Expanded Kentucky Bourbon Trail to feature both age-old distilleries and relative newcomers
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Kentucky Bourbon Trail is maturing, and so are the fine whiskeys it showcases.
A new-look Bourbon Trail unveiled Thursday will lead visitors to distilleries large and small, connecting relative newcomers and century-old brands in a collective strategy to build on the popularity of bourbon tourism.
It started 25 years ago with seven participating distilleries welcoming visitors. Now the tour will showcase 46 distilleries, giving visitors more options to plan trips to enjoy the sights and smells of bourbon making in the Bluegrass State.
Since its founding in 1999 by the Kentucky Distillers’ Association, the spirits tour has drawn more than 18 million visitors from all 50 states and dozens of countries, the KDA said.
“The Kentucky Bourbon Trail is now a bucket-list global tourism destination,” Distillers Association President Eric Gregory said as industry leaders gathered for the announcement.
As the original trail grew, it traversed the heart of Kentucky bourbon country, spotlighting powerhouse brands like Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Wild Turkey, Woodford Reserve, Evan Williams, Four Roses, Old Forester, Michter’s and Bulleit.
In 2012, a separate Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour was launched to spotlight the growing number of smaller distilleries seeking their share of the ultra-competitive spirits market.
Now those tours are consolidating. The new tourism and marketing strategy was unveiled in Louisville – the gateway to Bourbon tourism. They also announced a new logo and digital marketing campaign to help tourists plan bourbon trips to the state.
Spirit companies have invested huge sums in new or expanded visitor centers to capitalize on the growing appeal of getting a behind-the-scenes look at how bourbon is made.
For small distilleries, participating in the Kentucky Bourbon Trail was compared to reaching the big leagues.
Kim Bard, co-founder of The Bard Distillery in western Kentucky, said it will immediately change perceptions about smaller producers who were part of the craft tour.
“People would come in, a lot of times they see us as less than because we’re on the craft trail and not on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail,” she said in an interview. “They see that as a very distinctive line.
“Now that the KDA has put us all on the same track, I think this kind of thinking will stop and we will be seen as just another distillery, which is great for us,” she added.
Brent Goodin, owner of Boundary Oak Distillery in central Kentucky, predicted the move to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail will boost tourism at his and other smaller distilleries. Producers see tourism as an essential part of brand promotion.
“Anything we can do to make the tourist realize that everything is Kentucky Bourbon and we’re all producing the same thing — maybe not as much as the next guy, but we’re all kind of in it together,” he said in an interview.
Any big bourbon announcement in Kentucky typically draws a bevy of the state’s political leaders. On Thursday, industry leaders were joined by Democratic Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman and Republican U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, who co-chairs the Congressional Bourbon Caucus.
The global appeal of Bourbon tourism creates more business opportunities for producers, Barr said.
“There are so many opportunities in the export market for Kentucky Bourbon,” Barr said.
Coleman led the crowd in toasting the past and future of the bourbon industry while recognizing Kentucky’s status as the “undisputed home of bourbon.”
Bourbon tourism has shaken off any pandemic-era hangover, as both venerable bourbon producers and industry newcomers benefit from a new wave of visitors. Last year, attendance surpassed 2.5 million visitors along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour.
General, Kentucky’s bourbon industry injects $9 billion according to a recent study that flows into the state’s economy every year, creating more jobs and attracting more tourists than ever before. More rounds of growth are expected as Kentucky producers make billions of dollars in capital investments. Kentucky distillers produced a record 2.7 million barrels of bourbon in 2022, according to the report, which was commissioned by the distillers association.
According to the association, producers had a record inventory of 12.6 million bourbon barrels maturing in warehouses at the beginning of 2023. These vast inventories are a gamble on the future, as most bourbons are typically aged four to eight years before reaching their markets. Bourbon gets its flavor and golden brown color during aging.
Kentucky distillers produce 95% of the world’s bourbon supply, the KDA says.