by On June 11th, many bourbon tourists breathed a sigh of relief (in many cases, still through their masks). That was the day Kentucky lifted the final phase of COVID–19 restrictions and protocols for businesses; canceling the mask mandate and allowing venues to return to 100 percent capacity.
But that doesn’t mean that Kentucky’s bourbon distillery visitor centers and experiences are quite back to the way things were before the pandemic. Most are open, but with some variations including reduced (or no) tours, and other changes to their tastings and experiences.
Bourbon tourism in Kentucky is welcoming you with (mostly) open arms – but you need to plan ahead. Reservations are required for virtually all tour and tasting experiences, even at the distilleries that don’t charge for their tours. Plan ahead so you won’t be disappointed.
And come prepared. Bring proof of vaccination, if you have it. And prepare to wear a mask if you don’t.
“Generally speaking, most distilleries are gearing up to pre-pandemic levels of operations, with most trying to get back to the ’normal’ schedule once re-staffing is complete,” said Adam Johnson, Senior Director of Kentucky Bourbon Trail Experiences for the Kentucky Distillers’ Association (KDA).
“Everyone is extremely busy with tours and traffic has been high across our membership. That’s why we strongly recommend booking in advance as walk-in tours are often difficult to accommodate—though most distilleries try to do so.”
As a reminder, not every bourbon distillery is a member of the KDA and part of the official Kentucky Bourbon Trail. But they do have their own visitor centers and experiences.
We contacted a sampling of Kentucky bourbon experiences, large and small, on and off the Trail about their current policies. Here are some questions and answers that we hope will help you plan your next trip to Kentucky bourbon country:
Angel’s Envy (Louisville) www.angelsenvy.com
- Current Status?
While our distillery tours are currently on hold, we have other, more personal experiences available — the Finishing Roundtable has been very popular this year, and we’re hoping to bring back our Bottle–Your–Own experience soon. All of our experiences are intentionally intimate, and now more so to allow room for social distancing. When people are planning a trip to Angel’s Envy, we strongly suggest they plan in advance, make reservations online at www.angelsenvy.com, and follow social media for experience updates.
2. What pandemic protocols (if any) are still in place?
At Angel’s Envy Brand Home in Downtown Louisville, the safety of our guests and employees is our number one priority. With the continued lifting of restrictions, masks are no longer required for fully vaccinated visitors. However, masks are available as needed. When we begin to offer experiences in the production areas, masks and temperature checks will be required for entry.
3. What, if anything, is different now and for the foreseeable future?
We are thrilled to have broken ground on expanding our Downtown Louisville visitor’s center – which is the home of Angel’s Envy. We’ve been fortunate enough to see strong demand for more offerings from our distillery thanks to the support of our loyal fans and the Louisville community.
The $8.2M expansion will double the number of fans we’re able to meet and make it possible for 64,000 more people to experience the Distillery, while still allowing for the intimate, customized experiences that we’re known for.
The expansion will add more than 13,000 square feet to the brand home; specific additions will include:
- An additional bar space, where the Angel’s Envy team will continue to craft cocktails for reservation and event guests;
- Five new tasting rooms, where guests can partake in educational bourbon tastings;
- An event space and full catering kitchen, allowing the distillery to be used for pairing dinners and private gatherings such as conferences and corporate events;
- A designated room for Angel’s Envy’s “Bottle Your Own” experience, which, post–expansion, will offer guests the chance to fill their own bottles of Angel’s Envy’s distillery–exclusive spirits.
The completed expansion is expected to open to the public in Spring 2022. The distillery will remain open to the public throughout the construction process.
4. Visitor numbers year–to–date compared to the same period in 2020 and 2019?
We were at a steady increase before COVID but, obviously, 2020 presented some challenges with capacity allowances. Since we’ve been able to welcome more people back to the distillery, we’ve seen a 24% increase compared to 2019.
Buffalo Trace Distillery (Frankfort) www.buffalotracedistillery.com
- Current status?
