Louisville KY Distillery List
An up-to-date list of bourbon distilleries in Louisville Kentucky! Updated 2025
A Tour Guide's List of Bourbon Distilleries in Louisville, KY!
Looking to visit Louisville, Kentucky? There are so many reasons to visit the Falls City. From our world-famous Churchill Downs, to our Division 1 sporting events, festivals, conventions, and so much more! And of course, being the largest city in Kentucky, there are quite a few bourbon distilleries. In fact, we were once known as the bourbon HQ of Kentucky! And there has been quite a resurgence in the city. So which distilleries are here? Our list of distilleries in Louisville KY has you covered!
*** Please note, not all of these distilleries are in the actual city of Louisville. But nothing on our list is more than 30 minutes outside of the city. The distilleries and descriptions on our Louisville distillery list are the sole opinion of the author. **
Types of Distilleries in Louisville Kentucky
Legacy Distilleries
We define legacy distilleries as long-standing brands with a major footprint in the industry. Stuff that you’ve seen ads for all your life or that your parents or grandparents may have drunk in their time. There are a handful of these legacy distilleries in Louisville Kentucky!
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Legacy List - Jim Beam, Old Forester, Evan Williams
Types of Distilleries in Louisville Kentucky
Medium/Craft Distilleries
There are quite a few craft distilleries in Louisville Kentucky. In Louisville, these vary between mom and pop operations and smaller speciality distilleries for larger wine and spirits portfolios.
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Medium/Craft List - Angel's Envy, Michter's, Peerless, Stitzel Weller, Kentucky Artisan Distillery, Prohition, Copper & Kings, Rabbit Hole
Types of Distilleries in Louisville Kentucky
Tasting Rooms
We hate to call a distillery anything other than what they want to be called. In Louisville, a lot of “tasting experiences” are indeed actual distilleries (whiskey is produced there). But their operation may be so small, that they mostly just focus on tastings and you won’t see any production. You’ll find both on this list!
Tasting Room List - Buzzard's Roost, Whiskey Thief, Bardstown Bourbon Co, Monk's Road, Castle & Key
Legacy Distilleries in Louisville KY
Old Forester Distillery
Old Forester is a prime Louisville distillery with so much of its history dating to the downtown area. While being a popular brand in stores, Old Forester is the locals' choice for bourbon and continues to produce quality products for everyone from casual drinkers to savvy collectors. This distillery has everything you can ask for from an urban distillery experience. It does sell out practically every weekend, so be sure to book in advance!
Jim Beam Distillery
Most lists will say Jim Beam is in the Bardstown area since it’s on the way to Bardstown… however, it is only 30 minutes outside of downtown Louisville. So on our Louisville distillery list, we include Jim Beam! This home of Beam, Basil Hayden, Knob Creek, Bookers, and more, is a must-see distillery and one of the worlds largest producers of bourbon.
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Evan Williams Experience
Okay we’re sorry. This is a tiny distillery, but Evan Williams is one of the top selling brands of bourbon in the world. This is simply the home of Evan Williams, and the downtown visitors center/ experimental distillery for one of Heaven Hill’s world-famous brands. This place is known for its museum-like presentation of bourbon history, it’s windy multi-floor tour, speakeasy, and approachable tastings.
Medium-Sized Distilleries in Louisville KY
Angel's Envy Distillery
If Angel’s Envy was a little older they would be in the legacy section of our list of distilleries in Louisville Kentucky. All of the bourbon for this international brand is made here, making it the largest distiller that you can visit in the downtown Louisville area. This well-curated urban distillery tour has it all which approachable whiskeys for drinkers new and old.
Michter’s Distillery
The Michter’s distillery is in a gorgeous downtown building down at the end of museum row. They have a much larger distillery in South Louisville, but this visitors center serves as its tourable face for the brand. Here you will find a friendly informative tour, a fantastic upper-floor bar, and an occasional special release or bottle your own experience!
Peerless Distillery
Peerless is on the right on the border of a craft and medium-sized distillery. And we can say that due to the level of care and craftsmanship they put into their product. This distillery is known for its family roots, small batch bourbons, and much more! It’s the only all-Kosher distillery on the bourbon trail and well worth the visit.
