3 Top Unique Kentucky Distilleries
Standout producers to visit on your Come Find Bourbon getaway.
Kentucky’s authentic bourbon road trip to Covington, Frankfort, and Bardstown links dozens of bourbon-related fun things to do. Odds are that touring distilleries is on your to-do list. We’re home to over two dozen options, each one well worth a visit. If you can only squeeze three distilleries into your schedule, this trio of unique producers proves that different is fascinating.
Neeley Family Distillery
Neely Family Distillery in Sparta (about halfway between Covington and Frankfort) is a small family-owned production. It opened in 2015 when 10th-generation Roy Neeley and 11th generation Royce Neeley took the family business legal for the first time.
“We’re completely family-owned and -operated,” says Royce. “It’s three generations working together. Our family has been distilling, mostly illegally, longer than the Beam family.” The family-built distillery displays some family artifacts including a still that was used to make moonshine in the 1890s, antique guns, newspaper articles, and a 1955 Bel Air formerly used to haul moonshine.
The distillery, which was featured on an episode of the Discovery Channel’s “Moonshiners,” welcomes visitors on 90-minute tours that include a tasting. “It’s very in-depth and covers the ABCs of bourbon,” says Royce. “We also talk about the illegal side and what it was like for a family from Eastern Kentucky—you don’t get that anywhere else.”
Learn how the Neeleys grow and work their yeast. Dip your fingers into open-topped cypress fermenters to taste the sweet mash. “We’re one of only three distillers in Kentucky making sweet mash,” says Royce. “We use old-school methods. Our bourbon is 100-percent triple pot distilled, and it’s the only one in the state.”
The Neeleys’ focus is on quality not quantity. All products are produced on site and bottled by hand, including the award-winning bourbons. The unique absinthe is made in a refurbished antique still with herbs grown on site. “It’s North America’s most award-winning absinthe, the only one certified platinum, and the only one to win double gold three years in a row,” Royce says.
Glenns Creek Distilling
Glenns Creek Distilling, in Frankfort, opened in 2014 in the former Old Crow Distillery that was restored by owner David Meier.
“Our motto is that we’re a little different but a lot better,” says David. “When you visit us, you sit down with someone who made and operates the equipment and can explain any part of the distilling process. We don’t have a canned spiel, we’re much more interactive in that regard. You can get answers to any questions.”
Tours and tastings are offered, and spontaneity is A-OK. “We have a walk-in opportunity,” says David. “You don’t have to have a scheduled time, you can come for a brief tasting in the gift shop out front that takes about 15 minutes.” That option makes it easy to squeeze a visit here into your itinerary.
But you may want to linger longer. The standard visitor experience is about an hour and includes sampling five different products. A 90-minute tour with the distiller, offered by reservation for up to 12 people during evening hours, dives even deeper into the production process.
Products produced at Glenns Creek include five bourbons; some recipes pay homage to the bourbon produced by Old Crow. “There’s always something in the works,” says David. “We do bourbon and other things such as rum and blue agave spirit.”
Rustic and real, this distillery is fully functional if not glitzy. “The facility was abandoned for 30 years,” says David. “We’re doing the best we can to get ahead of Mother Nature. Some people call it rough around the edges; if you’re looking for a corporate experience or a fancy beautiful landscape, this is the wrong place. If you’re interested in real, down to earth, that’s us. There are just a few of us here and we do the work.”
Preservation Distillery & Farm
Preservation Distillery & Farm in Bardstown sits on 40 acres previously occupied by a tobacco farm. Today, more than 30 bluegrass longhorn cattle roam the land, consuming about a third of the distillery’s spent mash while fertilizing the land. “Maybe in the future we can grow some crops to do our own farm-to-bottle batches,” says Shelby Nash, public relations director.
This distillery is privately owned by a single proprietor, Marci Palatella. “We’re one of the first woman-owned craft distilleries,” Shelby says. Though production began in 2017, Palatella had been working in the industry since 1985, first as an international distributor then partnering with other distilleries to produce her own small batch bourbon brands, including Very Olde St. Nick and Rare Perfection.
The artisan approach includes a 100-percent pot distillation process that’s unique in Nelson County. “In our area, other distilleries may use a pot still, but they start or finish with a column still,” says Shelby. “We produce very slowly; we’re getting out two batches a day. Our production is very small. We only get one to three barrels a batch.”
Preservation ranks as Kentucky’s first sustainably-focused distillery and has a proprietary limestone water source: “We’re one of very few newly crafted distilleries that has a natural acquifer,” says Shelby.
Five different visitor experiences are currently offered, all hosted by a certified bourbon steward. The most unique options include the private “Vintage Barrel Experience” with a crafted cocktail, premium flight of coveted whiskies, and food pairings, plus the private “Ancient Reserve Experience” with a crafted cocktail, vertical tasting in the barrel room, and thieving from select small barrels. Special requests are welcome: “Please contact us,” says Shelby. “We’re friendly and want to be accommodating to everyone and tailor experiences to people’s needs and wants.”
Travel Tip: Book distillery tours and hands-on experiences in advance to be sure you’re able to participate. And plan return trips to visit the dozens of other distilleries!