- We reopened to tours on July 1, 2020. All of our tours and tastings continue to be offered complimentary to our guests. Registration is required for tours and tastings but not needed to simply visit our Gift Shop.
- Almost all previously offered tours are still open to the public with restrictions except for three: Hard Hat Tour, National Historic Landmark Tour, and the Ghost Tour. Visitors can currently attend the Trace Tour, Expansion Tour, Old Taylor Tour, Bourbon Barrel Tour, Botanical Gardens Tour, and Taste the Trace Tour with a reservation. Guests can register for a tour or tasting experience on our website here: https://www.buffalotracedistillery.com/visit-us.html
- Tour sizes have been reduced to ensure patrons can practice social distancing measures aligned with the CDC and government mandates.
- Tour routes do not include locations where employees are actively working.
- All tour stops are sanitized in between tours.
- Tour tastings practice social distancing, with one household per tasting table. Unvaccinated guests are required to wear a face mask or covering when not actively tasting products.
2. What pandemic protocols (if any) are still in place?
- Every visitor is required to go through a temperature check and standard COVID–19 screening questions before entering the Distillery. Patrons who complete the screening will be provided with a sticker to wear indicating they have properly completed COVID–19 screening
- As of June 11th, 2021, and per the Governor of Kentucky’s orders, vaccinated patrons may not be required to wear a face mask or covering at the Distillery so long as proof of vaccination is shown upon COVID screening.
- Patrons who are not vaccinated are still required to wear a face mask or covering while inside buildings at the Distillery.
- For more information about our current COVID-19 policies, please visit https://www.buffalotracedistillery.com/visit-us/covid-19-what-to-expect.html
3. What, if anything, is different now and for the foreseeable future?
We are continuing to follow CDC, OSHA, and our own guidelines to ensure both the safety of our team members and visitors. See above for current COVID–19 policies. For the safety of our guests and employees and sanitation purposes, our tours are not currently entering locations where employees are actively working, and our Firehouse Sandwich Stop is not open at this time. Fully vaccinated team members and visitors need not wear a face covering after sharing proof of vaccination. We are continuing to check temperatures for all team members and visitors. Non-vaccinated team members and guests are asked that face coverings be worn inside buildings. Registration is required for our tours and tastings in order to manage tour sizes and ensure patrons can practice social distancing.
4. Did anything positive come out of the time you were closed?
Having welcomed nearly 300,000 guests in 2019, we shifted focus when the pandemic struck, utilizing the closure to drive forward with a massive expansion of our Visitor Center and enhance safety and sanitation protocols. Upon reopening to the public in July 2020, we began offering a safe haven bourbon experience for guests and debuted our expanded Visitor Center, which triples the size of the previous space. The expanded Visitor Center conveniently allows for easier social distancing and provides ample space and comfort for guests exploring the Gift Shop or tasting in the new expansive tasting rooms.
In May 2020, we also began hosting live stream segments on social media each week, called Whiskey Wednesday. These episodes have been viewed by millions of people around the world, and feature a variety of topics including more bourbon tastings, behind-the-scenes tours, trivia, history, and special guests. We have continued hosting these live segments every week since.
Buffalo Trace Distillery, which has remained operational as an essential business, also undertook hand sanitizer production at the onset of the pandemic, having now created more than a million gallons on an industrial scale for some of the world’s largest organizations in healthcare, government, military, retail, distribution, airline, pharmacy, and banking industries. This is in addition to our never-ceasing bourbon production, and our ongoing $1.2 billion infrastructure improvement and distillery expansion to increase production for future bourbon demand.
5. Visitor numbers year–to–date compared to the same period in 2020 and 2019?
Buffalo Trace Distillery closed its doors to public visitation in early March 2020 and reopened on July 1, 2020. We are currently seeing strong visitation on par with visitation for the same period in 2019, and even exceeding visitation for some months.
