The Louisville Bourbon Travel Hitlist

By Richard Thomas

As I type this, America is headed into lock down so as to arrest the spread of coronavirus, and my half of my social media shows pictures of the pours of whisk(e)y being trotted out as people adopt social distancing. For my part, I’m keeping in mind that the Chinese faced a substantially worse outbreak, managed to bring it under control after just several weeks, and are now resuming normal life. So, I prefer to think about late spring and summer.

With that in mind, I’m assuming that the warm weather will bring the expected march of tourists to ply Kentucky Bourbon Trail, Buffalo Trace, Barton 1792 and other whiskey destinations in the Commonwealth (although it’s a good bet 2020 won’t break any visitor records). If the past is anything to go by, most of those visitors will base themselves in Louisville. Indeed, some bourbon tourists will go to Louisville and not leave town. Others will base themselves in Lexington, Bardstown, Frankfort or Cincinnati, but visit the Derby City at some point.

With so much bourbon tourist traffic in Louisville, a guide to attractions other than distilleries is handy. Tourists are interested in more than tours, after all. Almost all whiskey enthusiasts want to shop for bottles, enjoy a good meal and wind down their day with a nice pour.

Bars

Hint: If you’re buying whiskey by the drink in Kentucky, always check out the private barrel bottlings. It’s always worth the upcharge vis-a-vis the regular expression.

Proof Bar (Whiskey Row): Proof on Main is a bar and restaurant, but I list them here because in my mind it’s as a bar that they stand out. The whisk(e)y selection extends to world whiskies (far from a given in Louisville), while the bourbon menu is several dozen strong with several private barrel bottlings, and the cocktail program ranks highly among those in the know. Moreover, the bar is attached to the 21c art hotel, so get a drink and go have a look at the collection.

High Horse (Butchertown): It might not live up to its self-billing as the “roughest and toughest place in town,” and the whiskey selection is merely average by Louisville standards. However, High Horse is arguably the best dive in town, and no list of bars or proper bar-hop would be complete without a dive entry. High Horse is that entry. Get’yer arse over there.

Silver Dollar (The Highlands): The Silver Dollar is another place that, like Proof, is a bar and restaurant; as to why I favor the bar angle, put the cursor on the link and check their URL. They have a strong cocktail program, and whiskey takes up 11 of the 18 pages on their drinks menu, with plenty of private barrel bottlings in the mix.

Trouble Bar (Germantown/Shelby Park): Slightly removed from The Highlands and in a part of town where the bar patrons are going to be 95% locals and 4% other Kentucks (like me) is Trouble Bar, so go here if you are looking to get as far away from tourists as you can. At the same time, the owners have assembled a truly impressive selection of well-thought-out, themed whiskey flights, making Trouble Bar a very problem-free environment for trying new things or sharing. It’s worth the Lyft ride for sure.

Restaurants

Note: This being a guide for whiskey-lovers, these eateries are chosen with more than a sideward glance cast at their bars. I wouldn’t go to any of them for the exclusive purpose of drinking or drinks and snacks, but all of them will be able to furnish you with something proper for before, during and after a fine meal.

Lilly’s Bistro (The Highlands): Louisville has grown into one of America’s top foodie towns, and it’s in a mostly rural, farm-driven state. Keep that thought in your head as I tell you that Lilly’s Bistro is the locovore institution of The Highlands, which for most of my life was the only part of the city worthy of being called a “cool neighborhood.” The menu changes every 2 to 3 weeks, its that devoted to staying fresh and local.

Doc Crow’s Southern Smokehouse & Raw Bar (Whiskey Row): Speaking of institutions, this one is already such a fixture on Whiskey Row that a substantial slice of readers will already know it. Bourbon goes hand in glove with good barbecue, so it’s really a no brainer, but whiskey also goes well with oysters and they keep a solid seasonal menu of them. Add to that the dedicated bourbon room and you’ve got all your bases covered (see what I did there?).

8Up Elevated Drinkery & Kitchen (Downtown): Rooftop bars and restaurants have their appeal for excellent reasons, so take in a good meal, drinks and views at 8Up. This is the kind of chic, modernist establishment that erects clear, heated domes on their balcony (“iglous”) so their guests can continue to enjoy the best views they have to offer.

Harvest (NuLu): One of the key joints in the establishment of NuLu’s reputation as a place drink and dine, Harvest serves up Southern fare with a locovore ethos. I’ve spent many an evening there after working some event in Louisville, dining at the bar with a before dinner whiskey cocktail and a craft brew over the food (no after dinner drink; I usually have an hour’s drive home).

Butchertown Grocery (Butchertown): In fact, if I’m not at Harvest, odds are pretty good because events wound down at Copper & Kings (which makes brandy, so I’m glad to work in the mention however I can), which means eats at this restaurant instead. The food is excellent, the bar has private barrel bottlings, and they just opened a bar upstairs (which I can’t actually endorse, not having visited yet, so maybe you can beat me to it and comment).

Distillery Bars

Hint: Some of the best bars in town are now found inside the urban distilleries. While one shouldn’t patronize them to the exclusion of the bars listed above, I recommend transitioning from touring to bar-hopping by making one of these distilleries your last tour of the day.

The Bar at Fort Nelson (Michter’s): Michter’s acquired the Fort Nelson building years before any other whiskey company announced plans to set up shop on whiskey row, and then invested a fortune in restoring a gorgeous old dame of a building that was on the verge of collapsing. That commitment shows in every exposed brick, recovered faux joist and steel rivet, making this just one of the best all around places in town to sit down and relax with a drink. Adding to the latter are the skilled bartenders and the classic menu crafted by David Wondrich.

George’s Bar (Old Forester): I point to Old Forester as the most complete distillery tour one can get in Kentucky, because it’s the only one that includes coopering as part of the show. That alone is reason enough to stop in at the bar afterward, but the atmosphere and cocktail program stand as reasons to stop by in and of themselves.

Stores

Hint: Of course, you want to shop for fine and rare bottles. Sadly, being the hub of American whiskey tourism means Kentucky has been picked clean, and continues to be picked clean. Even the Kentucky-only bourbons are disappearing. However, one thing state retailers stand out in is ease of access to the distilleries, which means they can more readily invest in building up private barrel bottlings. So, if you’re going shopping for bourbon in the Bluegrass, pay attention to those and not chimeras like Pappy Van Winkle.

That in mind, these three stores are your best bets for bottle hunting:

Taste Fine Wine and Bourbon (NuLu)

Old Town Wine & Spirits (The Highlands)

Westport Whiskey & Wine (East End)