Lexington, KY Maker's Mark Lexington Distillery District Mammoth Cave 4th Street Live Louisville Visitor's Center Louisville Slugger Museum Michter's Fort Nelson Evan Williams Angel's Envy Downtown Louisville Churchill Downs Louisville Riverwalk Old Forester Downtown Louisville
What better way to spend Spring Break than tasting bourbon along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail! We were thinking of a road trip to take from Ohio for Spring Break and we decided to research Northern Kentucky - Lexington and Louisville. It was about a 5 hour drive from home and it looked like there was some fun touristy things to do - and bonus - another National Park to check off my list! I began planning our visit by ordering our Kentucky Bourbon Trail Passports and getting familiar with the area and what distilleries we would like to visit - Kentucky Bourbon Trail Map.
Day 1: Road Trip to Lexington, KY
We hit the road around 9:00am to head to Lexington, Kentucky. We had about a 5 hour drive ahead of us, so we started the podcast and got on our way. When we got into town, we took a ride through the University of Kentucky and had to make a stop at the infamous, Parlor Doughnuts. We got there later in the afternoon and when we walked in I was disappointed because it didn't look like they had much of a selection left, but they let us know that they had the plain donuts all made and could top them however we wanted! So we ordered a dozen of our choice and let me tell you - these donuts DID NOT disappoint. We got some Chocolate Peanut Butter, Maple Bacon, Cookies & Cream, Turtle, and Birthday Cake. These donuts were so big, a few of them made the trip home with us 5 days later!
After driving through campus a bit, we made our way to our AirBnb - that was located just behind the Rupp Arena parking lot. It was such a great location - especially if you are trying to see a show/event at Rupp Arena. Unfortunately, there was only a comic convention there during our stay.
Our AirBnb was perfect for what we were looking for. It offered free off-street parking, an outdoor deck area, nice small 'apartment' style private place and walkable to most places we wanted to visit. I would definitely stay again and would highly recommend it.
Night 1: Downtown Lexington
For our first night in Lexington, we walked into downtown to have dinner and drinks. We stopped at Bourbon on Rye and had a few cocktails before dinner. This place did not disappoint. The drinks were delicious and not overpriced. We had a Kentucky Mule and an Old Fashioned. The Old Fashioned was so good, we split another one. The bartender toasted the orange peel and it was so good! We tried MANY Old Fashioneds on this trip, and Bourbon on Rye was by far our favorite and I would vote it the Best Old Fashioned! (See the Trip Takeaways section for more 'Bests')
After our drinks, we headed next door for dinner at Nic & Norman's - I would recommend reservations to ensure you don't have a long wait. We called ahead and they still had a 6:45pm dinner reservation, so we took that and there was a line out the door shortly after we got seated. If you don't know the story behind Nic & Norman's, Greg Nicotero & Norman Reedus, from TV show 'The Walking Dead', are the owners. We ordered some cocktails - The Reedus Ruffian (bourbon, orange juice, pimento dram, luxardo, and Angostura bitters) & a Cherry Manhattan (bourbon, sweet vermouth, bitters, and a filthy cherry). Both were so tasty! We ordered the Sticky Rib Tips appetizer (not pictured because they were really good and we finished them too quickly). We ordered the Brisket BBQ Flatbread and the Fried Chicken Burger and brussel sprouts on the side. Unfortunately, I would say the food was just ok. The portions were pretty small and the brussel sprouts were undercooked. I would still recommend it for the drinks, and I would try something else on the menu next time. The atmosphere was really neat and very cool aesthetic and vibe.
