How to taste 200 miles of bourbon country without leaving Louisville: 6 tasting rooms to visit
Traveling to every bourbon distillery that has a Louisville satellite tasting room would take more 200 miles and three hours.
But traveling between their outposts in Louisville only takes a few minutes.
Louisville's bourbon tasting room culture is growing. In 2022, the Kentucky General Assembly passed a bill that allows distilleries to launch satellite tasting rooms, similar to California's Sonoma and Napa Valley wine regions. Tasting rooms are different than distillery bars, as they typically serve as more of an urban outposts for brands that distill or blend bourbon in other locations.
Kentucky's bourbon country is vast, and not every enthusiast has the time to visit every inch of it. As such, distilleries in places like Frankfort, Owensboro and Bardstown have all opened tasting rooms in Louisville, as a way for these rural, somewhat hard-to-reach giants to better introduce themselves to Kentucky Derbygoers and Louisville's bustling convention crowd, and perhaps, entice them to come back for a longer bourbon adventure, later.
Don't have time for a multi-city Kentucky Bourbon Trail experience? Here are six tasting rooms you can visit in Louisville:
More: Here are 7 new bourbon, whiskey releases or experiences you need to know about this month
730 W. Main St., Louisville, bardstownbourbon.com
Bardstown Bourbon Company's Louisville location features an interactive education and tasting experiences and a craft cocktail menu, as well as augmented reality and immersive digital environments. The retail section is also home to some exclusive bottles.
HOURS: Monday and Tuesday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
DISTILLERY: Bardstown Bourbon Company's main distillery is located at 1500 Parkway Drive in Bardstown, about 45 miles from downtown Louisville.
MORE INFORMATION: bardstownbourbon.com/louisville/
400 S. St. inside the Omni Louisville Hotel downtown, castleandkey.com/visit-the-distillery/castle-key-502
Castle & Key 502 offers a curated selection of merchandise, spirits, and craft cocktails. Guests can sample spirits and shop products. It's located inside Falls City Market at the Omni Louisville Hotel, which serves as a satellite home to several other Kentucky-based businesses.
HOURS: Tuesday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
DISTILLERY: Castle & Key's main distillery is located in Franklin County, nearly 60 miles from downtown Louisville.
MORE INFORMATION: castleandkey.com or 502-395-9070
More: Weird Louisville: 6 off-limits and mysterious places we want to visit
714 W. Main St., Louisville, greenriverwhiskey.com
The Green River Distilling Co. tasting room will feature a horseshoe-shaped tasting and cocktail bar, which references the brand's iconography. Original warehouse lighting, distiller's switchboards, and copper tanks from Owensboro are artfully integrated into the tasting room's contemporary décor. There's also a retail and bottle shop that sells everyday whiskies and limited-edition exclusives. The ground floor has a lounge, a small performance stage, and a seating area. Beyond the main room, there's a speakeasy bar that will host educational experiences and private events. Guests will have the opportunity to play 'Shoot the Shoe,' which is a game that uses a Green River bottle as a goal.
HOURS: Green River opens to the public on June 16. Its hours will be Monday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
DISTILLERY: Green River's main distillery is at 10 Distillery Road in Owensboro, about 110 miles from downtown Louisville.
MORE INFORMATION: greenriverwhiskey.com
131 W. Main St., Louisville, monksroadbh.com
Monk's Road Boiler House is a luxury-style chophouse from Log Still Distillery, and it is the first distillery satellite tasting room to have a fine dining component. It's located in the heart of Louisville's Whiskey Row.
HOURS: Tastings are available Thursday-Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The restaurant is open Sunday 5-9 p.m., Monday-Thursday 5-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday 5-11 p.m.
DISTILLERY: Log Still Distillery is Monk's Road's homebase, and it is located about 50 miles from downtown Louisville near New Haven.
MORE INFORMATION: monksroadbh.com
722 Main St., Louisville, pursuitspirits.com
Pursuit Spirits is opening a downtown Louisville tasting room later this summer, which will feature a retail area and three 'classrooms' or tasting rooms.
HOURS: Pursuit Spirits is expected to open to the public in July.
DISTILLERY: Pursuit Spirits is different than some of its competitors because it partners with four distilleries across multiple states to create six specific mashbills with customized barrel char levels. Its bourbon doesn't come from one specific homebase.
MORE INFORMATION: pursuitspirits.com
More: Pursuit Spirts to open on Whiskey Row this summer. Here's a sneak peek of what to expect
610 Nanny Goat Strut, Louisville, whiskeythief.com
Whiskey Thief Distilling Co. tasting room features a unique whiskey thief experience where guests can sample unfiltered bourbon directly from the barrel. Since it opened in 2024, the bar has garnered a reputation for its cocktail menu and its live entertainment. It's also one of the few distillery specific bourbon experiences that welcome nightlife.
HOURS: Monday-Wednesday 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday-Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday 12-8 p.m.
DISTILLERY: Whiskey Thief's main distillery is located at 283 Crab Orchard Road in Frankfort, about 45 miles from downtown Louisville
MORE INFORMATION: whiskeythief.com
More: 'Must-visit hidden gem:' This NuLu bar might serve one of the best twists on a mint julep
Reach Courier Journal features columnist Maggie Menderski at mmenderski@courier-journal.com.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Taste bourbon country without leaving Louisville 6 tasting rooms to try
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