Last week, we ventured out to Lux Row Distillery to try out their temporary warehouse and tasting tour they are offering. This particular Lux row Distillery Tour is happening while the production part of the distillery is under construction with a new cooker being installed. And well, just like a lot of things the distillery is known for, this stop was fantastic and left me wanting to come back for a second round asap.
The first thing you’ll notice coming in, is that Lux Row Distillery is a gorgeous campus flanked by rickhouses and a tree-lined driveway. It has a modern feel with a few old-world buildings thrown in the mix. While the main building is pretty modern and large, it does have a cozy sort of feeling, especially on the cold winter day that I visited.
Currently this distillery is home to Lux Row, Extra Brooks, Rebel Bourbon, Blood Oath, Daviess County, and a few others. Personally, I’ve seen all of these brands in various stores and tried a few, but wasn’t 100% sure of how they were different from one another. But, by the end of the tour, I had tried everything and my questions about the brands were answered. It is safe to say, however, with this large of a lineup, there is definitely something for everyone! You have finished bourbons, wheated bourbons, 4 grain, barrel proof… all kinds of stuff!
The distillery tour I went on was a little different, as the distillery is under construction. Instead of your standard production tour, on this tour you sit through a short film, talk with some team members, and visit a rickhouse where you get to sample a few products from the barrel. One cool thing about this experience, is the rickhouse is designed so that you can actually spend some time there sampling whiskey and hearing stories. It’s not a claustrophobic afterthought like at some distilleries.
On this tour, you will hear some history behind the brands, though it’s not hammered on you as much as some distilleries due to the shortened experience. The grounds themselves are quite historic, and the Lux Row owners have been making whiskey for decades, even though their distillery has only been open since the mid-2010s.
One thing I took from the fact that this distillery has only been around less than a decade, is that their operation is rather huge, and I’d imagine they are one of the top 10-15 producers in Kentucky. This kind of growth doesn’t happen that fast unless you’re making some great products.
Since this is a shortened experience, it’s definitely a good time to cram a cocktail or flight in at the bar following your tour. Oh, and the current tour is free, so that can maybe help you justify spending the extra on that 2nd half!
In all, this was a great stop along the bourbon trail and there are some fantastic products in their gift shop. You could spend anywhere from 30 minutes - 2+ hours depending on what experience you’re after. So, it’s pretty safe to say, we’ll be taking some folks out to the Lux Row Distillery Tour this year, and hopefully coming back for the grand reopening!
** 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*
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