After dinner we walked around downtown and stopped into a few bars along the way. Harvey's Bar was a small cocktail lounge with a great vibe and cool patio. Our next stop was at Bluegrass Tavern where we enjoyed a few of our favorite style beers - fruited sours - they had Rhinegeist Glow on tap. This place had a fun atmosphere. It was an open-air place with patio and dogs. We stayed for a few drinks before heading to our next stop, Ethereal Brewing Public House. We had seen Ethereal Brewing in our research and knew we wanted to stop here to try some of their sour beers. We are sure glad we did. Their Pineapple Master Shake was our FAVORITE beer. It is a fruited sour with lactose and comes in at a whopping 10% alcohol. These were dangerous. They tasted like an orange creamsicle. We liked it so much, we were trying to find a way to get them to sell it in Cleveland, Ohio - so far the furthest North it is available is in Cincinnati.
Day 2: Maker's Mark Tour & Tasting
We woke up and walked to grab coffee at the cutest coffee shop - Old School Coffee - located in an old school building. It sure hit the spot after a long night of drinking! We were celebrating our 18 year dating anniversary with a tour of Maker's Mark - our first stop on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail! We got on the road for the hour drive into Loretto, KY. (Trip Tip: Use Google Maps to get there. From experience, Waze will take you on a single-lane dirt road, that you think you're going to fall into the side ditch or get run off the road). Once we made it there in one piece, we entered the Marker's Mark grounds and were shocked by the vastness of the Star Hill Farm property - spanning over 1,000 acres. (Trip Tip: Much of the one-hour tour is outside walking the grounds between each facility, so dress appropriately, wear comfortable shoes, and bring an umbrella if needed.)
Our tour started by walking down a pathway, passed the meandering creek, to the stillhouse building. We learned that Maker's is the only distillery with their own private water source. Kentucky limestone filters out iron from the water, making it perfect for bourbon distilling. Inside the distillery building, we learned more about Maker's history and distilling processes - much of their production process remains unchanged from their beginning in 1953. We saw the copper double-barrel distillation stills, as well as the 1st barrel of Maker's Mark ever produced.
The next stop was in the Fermentation facility. Maker's mash bill contains soft red winter wheat to give the sweetness Maker's is known for. You could actually feel the heat coming off of the fermentation tanks as the yeast in the mash converts to alcohol. As you can see below, they still use the original cypress plank fermentation tanks that are more than 100 years old. Each tank is at a different stage of fermentation - from very active and bubbly, to near completion and no more bubbles.
Next, we crossed a bridge into the labeling room. The attention to detail is impeccable -down to the shutters on the windows having the Maker's bottle shape cutout. The Maker's Mark distinctive labels are still cut on a hand-operated 1935 printing press. It is mind-blowing that every bottle of Maker's ever produced has a label that was hand-cut from these two hand-operated machines.
The next stop was to the rackhouse. At Maker's, they rotate the 525-pound barrels by hand to ensure proper exposure to the different temperatures around the rackhouse. The barrels higher up age quicker in the heat, and lower down, where its cooler, age slower. Rotating helps with consistency from barrel to barrel. Many distillers stopped this cumbersome practice long ago, opting to just blend barrels from different parts of the rackhouse to create the right blended flavor. Barrels will typically age for 6-7 years, but Maker's ages by taste, not time, so each barrel is tasted to determine when it is ready.
The limestone cellar was our next stop, which houses the 'wood-finishing series' - Maker's Mark 46 and Maker's Mark Private Selection. The wood-finishing series are finished by adding 10 seared French oak staves into the barrel, before it is finished to maturity in the limestone cellar. These bourbons typically have a smoother finish from the added flavors at the end of finishing process. The limestone cellar is known as 'the classiest cave in Kentucky' and has a naturally cool temperature year-round.
We moved on to the bottling and dipping facility next. Every bottle of Maker's Mark is hand-dipped in 400-degree red wax. (Trip Tip: You can buy an undipped bottle and hand-dip it yourself in the gift shop). Unfortunately, the bottling line was not running during our tour, but we did get to see the line and how it runs.
From here, we headed into the private tasting room. Our Maker's Mark Tasting included:
Traditional Maker's Mark
Cask Strength 110.7 proof
Maker's Mark 46
Private Select - French Toast
Our favorite was the Maker's 46. This is the wood-finished blend, created by Bill Samuels, Jr. It has a smoother taste, with caramel and vanilla flavors.
