• Come Find Bourbon is a cooperative marketing partnership between three independent Convention & Visitor Bureaus: meetNKY, Visit Frankfort, and Visit Bardstown.
  • Come Find Bourbon offers easy access to 24 distilleries that range from large to small, historic to new, household names to emerging brands.
  • Kentucky’s authentic bourbon road trip is an easy drive with short distances between stops, so visitors can spend more time doing fun things than in the car driving toward them. The total distance from Covington to Frankfort to Bardstown is 132 miles. It takes approximately 1.5 hours to drive from Covington to Frankfort and 1 hour from Frankfort to Bardstown. Within each city, bourbon-related destinations are often minutes away from one another.
  • The drive route is flexible: start at either end, stay in each city as long as desired, choose specific destinations of most interest. Multiple itineraries are suggested on ComeFindBourbon.com, plus the CVBs can help visitors develop customized travel plans.
  • All three cities offer top shelf experiences and together present a rich variety of bourbon venues that run the gamut from rustic to ultra-modern, mom-and-pop to conglomerate, historic to brand new.

Covington / Northern Kentucky

  • Northern Kentucky, the edge of Bourbon Country, is situated along the Ohio River across from Cincinnati, Ohio. The Cincinnati/Covington area comprises the nation’s 28th largest metro area.
  • Northern Kentucky includes the city of Covington as well as Newport, Florence, Erlanger, Hebron, Union, Fort Thomas, and Bellevue.
  • Covington’s MainStrasse Village, which is on the National Historic Register, has German influences that date back to its founding in the mid-1800s.
  • Before there was Las Vegas, there was Newport, Ky. This little river town across from downtown Cincinnati once had a gambling reputation and was a hub for gangsters.
  • Northern Kentucky cuisine is a fusion of Germanic and Southern with a dash of bourbon and craft beer. Regional delicacies include goetta (German breakfast sausage), tomato pie, potato cakes, transparent pie, and Cincinnati chili.
  • Northern Kentucky houses five distilleries: Boone County Distilling Co., Neeley Family Distillery, The Old Pogue Distillery, New Riff Distilling, and Second Sight Spirits.
  • The B-Line, Northern Kentucky’s unique bourbon tour of distilleries, restaurants, and bars, was launched in 2018.
  • The CVG International Airport is serviced by Delta, United, American Airlines, Southwest, Frontier, Allegiant, Apple Air, Air Canada, Sun Country Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Frontier, and Viva Aerobus.
  • Northern Kentucky is growing by leaps and bounds: new restaurants, hotels, and attractions open routinely. Recent additions include Bircus Brewing Company, Rich’s Proper Food & Drink, Alexandria Brewing, Baker’s Table, Flow Koffee + Kombucha, and Spoon: Kitchen & Market, to name just a few.
  • Northern Kentucky is an official trailhead of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

Frankfort

  • Frankfort is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the seat of Franklin County. It is located in the inner Bluegrass region of Central Kentucky near an S-curve in the Kentucky River.
  • Frankfort is home to Buffalo Trace, Castle & Key, Glenn’s Creek Distillery, and Three Boys Farm Distillery. From Frankfort it’s easy to reach Four Roses Distillery, Wild Turkey, Woodford Reserve, and Jeptha Creed.
  • In Frankfort, Jim Beam bottles 100 different brands of alcohol for global distribution.
  • Frankfort’s Rebecca Ruth Candy is the birthplace of the iconic bourbon ball. The sweet delicacy was created by Ruth Hanly Booe in 1938; the candy store opened in 1919.
  • Historic architecture includes two Capitol buildings, Governor’s mansions, the region’s only Frank Lloyd Wright house, and the home of John Brown (Kentucky’s first U.S. Senator). Frankfort also has one of Kentucky’s few remaining original covered bridges, the Switzer Bridge.
  • The popular phrase ‘dog is man’s best friend’ was coined by George Graham Vest, a Frankfort native, lawyer, and U.S. Senator. He uttered the phrase during his closing arguments in a trail seeking damages for killing a dog.
  • On June 25, 2021, the City of Frankfort launched The MIX District. In this Entertainment Destination Center, participating downtown restaurants and bars are allowed to serve open-container alcoholic beverages to-go on Thursday and Fridays from 4:30 to 11 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
  • Based on population, Frankfort is the 5th-smallest state capital in the U.S.

