Tailored Bourbon Trail Adventures for Small Groups

For a hands-on, up close and personal experience of Kentucky’s bourbon history, however, there are private custom bourbon trail tours. More information Unlike typical public tours, these private excursions are created based on your group’s interests, timeline and speed, delivering an personalized adventure for the world-famous Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Whether you travel as a couple, as a family, or as a small group of friends, this customized experience guarantees that your visit to bourbon country is as original as the whiskey you taste.

The Kentucky Bourbon Trail is an interconnected web of more than 40 distilleries across the state, including historic behemoths like Buffalo Trace and Woodford Reserve, along with smaller, craft operations that prioritize experimentation and small-batch production. Each distillery brings with it distinct tale, taste and flavors. These private custom bourbon trail tours provide the freedom to tour to places that fit within your travel philosophy that tour in the tradition way, those doing experimental aging, or even ones that blend tours and pairings with a local meal.

A benefit of a custom tour is to be able to set the pace. Tasting rooms need not be rushed through, nor should there be slavish adherence to schedules. Instead, small groups can leisurely learn about the bourbon-making process, interact with distillers and ask questions. It also makes the journey more varied and enriched by being able to stop at scenic overlooks, local eateries, and other cultural spots to break up the drive.

There are certain conditions that bourbon has to meet technically in order to be called that. It must be produced in the United States, have a mash bill consisting of at least 51% corn and be aged in new, charred oak barrels. And the spirits also must be distilled to a proof of no higher than 160 and entered into the barrel no higher than 125 proof. Guests on private tours can learn to what extent these regulations affect flavor, aroma and color. In small groups, their visits often incorporate more in-depth walkthroughs of distillation and aging, complete with trips to rickhouses where temperature and humidity affect the spirit’s maturity as it ages.

In the heart of these private custom bourbon trail tours, guests also have the opportunity to explore the nuances among mash bills that provide each bourbon with its unique flavor profile. For instance, bourbons with more rye are often spicier, whereas wheat bourbons are renowned for smoothness and sweetness. Guests can taste a range of styles, using those samples to discern flavor notes — tasting notes like vanilla, caramel, toasted oak, even dark fruit — based on where the barrel comes from and the distillery.

Private tours aside from the educational and tasting experience, also offer an enhanced travel experience in that they are more relaxed and exclusive. Smaller parties can have access to personal behind-the-scenes tours or a private tasting session that the general public can’t get. This personal interaction with master distillers and workers gives the adventure a human feel, making the whole experience all the more unforgettable.

It’s also convenient, another advantage. By and large private tours come with a designated driver so that everyone in the group is able to fully enjoy the ride, so to speak. This becomes especially useful when traversing new terrain such as Bardstown, Lexington, and Louisville, where distilleries can be a ways away from one another. A personal driver (and vehicle) provides an easy and hassle free day.

Halfway through is a good time to stress how private custom bourbon trail tours work for special occasions, too. Ideal for special occasions, such as milestone birthdays, anniversaries, or a weekend guys-trip for a bachelor, the personalized tours also have the option to add-on a variety of exclusive options including catered meals, a distillery-exclusive bottle purchase, and some that are a bit less traditional – like blending experiences where guests can create their own bourbon-inspired memento.

And by the end of your private bourbon journey, the education, experience, and personalization taken together, you will have experienced in a more appreciated sense the craftsmanship that goes into every pour. You will go home with not only new favorite bourbons but the experience of a lifetime with your best friends.

Finally, whether you are a connoisseur or just along for the ride, private custom bourbon trail tours provide the perfect opportunity for small groups to explore Kentucky’s bourbon culture at their own pace and in their own time. It adds an extra level of flexibility and depth, as well as a level of education, relaxation, exclusivity and custom-isation that combine to create a unique and unforgettable experience that is unique to you.