The tour finishes in the barrel warehouse where you can view the stunning, one-of-a-kind Chihuly glass ceiling - 'The Spirit of the Maker'. The colors and shapes represent Maker's Mark's wax, limestone, spring-fed water, corn, and wheat. It was a beautiful end to a great tour!
I would HIGHLY recommend adding a tour of Maker's Mark to your Kentucky Bourbon Trail itinerary. Not only can you tour the beautiful grounds and sample several bourbons, you can personally hand-dip your own bottle to take home! The fact that every single bottle of Maker's Mark is produced on these grounds, still using the same processes from 1953, was mind-blowing to me. Technology has changed so much in our lives, but here, is was like stepping back into a time capsule.
Night 2: Downtown Lexington Distillery District
Once we got back to the AirBnb from our Maker's Mark tour, we took a few minutes to relax and then got ready and walked to dinner at Local Taco. These tacos were so good! We got the Local BBQ, Korean BBQ, Steak, and Smoked Brisket tacos. They were some of the best tacos we've ever had.
After dinner, we grabbed an Uber to the Distillery District. We wanted to stop in James E. Pepper Distillery, but unfortunately they were already closed for the day. We stopped in Goodfellas Pizza, and enjoyed more of our favorite beer - Pineapple Master Shake - at Ethereal Brewing on their beautiful patio. We talked with the bartender and found out that one way we could get this beer to Cleveland, was to purchase 32-oz sealed crowlers to take home! Once we had to stop drinking 10% alcohol beers, we walked across the street to The Burl Arcade. They have live music in one area and an arcade bar.
Day 3: Mammoth Cave National Park
When we decided we were doing a trip to Kentucky, I knew I wanted to make the trip to Mammoth Cave National Park. My father took our family there when I was young, but I wanted to go with Ben too. You have to book your tour in advance, as they sell out weeks in advance and tours are not guaranteed on the walk-in basis. (Trip Tip: Mammoth Cave National Park is located in the Central Time Zone, so plan accordingly. Also note - there is no cell phone service (AT&T at least) inside the park at all). We arrived early so we walked around the Visitor's Center & Gift Shop before our tour.
We did the 'Historic Tour', which is the classic tour that visits many of the historic areas that originally made Mammoth Cave famous. The tour starts by going down a pretty steep decline paved pathway to the cave entrance. At the entrance, you go down a large set of stairs into the cave. This tour went through the huge open caverns - that gave Mammoth Cave its name - but also descends to much tighter places deep inside the cave. One area, known as 'Fat Man's Misery' weaves through very tight turns and low ceilings. At one point deep in the cave, the tour guide turned off his flashlight and we experienced total darkness - you could not see your hand in front of your face - it was a very weird experience. We crossed bridges over the 'Bottomless Pit' and the tour ends with a climb up 155 stairs at Mammoth Dome back to the cave entrance area. You climb back up the set of stairs and back out the steep incline path back to the visitor's center. Our tour took around 2 hours and I have to say, it was much more in-depth and rigorous than I expected. I was winded coming up the steps and the incline at the end. The pictures do not do it justice to how expansive some of these caverns are.
After our cave tour, we were driving an hour and a half to our AirBnb in Louisville, Kentucky. This AirBnb location was amazing! It was literally on the same block as 4th Street Live and included free parking in a parking garage. It was in an older apartment style building, but it was exactly what we were looking for.
Night 3: Downtown Louisville
We got ready and walked to dinner at Guy Fieri's Smokehouse at 4th Street Live. We ordered our standard drink of the trip - an Old Fashioned. The menu is up on a big wall and you walk up and place your order and pay and then take your tray to your table. We ordered brisket, pulled pork, smoked sausage, mac & cheese, and cole slaw. They have a wide variety of sauce options that are served on the side - we tried a bunch of them, but our favorite was the Alabama White BBQ sauce - a horseradish based sauce. We would definitely recommend visiting - the food was really good, the portions looked small but they were actually very deceiving.
