Our first tour of 2024 kicked off deep in the offseason with a Kentucky Artisan Distillery bourbon tour, the current home of Jefferson’s Reserve. When you arrive at Kentucky Artisan, you'll notice that the distillery is a smaller operation versus a larger one you typically see from major brands. We LOVE these experiences, as you get to see so many pieces of production coming together under one roof.
At the distillery, we enjoyed an intimate experience, with just a small group of 5 and our guide. Our guide provided a warm, family-like feeling, showing great care for the staff, brand, grounds, and importantly, our group. We went through the story of the distillery founder, the late Steve Thompson, as well as the unique entrepreneurial story of Jefferson’s Reserve founder, Trey Zoeller.
One thing we truly loved about our Kentucky Artisan Distillery Bourbon Tour, is some of the vintage equipment the distillery houses and sometimes uses at their distillery. It’s one of the first times we have seen wooden mash tubs in use in a bourbon operation, and they were quite impressive!
We also love the stories of innovation the distillery and the Jefferson’s Reserve Bourbon Tour offered. Kentucky Artisan Distillery was the first contract distillery in the state, where they motto’d “bottle your dream” and the story of Jefferson’s is one of the more unique one’s you’ll encounter on the bourbon trail.
Our tasting at the end of the tour was great, enjoying 5 samples of quality whiskeys before heading back to the gift shop. What were those whiskeys you ask? Well, we don’t want to give away the entire tour. So you'll have to come see for yourself.
So, if you’re looking for a nice, homely, and unique distillery experience, check out the Jefferson’s Reserve Distillery tour at the Kentucky Artisan Distillery. We had absolutely no complaints about this spot, and our customers always have a great time.
** Please note, Unfiltered Kentucky Tours is not paid to advertise any distillery or experience on our website. We simply enjoy bourbon, and try to visit each distillery every year to see what’s new. We will always ask first, but may join you on your tour if we haven’t been to one in a while, or if one of our drivers hasn’t been. Personally, we nerd out a crazy number of things during these tours. but, we keep these reviews vague, in case you were wondering.. We want you to be able to see these beautiful operations and ask questions for yourself! Cheers*