Bulleit Distilling Co. (Shelbyville) and Stitzel–Weller Distillery (Louisville) www.bulleitexperience.com www.stitzelwellerdistillery.com
1. Current status?
We are proud to offer visitor experiences once again at our standard capacity of 36 people. Bulleit Distilling Company’s Visitor Experience hours are Thursdays 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sundays 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. We were also thrilled to bring back outdoor events to Bulleit Distilling Company in 2021. For the summer, we hosted two Bulleit Out Back events and two Frontier Fairs with an incredible music lineup at each event with artists such as Delta Rae. Visit https://www.bulleit.com/visit-us/ for the latest event information.
Stitzel–Weller Distillery’s Visitors Experience hours are select Wednesdays, and Thursdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Sundays from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. Stitzel–Weller is excited to announce it too will be offering outdoor events. Be sure to check out https://www.stitzelwellerdistillery.com/visit-us for up-to-date event information.
2. What pandemic protocols (if any) are still in place?
We’re maintaining high sanitation practices throughout our distilleries – including the tour areas – with routine cleaning and disinfecting throughout the day. Team members and our guests also have easy access to hand sanitizer.
3. What, if anything, is different now and for the foreseeable future?
There are no significant differences. We are continuing to offer a range of tour and tasting experiences for guests at both locations four to five days per week, depending on the location. Most of our tours sell out in advance and we’ve seen an uptick in private group tour requests. We believe demand will continue to trend upward.
4. Did anything positive come out of the time you were closed?
During the closure, we focused on maintaining employee and customer engagement and opened up our experiences slowly and methodically to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our employees and guests.
5. Visitor numbers year–to–date compared to the same period in 2020 and 2019?
2019 was an outstanding year for our visitor’s centers. Combining Stitzel–Weller, Bulleit Distilling Co., and Cascade Hollow, our visitor experience on the TN Whisky Trail, we had nearly 55,000 visitors. Of course, 2020 was a much different year, given that we shut down in March of 2020 and this resulted in the visitor centers welcoming nearly 26,500 visitors.
6. Final thoughts?
As COVID–19 restrictions have lifted, we are excited to be operating at standard capacity for our visitor experiences, welcoming even more visitors each week to take part in tours and tasting experiences. Whether you go to Stitzel–Weller Distillery or Bulleit Distilling Company, visitors are sure to find a safe and relaxing destination to unwind and learn about whisky!
Evans Williams Bourbon Experience (Louisville) and Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience (Bardstown) www.evanwilliams.com www.heavenhilldistillery.com
1. Current status?
The Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience is open Mondays through Thursdays from 11:00 am to 6:00 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. All three tour options currently available throughout each day can be reserved here https://heavenhilldistillery.com/heaven-hill-bourbon-experience.php.
The Evan Williams Bourbon Experience is open Thurs–Sat, 11 am – 5 pm and Sun, 1 pm – 5 pm (Last tour begins one hour prior to close.) All three tour options currently available throughout each day can be reserved here: https://evanwilliams.com/plan-your-trip.
2. What pandemic protocols (if any) are still in place?
We continue to follow the Kentucky Governor’s most recent regulations and the guidance of the public health authorities. Masks are encouraged for those who are not vaccinated.
3. What, if anything, is different now and for the foreseeable future?
We have sanitizer stations available and some plexiglass up in areas to keep both employees and visitors safe.
4. Did anything positive come out of the time you were closed?
The expansion of the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience and development of some current and future tour offerings for both Bourbon Experiences. (Editor’s Note: See the Whiskey Network’s story on the newly expanded Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience here.)
5. Visitor numbers year–to–date compared to the same period in 2020 and 2019?
We are currently experiencing heavier traffic at both visitor centers compared to the pre-pandemic numbers. Visitors and tourists are excited to get back out and experience what Louisville and Bardstown have to offer, as well as learn and taste more bourbon.