After dinner, we walked around downtown and ended up at a neat bar, Troll Under The Bridge. This place was packed - even on a Monday night. We got a Michter's flight - US*1 Bourbon, US*1 American Whiskey, and US*1 Kentucky Straight Rye. Then we tried a Maker's 46 Mule and Bourbon & Berries. The drinks were delicious. We were on our way back to our place, when we walked past this random teal blue door that we heard music coming from. It looked like the lights were off, but we heard music, so I opened the door to find the COOLEST hole-in-the-wall bar - Bar Expo. A completely unassuming place with no signage at all. They had colorful Christmas lights on and Hawaiian music playing - apparently Monday is luau night. They had a completely different 'Luau' menu and you could only order off of that menu. We had a drink called the 'Port Light' (bourbon, markeza, lemon, and grenadine). This drink was the best mixed drink we had on the trip - I mean it was served with a glow stick in it.
Day 4: Louisville Visitor's Center, Main Street & Louisville Slugger Museum
Tuesday morning we got some coffee and stopped at the Louisville Visitor's Center. They have a lot of tourist information and souvenirs. We also passed through the Bourbon District's 'Barrel on Main'.
Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory Tour
Our next stop was at the Louisville Slugger Museum. We didn't buy tickets ahead of time because we didn't know when exactly it would fit in our schedule, but they have tours every 20 minutes, so it wasn't a problem. The museum has tons of memorabilia and historical information. You can walk through on your own and read the exhibits. There is a station that you can get your picture taken holding the actual game-used bats of All-Stars - we picked Ken Griffey Jr. and Babe Ruth! The tour then takes you through the actual factory. You can see the entire production - from timber, to 37-inch wood billets, chiseling into the bat shape and correct weighting, cutting down the end nubs, sanding, staining or painting and branding. As a part of your tour price, you get a souvenir mini bat and the end nub pieces that are cut off the ends of every bat.
Michter's Fort Nelson Distillery
We continued to sightsee through the Bourbon District down Main Street. Our next stop on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail was Michter's Fort Nelson Distillery. We didn't have a full tour, we just looked in the gift shop and we were able to go up to the bar, overlooking the small distillery area. This is not the main production distillery for Michter's.
Evan Williams Bourbon Experience
The next stop down Main Street on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail was the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience. The lobby was really cool with a huge bourbon bottle pouring down into a glass. We went up to the gift shop and bar located on the 2nd and 3rd floors. If you did the tour here, you have access to some more rare bottles of bourbon than are available to the public.
Angel's Envy Tour & Tasting
We took an Uber over to our next Kentucky Bourbon Trail distillery stop - Angel's Envy. The facility is so beautiful and state of the art. It was very polar opposite of Maker's Mark. They have metal, copper and brick finishes throughout for a really classy, modern aesthetic. Unfortunately, their production was closed for spring cleaning while we were there. The tour went through the entire process - fermenting, distilling, testing, barreling, and bottling.
Our tasting included:
Angel's Envy Bourbon finished in Port Barrels
Angel's Envy Rye finished in Rum Casks
Art Eatables Chocolates
Our guide had us swish the first sip around in our mouth for a few seconds in order to prime our pallet. It burned some, but the next sip tasted completely different. Then he added an ice cube, and again that completely changed how it tasted. The rye was really good. Usually they are a much spicier taste, but since theirs is finished in a rum cask, it adds some sweetness back in for an easier finish. The Art Eatables chocolates were amazing. The angel wings chocolates are especially made for Angel's Envy and are not available for sale. After our tasting, we had a cocktail at their bar - The Royal Gold Rush (Angel's Envy Bourbon, St. George Spiced Pear Liqueur, and local honey). They were great!
