top of page
Castle & Key Exterior Bourbon Tours -min_edited.jpg

The Kentucky Bourbon Trail Map(s)

From a team that visits these places monthly! See maps for Louisville, Bardstown, Frankfort, and Lexington! 

Kentucky Bourbon Trail Maps, FAQs, and Info (By Region) 

Planning to visit Kentucky and see the world-famous bourbon trail? You’re not alone! The number of folks visiting the bourbon trail grows each year, and nearly 2 million distillery visits are clocked every year as of 2025. The bourbon trail is constantly expanding and continues to add new experiences, distilleries, and more. So, there is a lot to know, and keep up with… but there’s usually something new anytime you visit! 

 

This article will give you some insight on the trail itself, some of the top distilleries, and more. Please keep in mind, this is our take on the trail, and not the official stance of the KDA. We even made our own maps! Also, keep in mind, we do not cover Northern Kentucky, Western Kentucky, and parts of Lexington. But we hope to make those soon! And if you didn’t make it onto our map :(, I promise we at least listed you!

Map view of Louisville.jpg

What is the Kentucky Bourbon Trail?

The Kentucky bourbon trail is a conglomerate of bourbon distilleries and destinations along the state of Kentucky. Founded in 1999 by the Kentucky Distillers Association, the bourbon trail aimed to increase tourism while promoting a consistent experience to the region for all of its distillery partners. 

 

The trail itself is a bit scattered, as it now has 56 member distilleries across 6 official regions. It’s not a straight line or an easy trip, etc. It spans a good portion of the state! You will find, though, that many of the distilleries are clustered together in each region, making it easy to string a handful together over a few days.

Reasons to Visit the Bourbon Trail

First off, bourbon is our Nation’s native spirit! It’s enjoyed worldwide, and 95% of it is made here in Kentucky. Visiting the bourbon trail allows you to put a face to the name of your favorite bourbons, or maybe what your dad or dad’s dad used to drink. Many also might not expect that Kentucky is a beautiful state covered in rolling hills, horse farms, and southern hospitality. 

Four Roses Distillery .jpg
Angel's Envy Bourbon Tour.png

Bourbon Trail Top Distilleries 

We’re going to be difficult and add a distillery that’s not an official part of the bourbon trail to the list - it’s Buffalo Trace. Please note, the following list is based on the number of online reviews and empirical data, and demand. We don’t have the actual numbers for this. 

 

  • Buffalo Trace 

  • Maker’s Mark 

  • Woodford Reserve 

  • Jim Beam 

  • Wild Turkey 

  • Heaven Hill

  • Old Forester 

  • Angel’s Envy 

  • Willett 

  • Four Roses 

 

This order might be accurate, might not! But we’re on the trail a lot and there is a consensus amongst our staff and folks we asked. 

Your (1080 x 1080 px) (3)_edited_edited.jpg

Louisville Bourbon Trail Map 

In Louisville, we like to start with the westernmost distilleries, Peerless and Stitzel Weller. Stitzel Weller is located about 20 minutes towards the south end of the city, making it a minor outlier from the downtown distilleries. The westernmost downtown distillery is Peerless, with Michter’s being just a few blocks away heading east. 

​

In the downtown region, you have quite the cluster, as Copper and Kings, Angel’s Envy, Rabbit Hole, Old Forester, and Evan Williams are all fairly close to one another. You also have a variety of tasting rooms (BBC, Monks Road, Buzzard’s Roost, Whiskey Thief., etc). Downtown is a lot of fun and quite packed! 

​

Finally, about 25 minutes from downtown on the east side of the city (technically in Crestwood, not Louisville), you have Kentucky Artisan Distillery. If you want to count outliers that are about 30 minutes out, you can consider Bulleit, Jeptha Creed, or Jim Beam, though they’re officially parts of other regions. 

Louisville Bourbon Trail Distillery List

Angel’s Envy, BBC (Tasting Experience), Copper & Kings, Evan Williams, Michters, Old Forester, Rabbit Hole, Stitzel Weller, Buzzards Roost (Tasting Experience), Copper & Kings, Kentucky Artisan Distillery, Peerless, Monks Road (Tasting Experience)

 

Honorable mentions - Whiskey Thief, Prohibition, The Last Refuge

Frankfort Bourbon Trail Map 

For the Frankfort bourbon trail map, we also like to start with the westernmost distilleries. These are also the northernmost? Geography is hard!