6. Final thoughts?
We are excited to be welcoming both newcomers and bourbon fans alike to the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience and Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience. Whether you’re interested in learning more about Evan Williams and his impact on Louisville, or the legacy of the Shapira Family within the bourbon industry and Heaven Hill, there is something everyone will find interest in.
Four Roses Distillery (Lawrenceberg) www.fourrosesbourbon.com
1. Current status?
Four Roses is open at the distillery visitor center in Lawrenceburg and the warehouse and bottling facility visitor center in Cox’s Creek. Both are open for retail and tastings, and tours are available at the distillery in Lawrenceburg. Experiences are currently available by online reservation only and a maximum of 20 guests may participate at this time.
2. What pandemic protocols (if any) are still in place?
Those who have been vaccinated do not need to wear a mask. Masks are recommended for unvaccinated guests. There are additional sanitation procedures in place, and Four Roses is currently still using disposable flight boards to better protect guests. Safety shields are provided for employees at the registers, and masks are available for unvaccinated individuals.
3. What, if anything, is different now and for the foreseeable future?
We’re doing our best to provide guests with the full experience while visiting Four Roses, and we’ve had to take things one step at a time. We began April 15 with limited capacity (10 people) tastings and have worked our way to 20 people per tasting and, on June 16, added tour experiences back to the distillery. At this time, we are unable to accommodate large groups or walk-in traffic. Our warehouse and bottling facility visitor center is currently offering tastings only at this time since our tour route puts people in close proximity while riding in our on-site transportation around the property. We hope to add this experience back for our guests in the near future.
4. Did anything positive come out of the time you were closed?
We began our expansion of the current visitor center and had time to make enhancements to the overall guest experience at the Four Roses Distillery located in Lawrenceburg. The visitor center project is expected to be completed by the end of 2021 and will include a new state–of–the–art bar featuring cocktails and tastings, seated tasting rooms, interactive educational experiences, an updated retail gift shop, outdoor patio space, and more.
5. Visitor numbers year to date compared to the same period in 2020 and 2019?
Visitors were down 88% in 2020 from 2019. We show a strong come–back this year comparatively with fully booked experiences; however, our data just ranges in 2021 from June 16, so we really don’t have enough to get a good comparison yet.
6. Final thoughts?
“We are thrilled to welcome our guests back to Four Roses, and look forward to offering even more memorable experiences as pandemic conditions continue to improve,” said Kellie Wright, Guest Experience Manager at Four Roses. “It’s our top priority that our visitors feel safe and know we’re taking our time and additional steps to ensure their health and the health of our staff. It’s been a long road for us all, and it is our honor to begin to welcome back our visitors to experience small joys, camaraderie, and of course, the Four Roses experience again. Our new visitor center will provide us the opportunity to come back better than ever, with even more moments to share, and we couldn’t be more excited.”
Jeptha Creed Distillery (Shelbyville) www.jepthacreed.com
1. Current Status?
We are currently offering a Barrel Tasting Experience and a free Spirit Tasting. Our Barrel Tasting Experience is every two hours Thursday – Sunday during our hours of operation and is $45/per person. Our Barrel Tasting experience offers the chance to taste our oldest bourbon right from the barrel. Our free Spirit Tasting is offered every hour during our hours of operation and provides the opportunity to learn our story and taste through some of our products. More information can be found here: https://jepthacreed.com/tours-and-tastings/
2. What pandemic protocols (if any) are still in place?
We no longer enforce mask-wearing, but guests are welcome to adhere to any CDC guidelines they wish to.
3. What, if anything, is different now and for the foreseeable future?
We are not currently hosting our distillery tours or live music. We are discussing the possibility of bringing them back, however, no set decisions have been reached. We are discussing the possibility of these returning next year.
4. Did anything positive come out of the time you were closed?
Streamlining our restaurant, bar, and experiences to run more efficiently with a smaller crew has been a great insight for our business. How many of our team members have stepped up to embrace the change has been wonderful: we couldn’t ask for a better team!
5. Visitor numbers year–to–date compared to the same period in 2020 and 2019?
We have not had as much visitor traffic this year from years previous, a large factor in this is not hosting our weekly live music series.
