aficionado T he THE TRAIL HOTEL , Bardstown The world’s first and only bourbon-centric hotel is a bourbon lover’s wish granted. Among its many luxe amenities, The Trail Hotel has curated bourbon-themed suites, a restaurant flush with nostalgia and atmosphere, a speak-easy bar, a golf simulator lounge with a private bar and a team of Bourbon Butlers. BULLEIT DISTILLING CO. , Shelbyville Sign up for the creative cocktailing happenings at Bulleit Distilling Co., with interactive classes to learn the fine art of custom crafting a smoked Old Fashioned, a summer-scented whiskey smash or a mint julep with herbs handpicked from the onsite greenhouse. GENERAL GEORGE STILLHOUSE , Falls of Rough Built on forested countryside on land that George Washington bought in 1798, the General George Stillhouse produces bourbon, gin, vodka and wine under Founding Fox, a label that pays tribute to the first president by recalling his nickname, Old Fox. PAULEY HOLLOW , Forest Hills At Pike County’s first legal distillery, Pauley Hollow, taste Fuel of the Feud moonshine, made with local spring water drawn from the Randall McCoy Well. (Yes! That Randall — of Hatfield and McCoy fame). Sip Robert’s Reserve, a smooth four-grain bourbon aged in Appalachian oak. CLERMONT SUPPER CLUB , Clermont Join master distillers Fred and Freddie Noe at The Kitchen Table restaurant and taste the latest James B. Beam Distilling Co. releases during the Clermont Supper Club experience, elevated dining featuring Beam-inspired fare paired with a selection of the distillery’s hand-crafted cocktails and bourbon pours. REVIVAL VINTAGE BOTTLE SHOP , Covington Find a century of bourbon history, plus bour-bon experts, a bourbon tasting menu and hard-to-find and rare bourbons and spirits at Revival Vintage Bottle Shop — the world’s first vintage spirit bar and bottle shop and premier destination on The B-Line®. DUELING GROUNDS DISTILLERY , Franklin The small, craft Dueling Grounds Distillery pairs guided tours and tasting experiences with stories of Kentucky’s dueling history (Sam Houston being the most famous to fight a duel here). Sip double-pot-distilled Linkumpinch Bourbon or custom cocktails with pub snacks and signature pizzas. PRESERVATION , Bardstown Tour Bardstown’s smallest distillery, the family-owned Preservation, which pot-distills exceptional bourbons in micro batches, like Very Olde St. Nick, from its picturesque location in a former tobacco barn set amid rolling pastureland. Nelson County’s first and only 100% pot-dis-tilled producer is also Kentucky’s first sustainability-focused distillery. Photos from top: Bulleit Distilling Co., Shelbyville; Dueling Grounds Distillery, Franklin Kentuckytourism.com/bourbon 27
The Official Kentucky Visitor's Guide The Official Kentucky Visitor's Guide 2026: Page 27
