Who this day is for
This is the no-countryside bourbon day. Every stop sits within about a mile along Main Street in downtown Louisville, so guests walk the short legs and the chauffeur covers the rest: the start, the longer hop to the east end, the ride to dinner, and the trip back to the hotel. It suits conventioneers with one open evening, visitors on a short stay, and anyone who wants bourbon without highway time. It is the only plan on our site where walking is part of the day.
The day at a glance
Walking distances are straight-line estimates along Main Street at an easy pace. Check each distillery for what it offers on your date and its last tour time.
- Pickup. Your downtown hotel. Ride: about 5 minutes to West Main.
- Stop 1: Michter's Fort Nelson Distillery. Early-afternoon tour. Walk: about 0.2 miles.
- Stop 2: Evan Williams Bourbon Experience. Tasting or tour. Or the west-end option, Kentucky Peerless, about 0.2 miles from Michter's. Walk: about 0.4 miles.
- Stop 3: Old Forester Distilling Co.. A shorter tasting where offered. Ride, or walk about 0.5 miles.
- Stop 4: Angel's Envy. Late-afternoon tour or tasting, then Rabbit Hole about 0.3 miles away if time allows.
- Dinner and hotel. Ride to the restaurant you choose, then back to the hotel. Total driving: under 30 minutes.
Why west to east
Going west to east ends the afternoon near NuLu and the KFC Yum! Center, where the dinner and event options are. It also means the one stretch worth riding, from Old Forester to Angel's Envy, comes late in the day when feet are tired.
Reserve at most two tours, for example Michter's and Angel's Envy, and fill the gaps with a shorter tasting where the distillery offers one. Most distillery visits end in the late afternoon or early evening, so the evening part of this plan is dinner and the ride home, not late tours.
Stop-by-stop notes
Michter's Fort Nelson Distillery
Across the street from the Louisville Slugger Museum & Bat Factory, according to Michter's. The Bar at Fort Nelson is named on its site with its own reservation link.
Evan Williams Bourbon Experience or Kentucky Peerless
The Evan Williams Bourbon Experience at 528 West Main is Heaven Hill's downtown visitor site. Kentucky Peerless Distilling, at 120 North 10th Street, is the west-end alternative. Check each one's website for tours and tastings on your date.
Old Forester Distilling Co.
Old Forester's distillery at 119 West Main Street is a short walk east. Its site lists tours; if your group already has two tours reserved, look for a shorter tasting option instead.
Angel's Envy and Rabbit Hole
Angel's Envy is at 500 East Main, near the arena. Rabbit Hole is about 0.3 miles away in NuLu, and its tours are intimate, so larger groups may need two tour times.
Two ways to use the chauffeur
As-directed: the chauffeur stays nearby all afternoon, picks the group up at any stop if it rains or feet get tired, and keeps bottle purchases in the vehicle. Point-to-point: a drop at the first stop and a pickup at dinner or the last stop. The two are quoted separately; tell us which you want.
Swaps and variants
Game or concert night: finish at Angel's Envy and ride to the arena instead of dinner. Our sports page covers game-day pickups. Fly-in afternoon: land at SDF, check in, and start here; our fly-in first bourbon day shows the full arrival plan. Convention group: a shuttle can carry the whole group between the convention hotel, the first stop and dinner.
Pickup notes
Downtown hotels are about 5 minutes from the first stop. SDF is about 20 minutes away. Southern Indiana is about 10 minutes across the river. Private flyers can be met at Bowman Field.
Tips for this day
Wear comfortable shoes and bring a light layer for the walks between stops. Keep purchases in the vehicle rather than carrying them. Eat before the first tour or plan an early dinner; food at The Bar at Fort Nelson has not been confirmed, so do not count on it for a meal.
A rainy-day version
Louisville weather changes quickly, and this plan is built to bend. On a wet afternoon, your chauffeur can carry the group between every stop instead of just the long hop, and the walking legs become rides of a few minutes each. The order stays the same, west to east, so no tour times have to move. The same goes for summer heat or winter cold, when even a short walk along Main Street is less appealing than the ride.
If anyone in the group is not drinking, the day still works: the Louisville Slugger Museum & Bat Factory across from Michter's and the shops around NuLu near Rabbit Hole give non-tasters somewhere to spend a tour.
What to send us
Send the two tour times, any tasting you plan to add, the dinner or event venue, each hotel, and whether you want as-directed or point-to-point service. For a large group, tell us whether everyone walks together or splits up, since that changes where and when your chauffeur meets you.
Reserve your tours directly
Reserve each tour and tasting directly on the distillery's website, then send us the times. Your chauffeur builds the day around them and handles every drive in between.
Choosing a vehicle
A chauffeured SUV fits a couple or a small group. A larger group that wants one vehicle for the evening rides a shuttle, which is its own service. See our fleet page for vehicle sizes. Every chauffeur is background-checked and trained; our safety standards are on the safety page.
Keep planning
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you walk between distilleries on Whiskey Row?
Yes. Most downtown stops are a few minutes apart on foot along Main Street. A chauffeur is handy for the longer hops, the weather and the ride home.
How many downtown distilleries can we visit in one afternoon?
Plan two reserved tours plus one shorter tasting, and check each distillery's last tour time.
Do we need a driver if everything is downtown?
Not for the walking legs, but a chauffeur means nobody drives after tastings, and your purchases stay in the vehicle.
Can the evening end at dinner or a game?
Yes. Tell us the restaurant or venue and we will plan the last ride.