A Bourbon Day in Frankfort
Two distilleries, a handful of bourbon bars and a candy shop famous for bourbon balls, all within a short drive of downtown. Book ahead, pick a driver, and pace yourself.
First, the two rules
Book your tours ahead. Popular tour times fill up, and walk-ups are sometimes possible, but don't build your day around one.
Have a designated driver. Both distilleries are outside downtown, and Castle & Key is a drive out McCracken Pike. Settle who is driving before the first tasting, not after it. If nobody wants the job, plan to taste at one stop and finish the day at a downtown bar you can walk between.
Morning: Buffalo Trace
Buffalo Trace Distillery at 113 Great Buffalo Trace sits on the Kentucky River just north of downtown. Its tours and tastings are free, and tours are reserved online. The reservation calendar opens up to eight weeks ahead, and a new week is released every Wednesday at 10 AM Eastern, so if your dates look full, check back on a Wednesday morning. A limited number of walk-up spots are offered each day, and the guided tastings at the gift shop don't need a reservation.
The visitor lot opens at 8 AM Monday through Saturday and 10 AM on Sunday. The distillery says lines can form early and parking is limited, so carpool if you can and arrive ahead of your tour time. Anyone tasting or buying will need a valid ID. The distillery is open 9 AM to 5 PM Monday through Saturday and 11 AM to 5 PM on Sunday, and the John G. Carlisle Cafe on site is an easy lunch stop.
Midday: Castle & Key
Castle & Key Distillery at 4445 McCracken Pike is the restored Old Taylor distillery, with a limestone castle, sunken gardens and the keyhole-shaped springhouse. It makes gin as well as bourbon. It is open Wednesday through Saturday, 10:30 AM to 5 PM, and Sunday, 11 AM to 5 PM, and closed Monday and Tuesday. All of its bars close at 4:30 PM, so don't leave it for the end of the afternoon.
Book a tour or tasting through the distillery's website before you go. Some areas are open to all guests, including the gift shop, the Taylorton Station bar and tasting room, the springhouse and a quarter-mile botanical trail through the grounds.
A sweet stop: Rebecca Ruth
Back in South Frankfort, Rebecca Ruth Candy at 116 E 2nd St has been making chocolates since 1919, and a box of its bourbon balls makes an easy Frankfort gift to take home. The shop is open daily from 10 AM to 6 PM. Tours last about 30 minutes, run Monday through Saturday, and end with a chocolate sample. You can book online at least 12 hours ahead, or show up and join one as a walk-in. If you want to see candy being made, aim for Monday through Thursday, since production isn't scheduled for Friday or Saturday tours.
Late afternoon and evening: downtown bourbon bars
Once the car is parked for the night, downtown Frankfort has several places to keep tasting.
House of Commons: A Bourbon Library at 245 W Main St is built around a big back-bar collection, the place to try a bottle you won't find on a store shelf. It opens at 2 PM daily and stays open until midnight on Friday and Saturday.
The Kentucky Hug Bourbon Bar and Music Emporium at 325 St Clair St pairs bourbon with live music. On the second Thursday of each month it hosts an evening tasting led by a different distillery. It is open from 2 PM Monday through Saturday and closed Sunday.
Bourbon On Main at 103 W Main St, by the river bridge, and The Brown Barrel at 202 W Broadway both serve full lunch and dinner menus alongside their bourbon, so either works when you need a real meal between pours. For a sit-down dinner, Serafini on Broadway pairs Italian and Southern dishes with a deep bourbon list.
A sample schedule
On a Wednesday through Saturday: Buffalo Trace tour in the morning, lunch at the distillery cafe, Castle & Key in the early afternoon, Rebecca Ruth before it closes at 6 PM, then dinner and a nightcap downtown. On a Monday or Tuesday, skip Castle & Key and give Buffalo Trace and Rebecca Ruth more time. On a Sunday, Rebecca Ruth's shop is open but there are no tours.
More distillery and history stops are on our Things to Do page, and restaurants and bars are on Eat & Drink.
Check the events calendar
Distillery events, tasting nights and live music change every week. Look at the events calendar for what's happening while you're in town.