A total of 10 micro distilleries now comprise the tourism adventure that was founded in 2012 to complement the KDA’s world-famous Kentucky Bourbon Trail® experience. Nearly 100,000 people visited a participating craft tour distillery in 2014.
Corky Taylor and Eric Gregory at Peerless Distillery
Andrew Buchanan of Hartfield Co. Distillery
Members of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour Include…
- Barrel House in Lexington
- Corsair Artisan, Bowling Green
- Limestone Branch, Lebanon
- MB Roland, Pembroke
- New Riff, Newport
- Old Pogue, Maysville
- Wilderness Trail, Danville
- Willett Distillery, Bardstown
- Hartfield & Co Distillery, Paris
- Peerless Distilling, Louisville
“Craft distilleries are a thriving part of our signature industry and are increasingly vital to the future of our iconic spirit,” KDA President Eric Gregory said. “They are the next generation, and we’re all extremely proud of their growth and success.”
Corky Taylor and his son, Carson, have revived the Kentucky Peerless brand that their ancestor, Henry Kraver of Henderson County, made famous in the 1880s. The new state-of-the-art distillery opened in June and is located at 120 North 10th Street in downtown Louisville.
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“Kentucky Peerless is proud to join the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour, and we look forward to sharing our grain-to-bottle experience with Bourbon enthusiasts from all over the world,” Corky Taylor said. “It’s an honor to be part of such a wonderful organization.”
Kentucky Peerless is producing Bourbon, rye and a new “Lucky” moonshine. Tours are conducted Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Andrew Buchanan and his wife, Larissa, became the first licensed distiller in Bourbon County since 1919 when they opened The Gentleman Distillery last year. They recently changed the name to Hartfield & Co. to reflect their family’s distilling heritage in Green County in the 1800s.
“Joining the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour was one of our original goals when all of this was just a dream,” Buchanan said. “It’s the culmination of a lot of hard work and effort. Being counted among some of the best distillers in the country is a true honor.”
The distillery, located at 718 Main Street in Paris, specializes in whiskies and rums. Tours are available Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Adam Johnson, Director of the KDA’s Kentucky Bourbon Trail® experiences, said, “Adding experiences in both Louisville and Bourbon County adds to the appeal of the craft tour for visitors looking to learn more about the state’s distilling past and innovative future.”
The KDA created the original Kentucky Bourbon Trail® tour in 1999 to give visitors an educational and first-hand experience behind crafting the world’s finest Bourbon. It has shattered attendance records every year, with more than 625,000 visits in 2014 alone.
Its nine featured distilleries include…
- Bulleit, Louisville
- Evan Williams, Louisville
- Four Roses, Lawrenceburg
- Wild Turkey, Lawrenceburg
- Heaven Hill, Bardstown
- Jim Beam, Clermont
- Maker’s Mark, Loretto
- Town Branch, Lexington
- Woodford Reserve, Versailles
You can visit our distillery directory to learn about distilleries all over the country. You can contact us at info (at) distillerytrail (dot) com to be added to our directory.
