What Is the Whiskey Row Tour in Louisville? Everything You Need to Know
The Whiskey Row Walking Tour is a two hour guided bourbon and history walking tour through downtown Louisville’s historic Whiskey Row district that includes guided tastings at three working distilleries, costs $99 per person, and runs Thursday through Sunday from March through October. Led by Drew Shryock, a lifelong Louisvillian with nearly 20 years of professional tour guiding experience, the tour departs from the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Welcome Center inside the Frazier History Museum at 829 West Main Street.
Who I Am and Why I Started This Tour
My name is Drew Shryock, and I built the Whiskey Row Walking Tour because nobody was telling the right story about this neighborhood.
Before I became a full time tour guide nearly 20 years ago, I spent 22 years working at the City of Louisville’s Economic Development Department. A lot of the projects I worked on directly shaped what downtown Louisville looks like today, and Whiskey Row in particular went from being a row of empty storefronts to one of the most active bourbon districts in the country today. I have personal history with most of these buildings, and I know the people behind nearly every business on the row.
Most visitors to Louisville never get that side of Whiskey Row. They walk past beautiful cast iron storefronts and see a row of distillery signs, but they do not know which family built which warehouse, why the cast iron facades date to a specific 50 year boom from 1852 to 1905, or how this single neighborhood once handled more bourbon than anywhere else in America. That is the gap my tour fills.
The Three Tour Formats
I run three different tour formats so the experience changes depending on which day you visit. Each format covers three distillery stops, includes tastings at every stop, and lasts approximately two hours. Here is the lineup.
Morning Tour: Thursday through Saturday, 11 AM
Distilleries: Bardstown Bourbon Company, Buzzard’s Roost, Evan Williams Bourbon Experience.
The Morning Tour opens at Bardstown Bourbon Company’s Louisville Tasting Room, the newest distillery experience on the row and a producer that was named the International Wine and Spirits Competition’s Worldwide Whiskey Producer of the Year in 2023. From there, the tour walks east, stopping at Buzzard’s Roost for a deep dive into how secondary barrel finishing transforms whiskey, and ending at the Evan Williams Bourbon Experience, the first working distillery back on Whiskey Row since before Prohibition.
Afternoon Tour: Thursday through Saturday, 3 PM
Distilleries: Big Bat Bourbon, Buzzard’s Roost, Evan Williams Bourbon Experience.
The Afternoon Tour opens at Big Bat Bourbon. We move east through Buzzard’s Roost and close at Evan Williams. The Afternoon Tour is ideal for guests who want a more relaxed start to their day and prefer ending the tour around dinner time when the row’s restaurants are coming alive.
Sunday Tour: 1 PM
Distilleries: Big Bat Bourbon, Buzzard’s Roost, Evan Williams Bourbon Experience.
The Sunday Tour opens at Big Bat Bourbon, a hands-on bourbon blending experience adjacent to and owned by Louisville Slugger Museum. After you blend your own bottle to take home, the tour continues east through Buzzard’s Roost and finishes at Evan Williams. This is the most participatory of the three formats and a favorite for special occasions and group outings.
What’s Included in the $99 Price
Every tour, regardless of format, includes the following:
Two hours of professional guiding led by me personally
Admission to three working craft distilleries on Whiskey Row
Guided tastings at each distillery stop
Full historical narration of the buildings, architecture, and bourbon industry along West Main Street
Insider context on the bourbon industry from a guide who knows the people behind it
What is not included: meals, drinks beyond the included tastings, and transportation. You will be on foot for the entire tour. The route covers a half mile along historic West Main Street, all on flat sidewalk, and the entire tour is ADA accessible.
Where the Tour Starts and How Long It Takes
Every tour begins at the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Welcome Center, which is inside the Frazier History Museum at 829 West Main Street. The Frazier is the official starting point of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, so the location does double duty for visitors who want to plan a longer Kentucky bourbon trip.
Plan to arrive at least 15 minutes before your scheduled tour time. We start the walk promptly, and once we leave the Frazier we are committed to a moving timeline through three distillery appointments. If you are running late, please call ahead at (855) 769.9255.
Tours last approximately two hours. The walking portion between stops is short, usually ten to fifteen minutes. The bulk of the time is spent inside each distillery for the guided tasting and historical narration. Plan for the tour to absorb the full two hours and possibly a few minutes more. You must be 21 or over to participate in the distillery tastings
Reservations, Cancellations, and Walk Ups
Reservations are highly recommended and can only be made online. Online booking closes one hour before each tour departs. Tours can and do sell out, particularly on Saturdays, during Derby week, and throughout October when the row hits peak season.
Walk ups are welcome if a tour has not sold out that day. All tour sales are final once booked. We are not able to issue refunds after a reservation has been confirmed, including for weather. The tour proceeds rain or shine. Please dress for the forecast and wear comfortable walking shoes and weather appropriate attire.
Who the Whiskey Row Walking Tour Is For
This tour is the right fit for visitors who want a focused, walkable, time efficient way to experience Louisville bourbon culture without committing to a multi day Kentucky Bourbon Trail drive across the state. In particular, the tour works well for:
First time visitors to Louisville who want a fast, expert introduction to the city’s bourbon history
Repeat visitors who have done the standard distillery tours and want context they cannot get from individual brand experiences
Bourbon enthusiasts who want to taste at multiple distilleries in a single afternoon without driving
History buffs interested in 19th century architecture, urban development, or the social history of Prohibition era America
Bachelor and bachelorette parties, anniversaries, birthdays, and group outings where the structure of a guided tour makes the logistics easier
Bourbon trail visitors looking for the right Louisville stop to anchor a longer Kentucky trip
Who this tour is not for: anyone looking for a heavy drinking experience, since the tastings are educational pours rather than full pours, and anyone who wants to visit the rural distilleries outside Louisville like Maker’s Mark or Buffalo Trace, since those are not on the route.
How to Book Your Tour
Book online at the link below. Pick the tour format that matches the distilleries you most want to visit, select your date, and complete your reservation. You will receive a confirmation email with your tour details and arrival instructions.
If you have questions before booking, you can reach me directly at (855) 769.9255 or by emailing whiskeyrowwalkingtour@gmail.com.
About the Author
Drew Shryock | Lead Guide & Owner, Whiskey Row Walking Tour
Drew Shryock is a lifelong Louisvillian and the lead guide of the Whiskey Row Walking Tour, which he leads personally Thursday through Sunday from March through October. After 22 years at the City of Louisville’s Economic Development Department, where he worked on projects that helped revive the downtown corridor, Drew turned full time to professional tour guiding nearly 20 years ago. He has watched Whiskey Row transform from a string of empty storefronts into one of the most active distillery, dining, and hospitality districts in the country, and he knows the people behind nearly every business on the row. His recommendations in this guide reflect nearly 20 years of personal experience escorting tens of thousands of guests through the neighborhood.
Sources
Whiskey Row Walking Tour. Official website. Accessed May 2026. https://www.whiskeyrowwalkingtour.com/
GoToLouisville.com. “Whiskey Row Walking Tour.” https://www.gotolouisville.com/events/whiskey-row-walking-tour2/
Frazier History Museum. “Kentucky Bourbon Trail Welcome Center.” https://www.fraziermuseum.org/
Tripadvisor. “Whiskey Row Walking Tour: Reviews.” https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g39604-d25364193-Reviews-Whiskey_Row_Walking_Tour-Louisville_Kentucky.html