A few weeks ago I shared on social media that Eddie and I would be attending the three-day Kentucky Bourbon Festival in Bardstown this year, September 15 through 17, for the first time. (And being able to visit my sister and her husband in nearby Tennessee too!) After that I spent some time looking over everything the event offered, and how much time we could spend there after our three days were up. And I was able to secure four distillery appointments over two days as well. So, I thought I would do a little “teaser article” to maybe coax some of you to join us!
Kentucky Bourbon Festival
Visiting Kentucky for the first time? Three days of bourbon tasting? And the ability to purchase special bottles that were just going to be newly released at the festival? 55 distilleries pouring? Maybe getting tickets to one of the premium events with master distillers or mixologists? Count us in! We learned that the fest offers all of this:
Each Bourbon Taster ticketholder receives:
- Daily admission with re-entry privileges for the Kentucky Bourbon Festival on Friday, Saturday & Sunday
- ‘Wee’ Glencairn-branded nosing and tasting glass (one glass per guest)
- Sampling from all participating distilleries throughout the weekend
- Ability to purchase bottles from the distilleries
- Access to distilleries, fun and informative talk show segments, musical entertainment, expanded food truck area, and exhibits. Does not include premium fun and informative talk show segments and/or premium culinary events. Add-on tickets required for premium events. All educational sessions are paid add-ons.
Distillery Tours
Which of the dozens of distilleries should we visit from the infamous Kentucky Bourbon Trail! We asked some whisky pals: “Heaven Hill and Willet are close to each other + must book tours early, Maker’s Mark has a fun tour and a delicious café, Four Roses and Michters are a lot of fun. Visit the Neat Bottle Shop and Bar in Louisville. Bardstown bourbon company has great tours. Old Forester if you’re in Louisville.” We picked four distilleries, all in Bardstown, and not too far from each other. And made a note to try and get into others if time allowed. So, at press time we are definitely in for the “fun tour” at Maker’s Mark, Four Roses, and the last two are Heaven Hill and Willet due to their close proximity to one another. A couple other recommendations were for distilleries in Louisville, which will be worth the drive if we can swing it! What are your favorites?
Helpful Links
https://www.kybourbonfestival.com/
https://heavenhilldistillery.com/
Willett: https://www.kentuckybourbonwhiskey.com/
https://www.fourrosesbourbon.com/
Kentucky Bourbon Fest: @KYBourbonFest
Eve Bushman has a Level Two Intermediate Certification from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET), a “certification in the first globally-recognized course” as an American Wine Specialist ® from the North American Sommelier Association (NASA), Level 1 Sake Award from WSET, was the subject of a 60-minute Wine Immersion video (over 16k views), authored “Wine Etiquette for Everyone” and has served as a judge for the Proof Awards, Cellarmasters, LA Wine Competition, Long Beach Grand Cru and the Global Wine Awards. You can email Eve@EveWine101.com to ask a question about wine or spirits.