Maker’s Mark Distillery (Loretto) www.makersmark.com
1. Current status?
Our historic Distillery here on Star Hill Farm is open for visitors. We are still running on a slightly reduced capacity. We recommend folks booking their tour online at www.makersmark.com.
2. What pandemic protocols (if any) are still in place?
At this time, masks are not required for vaccinated guests.
3. What, if anything, is different now and for the foreseeable future?
Our Still House will be closed for roughly 5 weeks beginning August 1st due to our annual shutdown for routine maintenance and our bottling line will be inaccessible to visitors until early 2022 due to a construction project.
4. Did anything positive come out of the time you were closed during the pandemic?
Our tour team spent time planting thousands of trees in 2020 and began work creating a large garden here on-site to grow fresh produce for our restaurant, Star Hill Provisions. Since the restaurant was closed much of the year, we donated the food to the Restaurant Workers Relief Program through our partnership with the Lee Initiative.
5. Visitor numbers year–to–date compared to the same period in 2020 and 2019?
Our numbers for 2020, like any visitor attraction, took quite a hit, but we see a strong indication that people are thirsty for travel…and for some bourbon!
6. Final Thoughts?
2020 was a tough year for everyone, and we are so proud that we kept our team safe, intact, and were able to keep making our bourbon the same way we always have.
Old Forester Distillery (Louisville) www.oldforester.com
1. Current status?
Tours are currently open and available and can be scheduled up to 90–days before the scheduled arrival. Tours will typically last between 70–75 minutes and include a tasting of four Old Forester expressions. Tasting–only session availability can be seen/scheduled only on the day of.
2. What pandemic protocols (if any) are still in place?
There are no pandemic protocols currently in place; we have, however, reduced the capacity of our tours.
3. What, if anything, is different now and for the foreseeable future?
Currently, George’s Bar is not open.
4. Did anything positive come out of the time you were closed during the pandemic
Even though we stopped tours for some time our gift shop remained open, and we still had brand fans and visitors who continue coming to visit for specialty releases and products.
5. Visitor numbers year to date compared to the same period in 2020 and 2019?
We don’t have any data we can share at this time.
6. Final thoughts?
We’re excited to welcome fans back to the Old Forester Distillery. There’s nothing better than spending a day with Old Forester and being immersed in our rich history, culture, and flavor profiles of each of our unique expressions. We’re happy to have friends from near and far visit us to learn more and get liquid to their lips.
Woodford Reserve Distillery (Versailles) www.woodfordreserve.com
1. Current status?
We are open for tours and tastings Wednesday — Saturday 9:00 — 5:00, and Sundays 12:00 — 4:30. Tours are limited to 18 people, and guided tastings are limited to 20 people. Tours include a full production experience with a tasting of award-winning whiskies. Guided tastings include a 30–minute experience with our Family of Brands. While we do accept walk-ins, reservations are highly recommended.
2. What pandemic protocols (if any) are still in place?
No protocols are in place.
3. What, if anything, is different now and for the foreseeable future?
Woodford Reserve no longer has food service on-site. However, we do offer a full cocktail bar in the Welcome Center. At this time, we are not offering room/event rentals.
4. Did anything positive come out of the time you were closed during the pandemic?
We viewed this time as a silver lining. We were able to update our tasting rooms, add a new tasting, update glassware and presentation format. The tours were also permanently reduced in size to make a more intimate and personal experience.
5. Visitor numbers year–to–date compared to the same period in 2020 and 2019?
Woodford Reserve saw 154,000 tour guests in 2019. We did not have a full track for 2020 as we were closed from March 2020 to September 2020.
6. Final thoughts?
Woodford Reserve is open and welcoming bourbon lovers from all around the world. We invite guests to view our National Historic Landmark grounds, sample our award-winning whiskies, enjoy a handcrafted cocktail, and shop in our newly-expanded retail area.