Starting West, you have Jeptha Creed, then Bulliet, then Whiskey Thief. We’re not going to leave out Buffalo Trace, as it’s the most popular distillery, but it’s in Frankfort about 10 minutes off either exit. 

 

Then, heading south, you have a few distilleries nestled together along the Kentucky River, which include Castle & Key, Glenn’s Creek (not an official stop,) and Woodford Reserve. Woodford and Castle & Key are quite close to one another, so they’re great for stringing together! 
 

Finally, going further south towards Lawrenceburg, you have Wild Turkey followed by the Four Roses main campus. 

Frankfort Bourbon Trail Distillery List

Jeptha Creed, Bulleit, Whiskey Thief, Buffalo Trace (has to be mentioned, not official), Castle & Key, Woodford Reserve, Wild Turkey, Four Roses, Bluegrass Distillers Midway, Larrikin , Heaven’s Door (coming soon)

Your (1080 x 1080 px)_edited.jpg

Bardstown Bourbon Trail Map 

To stick with the theme, our Bardstown map also starts from the West. If we included it on the map, Boundary Oak would be the westernmost distillery. But coming up Clermont Road from I-65, you will drive past Jim Beam, followed shortly by Four Roses on the way to Bardstown. 

​

Once you get into Bardstown you have the Bardstown-proper distilleries where everything is about 5-10 minutes from each other. Here you have Heaven Hill, Preservation, Bardstown Bourbon Co, Lux Row, Willett, and the Chicken Cock tasting room. So, everything here is pretty convenient with good accommodations and accessibility. 

​

Heading south, you will find the somewhat harder-to-reach distilleries: Maker’s Mark, Log Still Distillery, and Limestone Branch. This southern region is where the new Jefferson’s distillery will be opening, too! This region is out in the country. And pro tip - If you’re driving to Maker’s, put the town of Loretto into your GPS and then finish out the drive from there. 

Bardstown Bourbon Trail Distillery List

Jim Beam, Four Roses (warehouse and bottling), Heaven Hill, Willett, Lux Row, Preservation, Boundary Oak, Chicken Cock (tasting room), Log Still, Limestone Branch, Maker’s Mark, Bardstown Bourbon Co.

Lexington Bourbon Trail Map 

The Lexington region is pretty spread out. We included Bluegrass Distillers Midway in our map, though it is technically part of the Frankfort region. Was it originally part of the Lexington area? Maybe! Maybe not. But it is close. There are some new distilleries in this region as of 2025, like Gerrard county and Bespoken Spirits. 

 

There is about a 1.25 hour distance between the 2 furthest distilleries, so there could be some ground to cover in this region. We don’t often service these far-out distilleries, as our company is based out of Louisville, but they are fairly accessible if you’re staying in Lexington! 

 

In this region, our map starts with Bluegrass distilleries (NW.) Heading into the city, you’ll find a majority of the stops all somewhat clustered together near the distillery commons. Here you’ll find James Pepper, Town Branch, Barrel House, RD1, and more. In the SW and NE reaches, you will find Hartfield & Co and Wilderness Trail, two great distilleries that can be worth the trip. 

 

Please note, we do not service all of these distilleries on a standard tour day, but we can in some circumstances. Just ask! 

Lexington Bourbon Trail Distillery List

Wilderness Trail Distillery, Town Branch Distillery, RD1, Barrel House, Bespoken Spirits, James E Pepper, Barrel House, Fresh Bourbon, Hartfield and Co, Gerrard County

Not Covered In This Article 
Northern KY & Western KY. Sorry! We will get to you some day

Bourbon Tour FAQs & Additional Info

Book a Bourbon Trail Tour with Us! 

We hope that we made planning your trip to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail easier. If you'd prefer us to do the work, we would love to be your guides! Simply pick your distilleries, and we do the rest.

bottom of page