Bardstown

  • Settled in 1780, Bardstown in Kentucky’s 2nd-oldest city. It is the county seat of Nelson County.
  • A total of 11 distillery experiences are located within 16 miles of downtown Bardstown: Bardstown Bourbon Company, Barton 1792, Heaven Hill, Log Still, Lux Row, Old Samuels, Preservation Distillery, and Willett, plus Jim Beam American Stillhouse, Limestone Branch, and Maker’s Mark. Two additional distilleries will be opened by 2022.
  • Bardstown was named “The Most Beautiful Small Town in America” in 2012 by USA Today and Rand McNally.
  • More than 300 buildings in Bardstown are on the National Register of Historic Places, with nearly 200 in the downtown district.
  • The Stephen Foster Story has been entertaining audiences at the J. Dan Talbott Amphitheatre at My Old Kentucky Home State Park in Bardstown since 1959.
  • My Old Kentucky Dinner Train has been hosting bourbon tours since 1988. The Bardstown railroad was originally constructed in 1860; the dining cars were built in the late 1940s after World War II.
  • The Old Talbott Tavern was built in 1779 and is located just off the Courthouse Square in historic downtown Bardstown. It is the oldest restaurant in Kentucky.
  • Bardstown is “The Bourbon Capital of the World” and an official trailhead of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

Distilleries

  • Bardstown Bourbon Company opened in 2014 in Bardstown. Master Distiller Steve Nally has produced over 100 million bottles.
  • Barton 1792 was established in 1879 in Bardstown. It’s the city’s oldest fully-operating distillery. Danny Kahn is master distiller.
  • Boone County Distilling in Independence opened current operations in 2015. It originally operated 1833-1918 in Petersburg.
  • Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort started in 1787. It is the oldest continuously operating distillery in the U.S. and is designated as a National Historic Landmark. With over 1,000 awards for its portfolio of premium whiskies, Buffalo Trace is the most award-winning distillery in the world. Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley was promoted in 2005 to become only the sixth Master Distiller since the Civil War that the distillery has ever had. He’s a four-time nominee by the James Beard Foundation. Distiller Julian P. Van Winkle III of Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery (produced at Buffalo Trace) was named “Outstanding Wine, Beer and Spirits Professional” by the James Beard Foundation in 2011.
  • Castle & Key in Frankfort opened 2018. The distillery was first opened in 1887 by E.H. Taylor and is considered the birthplace of bourbon tourism.
  • Four Roses Distillery in Lawrenceburg begins its origin story in 1884. Brent Elliott was named master distiller in 2015.
  • Glenns Creek Distillery opened in 2014 on the former site of the Old Crow Distillery. It is owned and operated by David Meier.
  • Heaven Hill Distillery in Bardstown was established in 1935. It is family owned and operated. Conor O’Driscoll was named master distiller in 2019.
  • Jeptha Creed in Shelbyville is a family operation using old fashioned methods to craft spirits for modern tastes. Locally grown and sourced ingredients are used to the extent possible.
  • Jim Beam began in 1894 when James Beauregard Beam took over the family distillery from his father, David M. Beam. Jim Beam 'White Label' is the world's top selling bourbon. Jim Beam American Stillhouse is located in Clermont.
  • Limestone Branch in Lebanon was launched in 2010 by Steve and Paul Beam, 7th-generation distillers.
  • Log Still Distillery in Gethsmane opened in 2021, but its roots reach back to 1836.
  • Lux Row Distillers opened its facility in Bardstown in 2018, though Luxco had been operating for more than 40 years.
  • Maker’s Mark in Loretto was launched in 1953. The founders chose to spell whisky without the “e” as an homage to their Scottish heritage. Master Distiller Steve Nally was inducted into the Bourbon Hall of Fame in 2007.
  • Neeley Family Distillery in Sparta is a small family-owned production that opened in 2015, when 10th-generation Roy Neeley and 11th-generation Royce Neeley took the family business legal for the first time.
  • New Riff Distilling in Newport was established in 2014 by Ken Lewis.
  • The Old Pogue Distillery in Maysville started in 1876. It is currently helmed by the 5th and 6th generations of the Pogue family.
  • Old Samuels Distillery in Coxs Creek opened in 2020. It was originally built at the end of Prohibition in 1933.
  • Preservation Distillery in Bardstown opened in 2018. It’s the region’s first 100-percent pot distilled facility.
  • Second Sight Spirits in Ludlow was launched in 2015 by Rick Couch and Carus Waggoner.
  • Three Boys Farm Distillery in Graefenburg began production in 2013 on a 122-acre farm in rural Franklin County.
  • Wild Turkey in Lawrenceburg began in 1940. Jimmy Russell is the world’s longest-tenured active master distiller. In 2015 his son, Eddie Russell, was named a master distiller in his own right after 35 years with Wild Turkey.
  • Willett in Bardstown began three years after Prohibition in 1936 on the family farm. Master Distiller Drew Kulsveen has been recognized multiple times as being among the best in his field, including three nominations by the James Beard Foundation.
  • Woodford Reserve in Versailles started in 1996. Brown-Forman bought the Labrot & Graham distillery in 1941 and produced a variety of whiskeys at the site before launching Woodford Reserve. Chris Morris is Master Distiller. Elizabeth McCall is Assistant Master Distiller, a certified specialist of spirits, the 2nd generation of her family to work in the bourbon industry, and one of the youngest female distillers in the U.S.