, and brand. When exploring and planning your trip, look at full tours, tastings, bottle your own experiences, blending experiences, and more! We personally love to mix some of the experiences where you hear about the history and process, with hands-on experiences where you can bottle your own Bourbon or thieve directly from a barrel.

Tip 3: Comfort is key!

Some distilleries are huge campuses, and some are a single building. Either way, pack comfortable shoes. Closed-toed shoes are also a good idea when walking through rickhouses and around fermenting tanks, which you will inevitably see if you follow tip number 2 and pick a variety of experiences!

Tip 4: Designate a driver or have transportation planned in advance.

This is probably the most important tip of them all. There are some really great tour and transportation companies that have you covered, so you don’t have to worry about driving yourself. A lot of transportation businesses even offer pre-set itineraries, or you can build your own and just hand it to them; they’ll take you where you want to go. See a full list of transportation partners here. Always remember to enjoy responsibly during your visits and tastings!

Tip 5: Don’t pack your schedule too tight.

While we also love jumping from experience to experience, almost all of the distilleries have a gift shop with some really cool items you won’t find online or anywhere else. Make sure to leave enough wiggle room in your schedule to check out the gift shops and grab some merch or bottles, and don’t forget to check if the distilleries you’re visiting have onsite bars or restaurants. A ton of them have really great bars, and some of the best farm-to-table restaurants. We love Star Hill Provisions at Maker’s Mark Distillery and The Kitchen Table at James B. Beam Distilling Co.

And here’s a bonus tip…have fun!

Don’t get too lost in the details and pack too much into your days. The  Kentucky Bourbon Trail® distilleries truly are something special, and there’s nothing quite like them. It’s not only that oh-so-sweet liquid gold that makes it enjoyable, but it’s also the people and the Southern hospitality you’ll inevitably experience. We bet you’ll like it so much that by the time you leave, you’ll be ready to plan your next trip! We would know, as we are frequent flyers at the different distilleries across Kentucky, and I can tell you, it never gets old!

Featured Contributor: Chelsea Gilson

Read more from Chelsea Gilson on her website, mykybucketlist.com, or keep in touch with her on Instagram at @mykybucketlist.