Mint Julep Experiences - Louisville — Local services in Louisville

My step-daughter booked us a Bourbon tour to celebrate my husband and his twin brothers 50th birthday. They are bourbon fanatics and neither have yet had a Bourbon trail experience. She booked with Mint Julep Tours our of of the Omni Hotel in downtown Louisville. The tour starts at 8:10 am. and you visit three Distilleries with a lunch at a golf club. We visited a few more as a bonus as we were running ahead of schedule.

We went to Barton 1792, Willet, Heaven Hill, Lux Row, and Bardstown. Each distillery is its own experience, but by far my favorite was at Heaven Hill with our host Whiskey Jean! She was charismatic, super knowledgeable, passionate about her craft, and offered an amazing experience with bourbons that most don’t sample often. My least favorite was Bardstown as it was very sterile, and felt more as if you were in a science class than a Bourbon tour.

Derrick was our tour guide and he was great. Very friendly and offered a relaxing, fun experience. The bus ride had about 20 patrons, and it was a great mixed, diverse group. The tour runs about $200 per person. We stopped at the “country club” for lunch, and we were offered three selections for our food choices. The food was sub par, and the “country club” was a public golf course with people in and out booking their games and eating in the club house. For the $200 per person, it would have been amazing to eat at the Bardstown Distilleries restaurant, which was our last stop.

Heaven Hill was an amazing stop, the grounds were incredible, the building decor and gift shop were untouchable! Again, Whiskey Jean was the best part.

Bardstown is also a whole different experience as it’s more of a Swedish/Norway vibe with the decor and style. They by far had the most up to date and state of the art distillery. It was something you haven’t seen yet with a distillery.

Overall a great experience and excursion. I will say, it’s a lot of walking, and a super long day. The tastings were all wonderful at each location, and again, each offered their own source of background and education on...

Highly recommended. A top-notch experience from start to finish. Mint Julep Tours was recommended to us by Caesars Southern Indiana group sales (thanks, Taylor!) to craft a Bourbon Trail experience for six guys celebrating a 70th birthday. I called Mint Julep and talked to Abby (picked right up; no voice mail), After a quick conversation to ascertain our needs, Abby immediately followed up and emailed over great, detailed information on their services. Combined with their robust website, I was able to build the initial framework for our custom tour. A couple of phone calls and email exchanges with Abby ensued and we were able to lock down the final details and agreement. I received the complete itinerary a few days later from Abby.

FWIW, we settled on an eight seat Executive van picking us up and dropping us off at our hotel, tours at Bardstown Bourbon, Willett and Maker's Mark, along with lunch at the Bar at Willett.

A couple of days prior to the tour, I received a text from our tour guide/driver Bret W. that outlined the timing and some housekeeping details. On the day of the tour, Bret was waiting for us at the departure time in a very clean, comfortable van. We had a bit of a drive to our first stop, but Bret provided us with a lot of information, fun facts and just good conversation. His background in the liquor industry helped all of us connect the dots. From a timing perspective, everything could not have worked out better. It was quite the busy day, but it never felt rushed, nor did it feel like we had to kill a lot of time. (In fact, Bret helped fill a 30 minute gap by adding an extra stop at Heaven Hill for their experience and gift shop.) 11 hours later, Bret dropped us back at the hotel safe and sound with a newly found appreciation for the art of bourbon making.

Again, great expertise, knowledge and execution by the Mint Julep team. Highly recommended by me and our group...

Review: A Bourbon Trail Ride with Tom the Whiskey Whisperer

Our journey with Tom started like any good Kentucky adventure should—rendezvousing in a hotel lobby full of promise and just the right amount of bourbon-induced optimism. From there, things escalated quickly (in the best possible way).

First stop: a fantastic lunch where the food was only rivaled by the stories Tom was already spinning. Then it was off to Jefferson’s Reserve—a charming small-batch distillery where the bourbon ran smoother than Tom’s one-liners. He navigated the place like he built it himself, sharing tasting notes and history with the ease of a seasoned pro.

But the day wasn’t done. We made our way to a quirky little distillery serving spiked slushy drinks. Were they free? No. Were they worth every penny? Absolutely. Tom made sure no one left without a smile—or a buzz.

Finally, the grand finale: Buffalo Trace. The big leagues. Tom led us in like it was his hometown watering hole. The spirits were top-shelf, and the vibes were even higher. We ended the day rolling back into Louisville, bellies full, spirits lifted (literally and figuratively), and hearts a little more bourbon-warmed.

Tom doesn’t just guide a tour—he curates an experience. If you're ever lucky enough to tag along with him, buckle up. It's more than whiskey. It's storytelling, camaraderie, and Kentucky charm in...