Savor the spirit of Kentucky safely and in comfort. We provide the private chauffeur and the vehicle; you book the distillery tours and tastings you want, and nobody in your group has to drive.
Your Route. Your Rules.
Don't settle for a pre-packaged itinerary. You choose the stops: the James B. Beam Distilling Co., Woodford Reserve, Buffalo Trace, or a small craft distillery. We drive your group between them on your schedule, in a private vehicle with your own chauffeur.
What a chauffeured distillery day looks like
A chauffeured bourbon day splits the work cleanly. You pick the distilleries and reserve your tours and tastings directly with each one, because the popular tours sell out and every distillery runs its own booking. Then you send us the list of stops and your reservation times. We work out a realistic order, the drive legs between stops, and enough slack for lunch and the gift shop, and your chauffeur handles every mile from the first pickup to the last drop-off.
That is the whole service: the vehicle, the driver and the timing. We do not sell tickets, run packaged bus tours or arrange tastings, and we have no partnership with any distillery. What you get instead is a private vehicle that belongs to your group for the day, a background-checked chauffeur who knows the back roads between Clermont, Bardstown, Frankfort and Versailles, and a designated driver nobody has to volunteer for.
Most groups enjoy two or three distilleries in a day. Driving time adds up quickly on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and the distilleries around it, so the order of stops matters more than people expect. The pages below cover each distillery we drive to and five sample days built around real drive times.
Why Book Private Bourbon Trail Transportation?
100% Customizable
Unlike a big tour bus, you aren't locked into someone else's stop list. Stay as long as you like at your favorite distillery.
A Ride Waiting at Rural Stops
Many distilleries sit in rural areas where cell service is spotty and rideshare is hard to find. A private driver is already there when your tour ends.
Private Group Travel
Travel with only your group in a clean, well-kept vehicle instead of sharing a bus with strangers.
Safe Tastings
Enjoy the trail responsibly. Our professional, vetted chauffeurs serve as your designated driver for the entire day.
Distilleries we drive to, by corridor
Each page covers one distillery: how far it is from Louisville hotels, SDF and Southern Indiana, where it fits in a day, and which stops pair well with it. You reserve your tour on the distillery's own website; the page explains the driving.
Louisville and Shively
- Angel's Envy: East Main Street, near the KFC Yum! Center. A late-afternoon tasting before a game, a concert, or dinner in NuLu.
- Michter's Fort Nelson: West end of Whiskey Row, across from the Louisville Slugger Museum. A museum-and-bourbon afternoon without a rental car.
- Rabbit Hole: NuLu, on East Jefferson Street. Intimate tours, so larger parties split across times while one vehicle keeps everyone together.
- Stitzel-Weller: Shively, about 20 minutes from SDF. The closest historic distillery to the airport, and home to Blade and Bow.
Shelbyville on I-64
- Bulleit Distilling Co.: Shelbyville, about 55 minutes east on I-64. The halfway stop that splits a Louisville-to-Frankfort day into shorter legs.
- Jeptha Creed: A family farm distillery in Shelbyville, about 40 minutes out. A relaxed lunch stop for mixed groups.
Clermont and Bardstown
- James B. Beam Distilling Co.: Clermont, about 40 minutes south on I-65. The first countryside stop, with lunch at The Kitchen Table on campus.
- Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience: Bardstown, with Five Brothers Bar & Kitchen on site. The midday lunch anchor for a Bardstown day.
- Willett: Loretto Road, Bardstown. Separate tour and dining reservations, and the Bardstown stop closest to Maker's Mark.
- Bardstown Bourbon Company: Parkway Drive, Bardstown. A tour and lunch under one roof, about 5 minutes from Lux Row.
- Lux Row Distillers: Bardstown, reached through the Clermont exit. The natural second stop after James B. Beam.
Loretto
- Maker's Mark: Loretto, about an hour and a half out. The long-leg half day, with lunch at Star Hill Provisions.
Frankfort, Versailles and Lawrenceburg
- Buffalo Trace: Frankfort, about 70 minutes out and 10 from Capital City Airport. Reserve early; the cafe makes it a lunch stop.
- Castle & Key: McCracken Pike, Frankfort. Gardens, a springhouse and a botanical trail, about 10 minutes from Woodford Reserve.
