How to Plan Your First Trip to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail
Sightseeing, Louisville, Spirits, Bourbon
Aug 14, 2025
- Share
Navigate Distilleries, Tastings, and Tours Like a Pro—Even on Your First Visit
Each year, millions of travelers come to Kentucky to experience the iconic bourbon trail. While the excitement of experiencing bold pours, breathtaking distilleries, and southern hospitality leads the way, planning a trip to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail can also feel a bit overwhelming—especially if it’s your first time visiting the Bluegrass State. How will you get from the Louisville airport to Bardstown? Is it easy to find Ubers along the trail? How can you figure out how many tours and tastings you actually have time for in one day? These are all valid questions–and the good news is–the Mint Julep Experiences team can help! From helping you read the Kentucky Bourbon Trail map to customizing your route, we make sure every stop fits your timeline and travel style.
Let’s walk through the essential things to know when planning your trip to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.
Let’s Start at the Beginning: What is the Bourbon Trail?
The term “trail” can be somewhat misleading as you won’t be following one single road or find that all distilleries are consolidated to one area. The Kentucky Bourbon Trail is a collection of over 60 distilleries spread throughout the state of Kentucky in towns and cities like Louisville, Bardstown, and Lexington. While each distillery is as unique as a fingerprint and will offer its own tastings, stories, and experiences, there are two primary groups of distilleries to keep in mind. To help you make sense of it all, we’ve included a Kentucky Bourbon Trail map down below—your ultimate tool for planning the perfect route.
The Kentucky Bourbon Trail: This includes some of the biggest names in bourbon, like Maker's Mark, Woodford Reserve, and Jim Beam.
The Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour: These are smaller, often family-owned distilleries with boutique charm and experimental spirits.
Seeing the entire trail in one trip isn’t merely ambitious, it’s nearly impossible (unless y’all plan on staying awhile). That’s why the first step should be identifying what kind of bourbon trail experience you and your crew want to have.
For a full breakdown, insider travel tips, and a must-have Kentucky Bourbon Trail map to guide your route, check out our blog: Kentucky Bourbon Trail® Guide: Know Before You Hit The Bourbon Trail.
Choosing Which Distilleries to Visit
With so many options, how do you choose? To start making a plan, we recommend asking yourself and your group a few questions to narrow it down:
- Do you want to visit iconic distilleries or experience some hidden gems and smaller distilleries that not everyone has heard of?
- Are you more interested in learning about the history or just tasting different bourbons?
- How far are you and your group willing to travel in a day?
- Will you be staying in Louisville, Lexington, or somewhere in between?
While some distilleries are just a few minutes apart, others are more isolated and require long drives that can’t be accessed from the interstate. Understanding the geography is step one for building a bourbon trail itinerary that makes sense.
That’s where the Kentucky Bourbon Trail map comes in handy! Take a look at the map below to get a sense of the distance between various distilleries along the trail. While the map is helpful, the logistics can still be complicated when you start factoring in driving times, navigating unfamiliar roads, distillery tour availability, and restaurant stops. That’s why having a solid transportation plan is key for a great experience along the trail.
Transportation: The Piece Most First-Time Bourbon Trail Visitors Underestimate
One of the biggest challenges bourbon trail visitors face is getting from distillery to distillery. Many of the distilleries are in rural areas, so you won’t be able to get from point A to point B by walking or using public transit. You’ll need to plan for navigating rural highways and backroads as well as factor in an average travel time of 30 to 60 minutes between stops.
This leads to two main challenges:
- Safety: tasting bourbon means you shouldn’t be behind the wheel
- Convenience: Attempting to coordinate routes, reservations, and timing can quickly become stressful and feel nearly impossible
Even with a Kentucky Bourbon Trail map in hand, navigating logistics can be overwhelming. This is exactly why so many new and repeat bourbon trail visitors work with Mint Julep Experiences. When you reach out to us for your free custom quote, we figure out the transportation, tour availability, and complete itinerary for you.
Why Mint Julep Experiences is the Right Way to Do the Bourbon Trail
Your first (and every trip after!) trip to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail should be about enjoying every moment, not stressing over the logistics. That’s why we’re passionate about creating customizable tours that make our experience seamless, safe, and unforgettable.
Here’s how we help:
Custom Bourbon Tours: Based on your preferences and travel dates, we build an itinerary that balances well-known brands like Woodford Reserve and Maker’s Mark with hidden gems and your must-see distilleries.
- Comfortable and Reliable Transportation: Our fleet of luxury vehicles means you can enjoy every tour & tasting without worrying about driving and keeping up with your itinerary. -
- Local Expertise: Our drivers know the routes inside and out. This means no time wasted driving in circles or getting stuck in traffic.
- Insider Access: We go beyond the gift shop. If you’re looking for something unique or celebrating something special, let your Mint Julep Coordinator know and they can brainstorm ideas for you that you wouldn’t be able to book on your own!
The Best Time to Visit the Bourbon Trail
With mild weather and beautiful scenery, there really isn’t a bad time to visit Kentucky. Spring and fall are peak seasons, so we recommend planning and booking early if that’s your ideal trip time. If you visit in the summer, be prepared for more heat and humidity. While winter can be snowy, it’s also quieter and has fewer crowds–which can mean more options and personalized attention when visiting the bourbon trail.
Regardless of when you’re visiting, earlier planning is always better! Many distilleries limit tour sizes and spots can fill up weeks (or even months) in advance.
What to Pack and Wear
Distilleries often involve walking, uneven terrain, and a mix of indoor/outdoor spaces. Here’s what we recommend bringing:
- Comfortable, close toed shoes
- Weather-appropriate layers
- Valid ID (must be 21+ for tastings)
- And don’t forget to leave room in your suitcase because you’ll likely want to bring home a few bottles!
Make it Your Own with Mint Julep Experiences
Just like each unique distillery, no two bourbon lovers are the same. Some want to hit the big names and learn the history. Others are all about experiencing unique flavors and boutique bourbon brands. Whether you’re traveling solo, as a couple, or in a large group celebrating major life milestones, we’ll help you craft a bourbon trail experience that checks every box and ensures that every detail is taken care of.
Ready to Plan Your Trip?
From understanding the Kentucky Bourbon Trail map to choosing distilleries and providing transportation, Mint Julep Experiences is here to make your first trip to the trail as special as you imagined it would be.
Don’t let the bourbon trail transportation and itinerary planning get in the way of enjoying your trip: explore our custom tour options, get in touch with our team, and let’s raise a glass to doing the Bourbon Trail right.
