The Kentucky Bourbon Trail, sometimes informally referred to as "the Bourbon Trail", is 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.
The KDA launched the Kentucky Bourbon Trail program in 1999. At the time, it included seven of the eight distilleries in the region. [1] [2] In 2008, an eighth distillery, the Barton 1792 Distillery, joined the Trail program. [3] 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 from the KDA at the beginning of 2010. [4] 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. [4]
In August 2012, the Town Branch Distillery was added to the trail, bringing the number of distilleries back to seven. [5] The Heaven Hill Evan Williams distillery in Louisville was added in May 2013, expanding the primary tour program to include eight destinations. [6] 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. [7] O.Z. Tyler Distillery in Owensboro joined the same month. [8] In July 2018, the KDA announced that Lux Row Distillers would be added to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. [9]
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. [10] 2012 had the highest-ever rate of completion for participation in the trail. [11] In December 2013, the Craft Tour added Danville's Wilderness Trail Distillery, thereby expanding to eight destinations. [12] 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. [13] [14]
The KDA opened an official welcome center for the Bourbon Trail in August 2018 at the Frazier History Museum in downtown Louisville. [15]
As of 2024 [update] , there are 46 stops on the Bourbon Trail.[ citation needed ] The program sends free T-shirts to people who mail in a promotional passport that has been stamped by all the participating distilleries. [16]
There are 18 stops on the main Bourbon Trail, broken down into 4 "gateway cities": Bardstown Gateway, Lexington Gateway, Louisville Gateway, and Northern Kentucky Gateway. [17] The 18 stops are: [17]
Louisville
Bardstown
Lexington
There are 28 stops on the Bourbon Trail "Craft Tour", broken down into 4 regions: Northern, Central, Western, and Bluegrass. [17] The 28 stops are: [10] [19]
Northern Craft Tour
Central Craft Tour
Western Craft Tour
Bluegrass Craft Tour
The B-Line, [20] an official partner of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, [21] is another organization promoting distilleries, bars, and restaurants in the Bourbon Trail that are in the Northern Gateway area. [22]
Bourbon is a type of barrel-aged American whiskey made primarily from corn (maize). The name derives from the French Bourbon dynasty, although the precise source of inspiration is uncertain; contenders include Bourbon County in Kentucky and Bourbon Street in New Orleans, both of which are named after the dynasty. The name bourbon may not have been used until the 1850s; the association with Bourbon County did not appear until the 1870s.
Evan Williams is a brand of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey bottled in Bardstown, Kentucky, by the Heaven Hill company. The product is aged for a minimum of four years. It has been ranked as one of the world's best selling whiskey brands.
Heaven Hill Distilleries, Inc. is a private, American family-owned and operated distillery founded in 1935 and headquartered in Bardstown, Kentucky, that produces and markets the Heaven Hill brand of Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and a variety of other distilled spirits.
The American Whiskey Trail is the name of a promotional program supported by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States that promotes the distilled beverage industry in the U.S. The Trail was first promoted to the public on September 28, 2004.
Rebel, formerly Rebel Yell until 2020, is a brand of Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey owned and marketed by MGP Ingredients. Rebel Yell is currently distilled and aged at the Lux Row Distillery, in Bardstown, Kentucky, which opened in 2018. As is typical for a bourbon, it is sold at 40% alcohol by volume. Before the opening of the Lux Row Distillery, the brand was produced under contract by Heaven Hill at its Bernheim distillery in Louisville.
Barton Brands, Ltd. was a company that produced a variety of distilled beverages and liqueurs and is now part of the Sazerac Company, which is headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana, and has its principal offices in Louisville, Kentucky. The Barton distillery, currently known as the Barton 1792 distillery, was originally established in 1879, and is located in Bardstown, Kentucky.
Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve is the flagship brand of bourbon whiskey owned by the "Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery" company. It is distilled and bottled by the Sazerac Company at its Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve is often regarded as one of the finest bourbons in the world, and its very low production and high demand can make it extremely difficult to find.
Kentucky Tavern is a brand of straight bourbon whiskey produced by the Sazerac Company at the Barton Distillery located in Bardstown, Kentucky, who acquired the brand from United Distillers in 1995. The brand was originally produced and owned by the R. Monarch Distillery of Owensboro, Kentucky, which entered bankruptcy in 1898 and was purchased by James Thompson in 1901 who renamed the company Glenmore Distillery Company with locations in Owensboro and Louisville, Kentucky. In 1903 the Kentucky Tavern trademark was first registered. Glenmore proved a successful and durable company, its main brand being Kentucky Tavern. It is usually produced as an 80 proof liquor, although a 100 proof is also available.
Willett Distillery Ltd, is a private, family-owned-and-operated company that produces bourbon and rye whiskey. Over the years, the company has bottled whiskeys that range from two years of aging maturity up to 28 years. The company was named Kentucky Bourbon Distillers (KBD) between 1984 and 2012.
Old Charter is a brand of bourbon whiskey distilled in Frankfort, Kentucky at the Buffalo Trace Distillery, a part of the Sazerac Company. The whiskey is no longer aged 8 years, despite the claim on the label that it "is gently matured for eight seasons in century old brick warehouses." In 2018 Sazerac is facing a class action false advertising lawsuit because of the claim on the label.
Glenmore Distillery Company was a large distillery company based in Owensboro, Kentucky best known as a producer of bourbon whiskey. In 2009, the company was acquired by the Sazerac Company, and is still operated under the name "The Glenmore Distillery".
Sazerac Company, Inc. is a privately held American alcoholic beverage company headquartered in Metairie in the metropolitan area of New Orleans, Louisiana, but with its principal office in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is owned by billionaire William Goldring and his family. As of 2017, it operated nine distilleries, had 2,000 employees, and operated in 112 countries. It is one of the two largest spirits companies in the United States, with annual revenue of about $1 billion made from selling about 300 beverage brands.
Willett Pot Still Reserve Bourbon is brand of a bourbon whiskey produced in Bardstown, Kentucky by the Willett Distillery.
Lexington Brewing and Distilling Company is a brewery and distillery based in Lexington, Kentucky founded in 1999 by Pearse Lyons, the president and founder of animal nutrition company Alltech.
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.
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 public tourism site for Bulleit Bourbon, as part of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.
Chicken Cock Whiskey is a historic brand of bourbon that has been revived by Grain and Barrel Spirits.