Stitzel-Weller Distillery
About 20 minutes outside of downtown Louisville lies the iconic Stitzel-Weller campus. This one-of-a-kind campus is a wonderful pre-war Louisville gem that tells a story of several Kentucky bourbon greats, as well as the rise and fall (and 2nd life) of bourbon. This distillery currently serves as a home base for several Diageo products, while touching on the legacy of its former owners and operators
Craft Distilleries in Louisville KY
Copper & Kings Distillery
Copper & Kings is one of the most unique stops on the bourbon trail. While best known for their brandy that is finished in bourbon barrels, as of 2024, Copper & Kings added an award-winning bourbon to their lineup of products. The tour is unique and a whole lot of fun. The campus also features a restaurant, bar, and more right in the heart of Butchertown.
Kentucky Artisan Distillery
About 30 minutes east of Downtown Louisville, you can find the humble Kentucky Artisan Distillery. Known for being the first contract distillery in Kentucky, KAD has played a key role in the rise of craft bourbon throughout Kentucky. Many NDPs and former NDPs have passed through KAD over the years, including Jefferson’s, a few current LuxCo products, and many more! This is a great distillery to get out of the city to see the neighboring brewery or botanical gardens.
Prohibition Distillery
Okay we’re sorry. This is a tiny distillery, but Evan Williams is one of the top selling brands of bourbon in the world. This is simply the home of Evan Williams, and the downtown visitors center/ experimental distillery for one of Heaven Hill’s world-famous brands. This place is known for its museum-like presentation of bourbon history, it’s windy multi-floor tour, speakeasy, and approachable tastings.
Tasting Rooms in Louisville KY
Bardstown Bourbon Co Downtown
Down towards the end of Whiskey Row, you can find Bardstown Bourbon’s satellite site for the Louisville market. This modern, well-curated bar and tasting room is known for its thoughtful guided tastings, craft cocktails, and more!
Whiskey Thief Nulu
Late in 2024, Whiskey Thief opened its Nulu location, offering its barrel thieving experience to those in the Louisville market. This location has great cocktails, a friendly staff, and dogs! (usually). We like to say that Whiskey Thief is as close as you can get to bourbon without being a distiller yourself.
Buzzard’s Roost Experience
While Buzzards Roost does have a still here, it offers more of a tasting experience than anything. Known for its great cocktails, flight options, and informative tastings, Buzzards Roost is a great stop for those visiting downtown!
Stitzel-Weller Distillery
About 20 minutes outside of downtown Louisville lies the iconic Stitzel-Weller campus. This one-of-a-kind campus is a wonderful pre-war Louisville gem that tells a story of several Kentucky bourbon greats, as well as the rise and fall (and 2nd life) of bourbon. This distillery currently serves as a home base for several Diageo products, while touching on the legacy of its former owners and operators
Louisville Distillery List FAQ
How long does it take to visit everything on the list of Louisville distilleries?
This will really depend on whether or not you have experiences booked at the places you are visiting. If you are, you can visit a majority of these locations in a long 3-day weekend. Of course, if you want to see everything and space out your trip, you may want to prioritize and save some stops for your next visit!
How do I book a Louisville bourbon tour?
To book a tour at one of the locations on our Louisville distillery list, you would want to visit that company’s website for options and availability. We will book tours for our clients as we put together full day bourbon tours for them, but our company is subject to the same public availability. If your group is interested in a full-day tour with transportation, please let us know!
Can you visit a distillery without a tour?
You can! Each location will have a gift-shop you can visit without a tour or tasting the books. Some may even take walk-ins. Typically it is harder to get a walk-in or to get a spot at a bar on the weekends or on peak travel days. To ensure you have a spot, you should always try to book in advance.
What are some other bourbon experiences not on the Louisville distillery list?
Being a major metropolitan city, Louisville has a little something for everyone! The Louisville Slugger factory has a baseball themed bourbon experience with Barrel and Billets, you can get flights at the Kentucky Derby museum. You can get some great bourbon history at the Fraiser, or at the Oxmoor. There are lots of ways to combine your interests with bourbon when visiting!
How far in advance should I book a tour?
If you want to book tours for any of the items on our Louisville distillery list, you would want to start looking at availability as soon as you nail down your travel dates. Most of the distillery experiences open up 3 months in advance for online booking. If you’re looking for tours or tastings and find that a lot is already booked up, you may want to settle on some backups. Or just show up without a tour and make the most of what’s available for you to do!
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Looking to book a Louisville Bourbon Trip?
If you found our list of Louisville bourbon distilleries helpful, we may be the team for you! We offer a variety of options for full-day Louisville bourbon tours, and offer transportation and distillery-hopping packages, too! Please review our website or reach out for more information!