The 7 Best Distillery Tours in Kentucky

James B. Beam’s distilling legacy spans more than 200 years with the story beginning in the 1780s and their first whiskey being sold in 1795. This distillery has belonged to eight generations of the same family. The distillery is behind some of Kentucky’s most iconic bourbons, like Knob Creek, Basil Hayden’s, and Old Overholt, not to mention the family label. The importance of the distillery’s story and the craftsmanship behind its diverse product line make its interactive tours a must for bourbon enthusiasts.

The basic 90-minute Beam Made Bourbon tour ($22) covers the Beam family’s rich history and provides a look at the distilling process through engaging, hands-on exhibits. The tour wraps up with a guided tasting at the property’s recently refurbished bar. Guests that want to take a deeper dive can sign up for Behind the Beam with Fred & Freddie Noe ($250), an intimate, four-hour behind-the-scenes look at Jim Beam’s operations. It’s capped off with a tasting of special labels with seventh-generation master distiller Fred Noe and his son, Beam family distiller Freddie. Guests can also sign up for a 20-minute product line tasting ($12), a cocktail class ($30), or a food-pairing experience ($50). The Beam Made Bourbon tour and 20-minute tasting are offered daily. Guests should check the website for the other experiences’ dates and availability.

Four Roses provides two venues for bourbon enthusiasts to explore its distilling prowess. Its Lawrenceburg campus features a brand-new visitors center, complete with an interactive museum, retail shop, and bar. Its warehouse and bottling facility in Cox’s Creek, some 40 miles west, provides a more rustic experience.

Both campuses offer tours and guided tasting experiences that provide a glimpse into a rich heritage of craftsmanship that dates to 1888. The Lawrenceburg tasting clocks in at 30 minutes, while the Cox’s Creek version wraps up in 45 minutes—perfect for guests with a packed schedule. Both locations also conduct longer tours with different focuses. Cox’s Creek’s 90-minute tour showcases how Four Roses ages and bottles its spirits. The 75-minute Lawrenceburg option features a walking tour of the Spanish mission-style distillery and an in-depth look at the distilling process. Four Roses’ shorter experiences cost $16, and the longer tours are $22. Cox’s Creek allows a maximum party of 10; Lawrenceburg’s cap is 18 for the guided tasting and 20 for the tour.

Angel’s Envy has only been around since 2006, but it boasts an intriguing legacy. Before launching this small-batch bourbon, Lincoln Henderson created several iconic whiskey brands, including Gentleman Jack and Woodford Reserve. Today, the Henderson family continues its legacy by upholding its commitment to award-winning craftsmanship.

Angel’s Envy’s hour-long Signature Tour ($25) runs daily and guides guests through the distillation process in its downtown Louisville facility. Each tour concludes with a tasting of the brand’s port cask-finished bourbon and Caribbean rum cask-finished rye, along with a cocktail at its Finishing Room bar. Various cocktail classes are offered throughout the month, letting guests get behind the bar and learn from experts. Guests can also reserve a spot for the distillery’s Bottle Your Own experience, a one-hour session held Thursday through Saturday, where they can fill, cork, and label their very own bottle of port wine barrel-finished bourbon, a distillery exclusive. Cocktail classes (prices vary) and the Bottle Your Own experience ($149.99, maximum six guests) require advance reservations, which are recommended for Signature Tours as well.

This day trip makes it convenient to visit Kentucky’s bourbon heavyweights, letting guests build a three-stop tasting experience from a list of at least 11 Kentucky distilleries. There are several legacy brands to choose from, along with a number of distillers that are lesser known, yet rich in history, such as Limestone Branch Distillery and Preservation Distillery.

Each distillery tour varies in length and offers unique experiences. Guests can tour production facilities, visit barrel warehouses, drink bourbon drawn straight from the barrel, and more, depending on the distilleries they choose. Each visit lasts between 20 and 75 minutes. Tours start from $239.99 and last from five to eight hours, again depending on the distilleries chosen. Guests gather at a set meeting place and are then driven to each destination, eliminating the need to drive. Tours are dependent upon good weather and a minimum number of participants; full refunds are provided if those conditions aren’t met.

Unlike other big-name Kentucky distilleries, Copper & Kings’ focus isn’t bourbon. The Louisville-based distillery’s forte is pot-distilled American-style brandy, although it doesn’t entirely forsake Kentucky’s legacy spirit — the company matures its brandy in used American oak bourbon barrels.

The $25 Copper & Kings Experience tour provides a look at the brandy-making process and how it differs from traditional bourbon distilling. The hour-long tour concludes with a quartet of samples drawn from the distillery’s portfolio of brandies and other spirits, like gin and absinthe. Guests can also pay $35 to partake in the Barrel-to-Bottle Experience. This hour-long tour emphasizes the craftsmanship behind barrel aging and allows guests to sample cask-strength, limited-release spirits. Guests can also pay extra to fill a personalized, hand-signed bottle with one of these unique expressions.

The Copper & Kings Experience tour happens daily at the top of the every hour, starting at 10:00 a.m. with the last tour at 5:00 p.m. The Barrel-to-Bottle Experience is offered Friday to Sunday at 9:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. Both tours have a 12-guest maximum.

Maker’s Mark prides itself on having stuck to “old-fashioned” techniques ever since launching in 1953. Behind this old-school mindset is a deeply technical process that involves craftsmanship and attention to detail at every step of the way. It’s a process that’s made Maker’s Mark one of Kentucky’s most cherished brands.

This process is also the backbone of the distillery’s Behind the Bourbon tour, an immersive two-hour tour designed for the serious bourbon geek. It covers the intricate details of bourbon production by breaking down the technical aspects of distilling, maturation, aging, and bottling. A tasting at the tour’s conclusion highlights the results of these efforts. Looking for something more casual? The distillery’s most popular offering, The Maker’s Mark tour, is a 75-minute guided tour through the distillery’s grounds at Star Hill Farm, a National Historic Landmark. Guests will learn about the brand’s history and the basics of bourbon-making before concluding with a guided tasting.

The Maker’s Mark Tour ($22) takes place daily and has a 20-guest maximum. Behind the Bourbon ($55) is available Monday through Friday and has a 12-guest cap. Tickets must be purchased online; there are no on-site sales.

Bourbon and horse racing practically define Kentucky tourism. This unique day trip lets guests experience both: It includes a distillery tour and bourbon tasting at one of Kentucky’s most popular distilleries and a visit to Churchill Downs, home of the Kentucky Derby, where guests will partake in a 90-minute walking tour of the racetrack, engage in interactive exhibits, and meet the thoroughbreds that call the venue home.

The tour’s default distillery option is Maker’s Mark, but guests can request to visit Bardstown, Woodford Reserve, or Buffalo Trace distillery instead. The base cost of this 10-person-maximum tour is $239. Guests can add a second distillery visit for $29.99. Guests can request a pickup from their hotel to the tour’s meeting point. Good weather is required for the experience; refunds are granted in the event of inclement weather.