- Woodford Reserve: Versailles, in horse country. The stop for Lexington-based visitors and LEX fly-ins, about 75 minutes from Louisville.
- Four Roses: Two addresses: the distillery in Lawrenceburg and the warehouse and bottling site in Coxs Creek. We route to the one on your reservation.
- Wild Turkey: Lawrenceburg, on Wild Turkey Hill. The easier second half of a Frankfort or Versailles day, with Four Roses 15 minutes away.
Sample days
Five one-day plans, each with a stop order, approximate drive legs and a total drive time, so you can judge the day before you reserve anything. None of them is a package: you still reserve every tour yourself.
- Bardstown day from Louisville: Clermont, then two Bardstown distilleries 10 minutes apart. About 2 hours 25 minutes of total driving.
- Frankfort and Versailles loop: Buffalo Trace, then the McCracken Pike pair of Castle & Key and Woodford Reserve. About 2 hours 55 minutes of total driving.
- Whiskey Row walk-and-ride: Michter's to Angel's Envy along Main Street, walking the short legs. Under 30 minutes of driving.
- Fly-in first bourbon day from SDF: Land at SDF, taste at Stitzel-Weller about 20 minutes away, check in downtown. About 35 minutes of driving.
- Southern Indiana bourbon day: Pickups in Jeffersonville, Clarksville or New Albany, then Jeptha Creed and Bulleit. About 1 hour 55 minutes of driving.
Approximate drive times from downtown Louisville
Times are approximate, measured from 4th and Main Streets downtown, and assume normal traffic. Add time for weather, construction and event days. From SDF, most countryside stops are about the same or a few minutes shorter; from downtown Jeffersonville, add about five minutes to most of them.
| Distillery | Town | From downtown Louisville (approximate) |
|---|---|---|
| Angel's Envy Distillery | Louisville | About 5 minutes |
| Michter's Fort Nelson Distillery | Louisville | About 5 minutes |
| Rabbit Hole Distillery | Louisville | About 5 minutes |
| Stitzel-Weller Distillery | Louisville | About 15 minutes |
| Bulleit Distilling Co. | Shelbyville | About 55 minutes |
| Jeptha Creed Distillery | Shelbyville | About 40 minutes |
| James B. Beam Distilling Co. | Clermont | About 40 minutes |
| Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience | Bardstown | About an hour |
| Willett Distillery | Bardstown | About an hour |
| Bardstown Bourbon Company | Bardstown | About an hour |
| Lux Row Distillers | Bardstown | About an hour |
| Maker's Mark Distillery | Loretto | About an hour and a half |
| Buffalo Trace Distillery | Frankfort | About 70 minutes |
| Castle & Key Distillery | Frankfort | About 75 minutes |
| Woodford Reserve Distillery | Versailles | About 75 minutes |
| Four Roses Distillery | Lawrenceburg | About 75 minutes |
| Wild Turkey Distillery | Lawrenceburg | About 75 minutes |
Choosing a vehicle
Pick the vehicle by headcount and by how the group wants the day to feel. Every vehicle comes with a chauffeur in a black polo on distillery days, and the fleet page has photos of each one. If you are unsure, tell us the plan and we will recommend a vehicle before you reserve.
Couples & Small Groups
6 passenger luxury SUV
A chauffeured luxury SUV with extra luggage space. Right for anniversaries, birthdays, visiting clients and weekend getaways.
Mid-Size Groups
14 passenger shuttle bus
Our shuttle buses keep a tasting group together on one schedule, with secure bottle storage for the day.
Large Groups & Corporate Outings
30 passenger party bus or several shuttles
Hosting clients or a team outing? Our party bus or a pair of shuttles keeps a large group together from the first stop to the last.
Stretch Limousine
For an occasion
A stretch limousine suits a couple or a small celebration that wants the arrival at each distillery to feel like part of the day.
Executive Van
One private group
An executive van is a separate service for one private group that wants a single, low-key vehicle for the day.
Where we pick up
Bourbon lovers come to Kentucky from all over the country, and most of them start in Louisville. We pick up at downtown, Whiskey Row and East End hotels and at private homes across Greater Louisville. Flying commercial into Louisville Muhammad Ali International (SDF)? Your chauffeur tracks the flight and adjusts the pickup if it runs late.