Night 4: Downtown Louisville
We walked back to our AirBnb after our tour and got ready for dinner. We decided to go back to the Troll Under The Bridge because their menu looked really good. We ordered Louie The Troll's Signature Beer Cheese Pretzels and we both ordered Beer Cheese Burgers. This was a very cheesy dinner, but it was one of the best burgers we've ever had. We both really enjoyed our Maker's 46 Mule the night before, so we ordered another round of those.
After dinner, we walked back to Bar Expo, since we had such a great time the night before. We got there slightly earlier this time, so it was much less busy and much quieter. We were intrigued by one item on their menu - 'The Acid Cat Spirit Guide - buy the ticket, take the ride'. We were instructed to 'chew up the little yellow flower in the drink and swish it all around your mouth'. After we did that, we immediately realized that it was making our entire mouth numb. It was such an odd sensation. Once your mouth was numb and tingly, you could go ahead and drink the drink. We immediately looked up what that little yellow flower was - a Sichuan button or buzz button. They are known for their numbing sensation produced when the flower enters the mouth. The drink itself was good, but the experience was so unique. The bartender has won many awards for this drink - it has created quite a BUZZ!
We ended our night back at 4th Street Live at Howl at the Moon dueling piano bar. We found ourselves in the middle of a group from the Mid-American Trucking Show. It was very entertaining and lots of fun. The musicians are so talented and well-rounded to be able to play multiple instruments and know how to play all of the random songs people request.
Day 5: Churchill Downs
The next morning, we took a drive to Churchill Downs to visit the Kentucky Derby Café & Gift shop. There is a full grounds tour that you can do, but we just wanted to see the premises. We visited the infamous 'Bourbon John' bartender at the Derby Café. He suggested one of his specialty drinks - the Keeneland Breeze Julep (bourbon, orange juice, and pineapple juice). It was very good and refreshing. Bourbon John let us go behind the bar for a picture, and even let Ben hold the bottle of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon that is $100/shot. We also ordered the signature hot brown panini for lunch. We bought our 2023 Kentucky Derby glass at the gift shop. (Trip Tip: If you purchase a drink at the Derby Café, you get to keep the derby glass it is served in - they are the 'misprints' so the design was a little worn/not perfect, but a nice souvenir). I was shocked that Churchill Downs is really located just on a street corner, right at the edge of the University of Louisville campus. I imagined a long, winding road, through farm land, back to the race track - that was not the case. It was neat to be there just before the Kentucky Derby, as they were setting up and getting a lot of things ready for the 'First Saturday in May'!
Louisville Waterfront Park & Riverwalk
On our way back into town from Churchill Downs, we stopped down at Louisville Waterfront Park on The Riverwalk. This park was really nice with beautiful views of the Ohio River, the Big Four Bridge and access to the Pedestrian Bridge.
Old Forester Tour & Tasting
Our last stop on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail was our distillery tour at Old Forester. They have a few different distillery locations, but we visited their newest location (2018), back on Whiskey Row - their first home from 1882-1919. We learned so much about their 150-year history. Old Forester produced the first bottled bourbon in 1870 and the first double-barreled bourbon in 1910. In 1920, they were one of only a handful of companies given a permit to sell and manufacture whiskey during Prohibition - and the only one still in the whiskey business today. Old Forester remains the only bourbon continually sold by the same company before, during, and after Prohibition. They are the only downtown distillery which houses an active cooperage - making and charring barrels in the same facility where bourbon is being aged.
The facility is brand new and it was built with tours and tastings in mind. There are a ton of informational visuals throughout really explaining their processes - fermentation, distillation, barrel making, maturation & bottling.
Fermentation
The tour starts out in the fermentation area. The illustrations below give tons of information on their mash bill, water, volume, and fermentation timeline.
