Bardstown Bourbon Company on Whiskey Row: A Guide for First Time Visitors
Bardstown Bourbon Company is one of the most awarded names in modern American whiskey, and in October 2023 they opened a tasting room right in the middle of Louisville’s Whiskey Row. I open my Morning Walking Tour at this stop every Thursday through Saturday, and it has quickly become one of the conversations my guests come back to me about the most. The space is unlike anything else on the row, and the bourbon backs up the design.
Here is what you need to know before your first visit.
What Makes Bardstown Bourbon Company Different
Most distilleries lean into their history. Bardstown Bourbon Company leans into the future. They opened their flagship distillery in Bardstown, Kentucky in 2016, which makes them one of the youngest major producers in the state, and they came up with a model nobody else was using. They call it the first Napa Valley style destination on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, combining distilling, culinary, and a serious beverage program under one roof.
Then in 2023, the same year they opened the Louisville Tasting Room, the International Wine and Spirits Competition named them Worldwide Whiskey Producer of the Year. Their flagship Origin Series Kentucky Straight Bourbon was named the Worldwide Top Rated Bourbon. For a producer that had only been distilling for seven years at that point, that is a serious statement.
The Building at 730 West Main Street
The Louisville Tasting Room sits at 730 West Main Street, anchoring the west end of the row just past 21c Museum Hotel and one block east of the Frazier History Museum. The Frazier is also where my walking tour begins, which makes Bardstown Bourbon Company the natural opening stop on the Morning Tour route.
The space took nearly a year to build out. The architecture and interior design were handled by Joseph and Joseph, a Louisville firm. The fit and finish reflects that local craftsmanship: warm woods, exposed brick from the original building, and a layout that flows from a full service bar at the front to dedicated tasting rooms further in.
What sets the room apart visually is the technology. Bardstown Bourbon Company brought in two agencies to build a layered augmented reality experience throughout the space. An international agency called 3rockAR designed the 3D installations that greet you when you walk in. A local Louisville agency called HumanX hid additional AR elements throughout the space that tie back to the Bardstown distillery. Even guests who have done a dozen distillery tours tend to stop and look around when they first step inside.
The Three Tasting Experiences
The Louisville Tasting Room offers three core guided experiences. Each one runs about 40 minutes and is led by a whiskey expert. Reservations are encouraged through the Bardstown Bourbon Company website. Here is how I describe them to my guests.
The Origin Experience focuses on Bardstown Bourbon Company’s 100 percent estate distilled flagship lineup. These are bourbons and rye that they made themselves, from grain to glass, with no sourcing involved. If you want to taste what the company is actually producing, this is where to start.
The Collaborative Series Experience showcases their Discovery Series, which is where Bardstown Bourbon Company collaborates with other producers to push the boundaries of barrel finishing. Past releases have included partnerships with Goose Island for a stout barrel finish, Foursquare Rum, Amrut single malt from India, and Cascadia for a Garryana oak finish. These are some of the most discussed bottles in modern American whiskey, and tasting them side by side is genuinely an education.
The Art of Blending Experience walks you through the sensory characteristics of the Discovery Series whiskeys, with a focus on aroma, flavor, and finish. This is the most hands on of the three and the one I recommend for guests who already have some bourbon experience and want to develop their palate further.
The Bar and the Retail Shop
Even outside the structured tasting experiences, the room functions as a full service bar with one of the most curated cocktail menus on the row. The bar program leans into bespoke cocktails alongside thoughtful twists on classics, and the menu evolves seasonally to feature local ingredients. If you want to try something without committing to a 40 minute experience, this is your move. Walk in, grab a seat at the bar, order a flight or a cocktail, and take in the room.
The retail shop carries the full Bardstown Bourbon Company portfolio, including merchandise and a rotating selection of distillery only releases. Some of the most exciting bottles here are Louisville exclusives that you genuinely cannot find anywhere else. Ask whoever is working the shop what they are most excited about that week. Their answers will tell you what is worth taking home.
Hours and Practical Details
The Louisville Tasting Room is open Monday through Saturday from 11 AM to 7 PM and is closed on Sunday. Holiday hours can vary, so check the website before you go. The phone number is (502) 791.6575.
Validated parking is available, which is worth knowing in this part of downtown. The space is wheelchair accessible. All guests participating in tastings or ordering from the bar must be 21 or older with valid ID.
Why Bardstown Bourbon Company Anchors the Morning Walking Tour
When I sat down to design my tour routes, the question for the Morning Tour was where to start. Bardstown Bourbon Company answers it. They are at the western end of the row, which means I can open at their tasting room, then walk my group eastward stop by stop, ending at Evan Williams. The geography flows naturally.
The deeper reason is what the stop does to set the tone for the rest of the tour. Most guests come to Whiskey Row expecting old buildings and old bourbon. Starting at Bardstown Bourbon Company resets that expectation immediately. They see a modern operation, taste a producer that earned the top global award in their category within seven years of opening, and realize that this neighborhood is not just a museum. It is an active, living district where new bourbon history is being made right now. Everything else on the tour lands differently after that opening.
If you want to experience Bardstown Bourbon Company as part of a guided walking tour that ties together every stop on the row, that is what the Morning Walking Tour is built for. Come walk with me.
Book your Whiskey Row Walking Tour. Tours run Thursday through Sunday from March through October. The Morning Walking Tour begins at 11 AM Thursday through Saturday and includes Bardstown Bourbon Company as the opening stop, followed by Buzzard’s Roost and Evan Williams. Reservations are highly recommended and can only be made online. Online booking closes one hour before departure, and we welcome same day guests if a tour is not sold out. Together, let us walk, sip, and learn. Book your spot at bookeo.com/whiskeyrowwalkingtour.
About the Author
Drew Shryock | Lead Guide & Owner, Whiskey Row Walking Tour
Drew Shryock leads guests through Bardstown Bourbon Company’s Louisville Tasting Room every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday morning as the opening stop on the Whiskey Row Walking Tour. A lifelong Louisvillian, Drew spent 22 years at the City of Louisville’s Economic Development Department working on projects that helped reshape the downtown corridor where Bardstown Bourbon Company now operates, and he has personally witnessed the modern bourbon revival reshape Whiskey Row from a historic preservation district into one of the most active distillery neighborhoods in the country. With nearly 20 years as a professional tour guide, he founded the Whiskey Row Walking Tour to share that transformation with visitors firsthand. Tours run Thursday through Sunday from March through October.
Sources
Bardstown Bourbon Company. “Louisville Tasting Room.” Accessed April 2026. https://www.bardstownbourbon.com/louisville-tasting-room/
GoToLouisville.com. “Bourbon City’s Newest Tasting Room Opens On Main Street.” October 25, 2023. https://www.gotolouisville.com/media/news-stories/bourbon-citys-newest-tasting-room-opens-on-main-street/
GoBourbon. “NOW OPEN: Louisville’s Newest Whiskey Experience Bardstown Bourbon Company.” October 25, 2023. https://www.gobourbon.com/now-open-louisvilles-newest-whiskey-experience-bardstown-bourbon-company/
Kentucky Bourbon Trail. “Bardstown Bourbon Co. Tasting Room.” https://kybourbontrail.com/distillery/bardstown-bourbon-co-louisville-tasting-room/
Bourbon Country. “Bardstown Bourbon Company Louisville Tasting Room.” https://www.bourboncountry.com/directory/bardstown-bourbon-company-louisville-tasting-room/