Visit the Heart of Central Kentucky Bourbon Country
Looking to spend a few days in Kentucky’s bourbon country, but don’t know where to start? I recommend a visit to Shelby County in central Kentucky. Here you’ll find distilleries, restaurants, lodging, and other attractions that will quench your thirst for top-notch bourbon tourism.
Shelby County is ideally situated halfway between Louisville and Lexington; less than an hour from the many bourbon attractions located in each of Kentucky’s largest two cities. To start smart on your trip, check out the website for the Shelby County Tourism office at https://www.visitshelbyky.com.
Here is a suggested itinerary that will let you spend a couple of memorable days in the heart of the bourbon bluegrass.
The Farm Kitchen Restaurant
Depending on when you arrive in the area, you’ll want to start your Shelby County visit with breakfast or lunch at The Farm Kitchen Restaurant and Meat Market in Shelbyville. The Hamilton family runs the place using meat and other products from their family farms; it’s classic country cookin’ at its best. Biscuits and gravy (from scratch, like everything else on the menu) are a great way to start your day.
If you’re there for lunch (and truly hungry) try the massive “Farm Boss Burger,” which includes a half pound of ground beef and pork. Or try one of the daily lunch specials like meatloaf, chicken and dumplings, or pork chops (and of course, two sides). And leave room for one of the impressive desserts like strawberry shortcake, homemade cheesecake, or banana pudding. But don’t be too late…the desserts sell out most days.
Jeptha Creed Distillery
Your first bourbon stop of the day should be the Jeptha Creed Distillery. This craft distillery is run by the mother-and-daughter team of Master Distiller Joyce Nethery and Co-owner and Marketing Manager Autumn Nethery. The team handcrafts various bourbons, brandies, moonshine, and other flavored spirits. Read my story about a day at Jeptha Creed Distillery here.
At Jeptha Creed, visitors can do everything from tastings to a distillery tour, or even a mixology class. If you have the time, sign up for one of the barrel tastings. You’ll see some of the farm where they grow the unusual red Bloody Butcher Corn that gives their bourbon its special color and flavor. Best of all, you end up in one of the barrel barns (no rickhouses here), where you’ll use a bourbon thief and sample bourbon directly out of the barrel.
In the summertime, you can plan a visit on the weekend for one of the Jammin’ at Jeptha music sessions. In the fall, you don’t want to miss the Jeptha Creed Fall Harvest Festival.
Bulleit Distilling Company Visitor Experience
The next stop on our tour is the Bulleit Distilling Company Visitor Experience, sitting on 300 acres surrounded by farmland. Fans of high-rye bourbon, rye, and American single malt whiskey have made this a must-see stop on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. This state-of-the art facility gives you the chance to see the distilling process in action and experience a number of spirits first-hand. Here at the “modern frontier of whiskey” you can tour the distillery or participate in a wide variety of tastings and cocktail classes.
Highly recommended: The “Anatomy of A Single Barrel” elevated tasting experience, where you’ll “enjoy three different single barrel samples in your private tasting room, exploring the notes of each specific yeast strain, and how they contribute to the overall flavor profile.”
By now, you will have noticed that you’ve driven through a lot of farm fields. In season, many of them will be filled with corn. Bulleit uses corn grown locally in Shelby County, all within 30 miles of the distillery.
Dinner at the Bell House Restaurant
After a tough day of bourbon tasting, you deserve a nice dinner. Again, plenty of great choices abound around Shelby County, but the Bell House Restaurant on Main Street in Shelbyville should be at the top of your list. Originally a house built in 1902, this restaurant has been a hit with the locals for nearly two decades. It’s been described as “an upscale, well-executed American menu with Italian inspiration.”
For your appetizer, I recommend the Pimento Risotto Cakes. Bell House dinner signature items range from prime rib and ribeye steak, to blackberry feta pork and Chilean sea bass. There are Italian favorites like chicken parmesan and traditional meat lasagna. Or, if you’re new to the Bluegrass, try the Classic Kentucky Hot Brown (“smoked sliced turkey, covered in signature mornay sauce, topped with applewood bacon and a tomato slice, then baked to perfection.”)
And, heresy though it might be to some, you can drink something other than bourbon when you come to Kentucky. The Bell House has a complete bar with fine wines, beers, and other spirits, in addition to its large bourbon collection.
(If you’re free for lunch the next day, stop back by The Bell House for a delicious array of soups, salads, and sandwiches. And yes, they serve a lunch portion of the Hot Brown.)
The Bourb-Inn Sip & Stay Getaway
It’s time to find a place to rest your head for the night. There are numerous quality hotels, beautiful bed-and-breakfast locations, and other lodging choices in Shelby County. One of the most unique is The Bourb-Inn Sip and Stay Getaway in Waddy. The Bourb-Inn is a completely modernized but authentic log cabin that is luxuriously appointed. It offers a fully equipped gourmet kitchen, living/dining/game rooms, and king bedrooms that sleep a total of 10 people. Your bourbon tour can start right here, as you explore the artwork, locally crafted furniture, and bourbon memorabilia that you’ll find in every room. (Don’t miss a chance to “sit a spell” on the full-length front porch in a rocking chair made from a Kentucky bourbon barrel.)
You can survey the 32-acres of Kentucky countryside as you sit around the fire pit, just steps from the cabin. The only problem you’ll have is hating to leave your Old Kentucky Home-Away-From-Home the next morning.
The Fork in the Road
But here’s good news: when you do leave, it’s an easy drive to see many more Kentucky bourbon distilleries. When you make it back to I-64, do you turn left to Lawrenceburg and Frankfort or right back to Louisville? Left takes you to Wild Turkey, Four Roses, Whiskey Thief Distilling Co., Buffalo Trace Distillery, J. Mattingly 1845 Distillery, and Castle & Key Distillery. Right leads to Angel’s Envy, Brough Brothers, Buzzard’s Roost Spirits, Copper & Kings, Evan Williams Bourbon Experience, Kentucky Artisan, Kentucky Peerless, Michter’s, Old Forester, Prohibition Craft Spirits, Rabbit Hole, and Stitzel-Weller Experience.
Tough decisions. But that’s why we’re here, to make sure you have all the information you need. We’ll see you soon with more tips to help you plan your next Kentucky bourbon trip.
Plan Now, Bourbon Later
Final thoughts: As with all bourbon experiences in Kentucky, planning is essential. Make sure you have reservations for tours and tastings well in advance of your trip. Just showing up might give you some time in the gift shop and maybe a drink. But you want to make sure you get every drop out of the barrel by making sure you have advance tickets. Friends don’t let friends show up without distillery reservations.