Private flyers can be met at the field: Atlantic Aviation at SDF and Bowman Field for Louisville, Samuels Field for Bardstown, Capital City Airport for Frankfort, and Signature Aviation at Blue Grass Airport for Lexington, Versailles and Lawrenceburg. We also pick up at Lexington hotels and across Southern Indiana in Jeffersonville, Clarksville and New Albany, so the day can start wherever you are staying.
What to send for a quote
The fastest quotes come with the whole plan in one message. Reserve your tours first if you can, then send us:
- Date and headcount. The day of the trip and how many people are riding.
- Pickup and drop-off. Hotel, home or airport, and whether anyone needs a different drop-off at the end of the day.
- Your stops and tour times. Each distillery and the reservation time you booked, or the ones you are considering.
- Flight details. Airline and flight number for SDF arrivals, or the FBO and tail number for private flights.
- Vehicle and extras. The vehicle you have in mind, and whether you would like concierge stocking of drinks and snacks.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the best transportation for the Bourbon Trail?
A private chauffeur, so nobody in your group has to be the designated driver. Rideshare can be hard to find at rural distilleries, especially for the ride back. We pick up anywhere in Greater Louisville and Southern Indiana. You book your distillery reservations and send us the stops, and your chauffeur plans the route and timing between them. Luxury SUVs, executive vans, shuttles, limousines and the party bus all work for a distillery day.
Can I choose which distilleries to visit?
Yes. You pick the distilleries and book your own tours and tastings with them, from major producers like Maker's Mark to smaller craft distilleries. We do not run pre-packaged bus tours. We drive your group between the stops you chose, on your schedule.
How long does it take to drive between distilleries?
It varies a lot. The James B. Beam Distilling Co. in Clermont to Maker's Mark in Loretto is about an hour, and downtown Louisville to the Bardstown distilleries is also about an hour. The Bardstown stops are only about 5 to 15 minutes apart. Our chauffeurs manage the timing so you stay on schedule.
Do you provide tickets to the distilleries?
No. We drive and plan the timing between stops, and you book your own tour and tasting tickets directly with each distillery. Book early, because the popular ones often sell out.
Where do you pick up for Bourbon tours?
We offer door-to-door service from your home, hotel or SDF airport in Louisville, Lexington or Southern Indiana, and from private aviation terminals in the region.
Why hire a private driver instead of rideshare or a group bus?
Rideshare can be scarce in the rural areas where many distilleries are, which makes the ride back uncertain. A group bus runs on its own schedule with other guests. A private chauffeur keeps your group together, lets you set the itinerary, and gets everyone home safely after the tastings.
Do the vehicles have storage for our bourbon purchases?
Yes. Our shuttle buses have secure bottle storage, and our luxury SUVs have extra luggage space, so purchases ride with you for the rest of the day. If you plan to buy a lot, tell us and we'll suggest the right vehicle.
Can you stock drinks and snacks for the day?
Yes. Concierge stocking of drinks and snacks is available on request for an added fee. Ask for it when you reserve, tell us what your group likes, and it will be in the vehicle at pickup.
Do you plan the itinerary?
You choose the distilleries and reserve the tours; we suggest a realistic order and timing between them. Our sample days show how that works for Bardstown, Frankfort and Versailles, Whiskey Row, an SDF arrival day and a Southern Indiana start.
How many distilleries fit in a day?
Two or three. Three works when the stops are close together, like Clermont and Bardstown. Two is better when a leg runs an hour or more, like a day that includes Loretto or Lawrenceburg.
Can you pick up at a private airport?
Yes. We meet private flights at Atlantic Aviation at SDF, Bowman Field, Samuels Field in Bardstown, Capital City Airport in Frankfort, Signature Aviation at Blue Grass Airport and Clark Regional in Sellersburg.
Is Buffalo Trace on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail?
No. Buffalo Trace in Frankfort is an independent distillery and is not a Kentucky Bourbon Trail member. We drive there too, and it pairs well with Castle & Key and Woodford Reserve.
Ready to Experience the Trail?
Send us your stops and tour times, and your chauffeur will handle the driving and the timing between them.
Get a quote or call (502) 835-2838.