12 to 14 passengers
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter
Individual seats and a high roof; the best vehicle over distance.
Bardstown · Frankfort · Versailles · Lawrenceburg · Louisville
Bourbon Trail tours, and nobody draws the short straw.
A tasting day across Kentucky means three or four distilleries, an hour or more of country roads between them, and a group that should not be driving by the second stop. This is private Bourbon Trail transportation: we plan the route around your tour reservations and wait at each one.
- One flat rate, gratuity included
- SUVs, Sprinters, mini buses and 56-seat coaches
- Pick-up from Louisville, Lexington or your hotel
Three classic routes
Pick a region, not a list
The Kentucky Bourbon Trail and its Craft Tour count 42 distilleries between them. Spread across a day, three in one region beats five across the state. Drive times below are approximate, in ordinary traffic.
From Louisville
Bardstown and Loretto
South through Clermont to Bardstown, about an hour from downtown Louisville, with Loretto roughly half an hour further on. The densest cluster of big-name distilleries, and a good lunch stop in Bardstown itself.
From Lexington
Versailles, Frankfort and Lawrenceburg
Horse country to the state capital: Versailles is about twenty minutes from Lexington, Frankfort and Lawrenceburg each a short hop beyond. Farms and stone fences between every stop.
Half day
Downtown Louisville
Several distilleries and tasting rooms along Main Street’s Whiskey Row, close enough to walk between. We drop off, wait or return, and take everyone back to the hotel.
Planning the day
Book the tours first, then the car
The Bourbon Trail says the vast majority of its distilleries require or offer reservations, and popular tours fill weeks ahead in spring and autumn. Book your tour times first, send them to us, and we build the pick-up, the drive between stops and the lunch break around them.
Three distilleries is a full and comfortable day; a fourth usually means rushing the tasting at the third. Everyone tasting must be 21 or over and carry ID.
The day, in order
How a Bourbon Trail day runs
Morning pick-up
From your hotel, home or the airport, timed so you reach the first tour ten to fifteen minutes early.
Tours and tastings
Your chauffeur waits at each distillery. Bottles bought along the way ride with you.
Lunch between stops
Bardstown, Frankfort and Versailles all have places to eat between tours; tell us where you have booked.
Back by evening
Everyone dropped where they started, or at dinner if the day carries on.
Private tour or shuttle?
Private Bourbon Trail transportation, on your schedule
Shared shuttles and bus tours follow a set route and a set timetable with other passengers. Private transportation goes to the distilleries you have booked, at your tour times, with only your group on board. You book the distillery tours; we handle every mile between them.
7 to 14 guests
Mercedes Sprinter
Birthdays, bachelor and bachelorette weekends and friends’ trips. A Sprinter keeps everyone together, with easy steps in and out at every stop.
15 to 28 guests
Executive mini bus
Wedding parties, reunions and company outings. The mini bus seats up to 28 in one vehicle, so nobody is split across cars.
29 to 56 guests
Bourbon Trail tour bus
Conventions and large corporate groups. A 46 or 56-seat motor coach with a restroom on board. Tell us the distilleries early, as a few have limited room for full-size coaches.
When it gets busy
September is bourbon month
September is Bourbon Heritage Month, and the Kentucky Bourbon Festival runs in Bardstown on 16–19 September 2027. Tours and vehicles both book early that month, as they do in April and October around the Keeneland meets. If your dates are fixed, ask now.
When not to book us
One distillery, one designated driver
If you are visiting a single distillery and someone in the group is happy not to taste, drive yourselves. We are worth it for a full day, a group, a run of more than an hour from Louisville or Lexington, or when everyone wants to taste.
Questions
Bourbon Trail questions
Do you book the distillery tours for us?
You book the tours; we build the transport around your confirmed times. That way the reservations and any tasting fees stay in your name.
How many distilleries can we visit in a day?
Three is comfortable, with lunch and time to shop. Four is possible in one region if the tours are short and close together.
Which vehicle should we book?
Up to six: an Escalade or Suburban. Seven to fourteen: a Sprinter. Larger groups: a mini bus or motor coach.
Can you combine bourbon with Keeneland or a horse farm?
Yes. A morning distillery and an afternoon at Keeneland works well from Lexington during the spring and fall meets. For farm visits, see horse farm tours. Planning help: how to plan a Bourbon Trail day and a day in Bardstown. Town guides: Bardstown, Frankfort and Versailles.
Is this a shuttle or a private tour?
Private. Only your group rides, the route follows the distilleries you have booked, and the timing is yours. We do not run a shared shuttle with other passengers.
Do you have a tour bus for large groups?
Yes. Our mini bus seats up to 28, and our motor coaches seat 46 or 56 with a restroom on board. For bigger groups, see group and charter coaches.
Does the chauffeur guide the distillery tours?
No. Each distillery runs its own tours and tastings. Your chauffeur drives, waits at every stop and keeps the day on time.
Can you pick us up from the airport?
Yes. We can meet you at Louisville (SDF) or Lexington (LEX) and go to your hotel or straight to the first distillery.
Is gratuity included?
Yes. The flat rate you are quoted includes it, and nothing is added after the day.
Our fleet
Choose the vehicle for your group
Seven vehicle types, all chauffeured and all quoted at one flat rate with gratuity included. Pick one, or leave it to us and we will recommend the right size.
Up to 28 passengers
Executive mini bus
Forward-facing seats for wedding shuttles and corporate groups.
Ready when you are
Send us your tour times.
Tell us the distilleries, the group size and where you are staying, and we will send one flat rate for the day.