Distillation
Next we went up to the distillation area and learned how the fermented mash is heated and put through the column still to produce a clear 'low-wine' that is then double distilled to the target 140-proof alcohol. (Fun Fact: One of the rules of bourbon is a max 160-proof off the still, and 125-proof to barrel). As you can see in the Test Sample below, it is proofed down to 124.978 before it will be barreled to age.
Barrel Making
The tour then takes you through the active cooperage (barrel-making and charring). This area was really neat. You don't often see how a barrel is actually made or charred - a lot of the distilleries do this off-site, so it was a really cool experience.
Have you ever seen the charring of a bourbon barrel? It takes about 45 seconds to reach the desired 'medium char'.
Maturation
The last stop on the tour was the barrel room for the maturation process. As much as 50% of the flavor comes from the maturation process in charred barrels. About 3 gallons of whiskey will soak into the wood of the barrel during this process. These barrels are aged for at least four years. The barrels at the top of the rackhouse age at an accelerated pace, and barrels at the bottom age at a slower pace. This barrel room is actually a 'test facility' right now, as it is temperature controlled, so the traditional temperature variations that help in the aging process, are not present here. They will know in a few years how the experiment turned out!
Finally our tour commenced in the Old Forester Tasting room. Our tasting included:
1870 Original Batch Whisky - 90 proof - strong
1897 Bottled in Bond - 100 proof - very strong
1910 Old Fine Whisky - 93 proof - sweeter easier finish - double-barreled
1920 Prohibition Style - 115 proof - very strong spicy - from the top of the rack
These all had a very strong taste. They provided a water dropper to add 2-3 drops of water to a bourbon to take the crisp edge off. We liked the Old Fine Whisky the best, with its sweeter easier finish from its double-barrel maturation process.
We were a bit disappointed that the gift shop didn't have any of the limited release bottles available for purchase, but we really enjoyed the very informational tour!
Night 5: Downtown Louisville
After our tour, we went across the street for an Old Fashioned at Doc Crow's. This was a really cool place and their menu looked really good too. But we had our dinner sights set next door at Merle's Whiskey Kitchen. This was our favorite meal - I want to go back just to eat here again. We ordered the Candied Bourbon Maple Bacon appetizer - that was obviously amazing - we almost ordered another one. We got the Green Chili Pork Tacos, and famous Chicken Tenders to split. These were two of the best items I've ever eaten.
We ended our night back at 4th Street Live at Howl at the Moon for some live entertainment and cocktails. We decided to call it a night and stopped into Pizza Bar for a late-night slice of pizza - let me tell you - that was a delicious slice of pizza, and our only regret was not getting another slice!
Fun Facts:
There are 5 Rules of Bourbon:
Made in the USA
New Charred Oak Barrels
Made of at least 51% corn
Max 160-proof off the still, 125-proof to barrel
No additives or flavors
Every bourbon is a whiskey, but every whiskey is not a bourbon.
Around 95% of bourbon is produced in Kentucky, mainly due to the abundance of limestone rock for water filtration.
The bourbon that seeps through the barrel during maturation, is known as the 'angel share'.
Trip Takeaways:
Lexington is a really nice downtown with some good bars and breweries.
Visit Mammoth Cave - The National Parks are really unbelievable, and they do a great job with maintaining and preserving these natural wonders.
Limit how many actual distillery tours you do. A lot of them have the same information and processes. Most have a bar and gift shop that you can still do tastings, flights, and make purchases - I would recommend Maker's Mark & Old Forester.
We really enjoyed Louisville and all of our distillery tours, and hope to go back!
Best Distillery Tour = Maker's Mark, Loretto
Best Old Fashioned = Bourbon on Rye, Lexington
Best Mixed Drink = The Port Light, Bar Expo, Louisville
Best Beer = Pineapple Master Shake, Ethereal Brewing, Lexington
Best Food = Merle's Whiskey Kitchen, Louisville
Until next time, Kentucky!
We look forward to sharing our next adventure with you!
-Steph & Ben
More photos available for viewing: Lexington & Louisville, Kentucky Photo Album
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