Hope you have time to plan, as this shit books up well in advance.
my suggested roadmap is above, but if you want more specificity, I can charge you to build it. Kidding. Kinda.
start - HH “you do bourbon” followed by drink at bar upstairs
next - Bardstown bar and lunch
finish - Willett guided tour and reservations at Bar Willett for dinner thereafter
all of these take reservations and don’t wait too long to book
Don’t need to be a bourbon snob to enjoy the history and ambience.
id hit Heaven Hill, Willett and Bardstown. Even non bourbon snobs will enjoy it. And they are all really educational.
Oh, and killer bars at each one that offer more than bourbon. Some great craft cocktails.
Horrible pic. Delicious meal. Going into the rotation for sure. Used this recipe:
https://shutterandmint.com/dutch-oven-chicken-thighs/
The key is to add white wine vinegar for added zip. Was not in the recipe.
NM the fact that if you want all that power, you damn well better keep it charged. Without the battery motor, it has less power than the F90. No thanks.
I’m a huge NBC homer, but if you can swing a Nashville stop, it’s worthwhile to hit them up. And Nashville night life and food is next level fun and quality.
To add color:
four roses - skip (nothing worth a shit on tasting menu)
HH - do if only for the allocated bottle (you do bourbon or connoisseur depending on what you are after)
Barton - I would do as it’s a very cool setup and bar is great with lots of options to taste
BT - likely do, as historical and pick which one interests you most all end in same tasting of their mainstream offerings
whiskey thief - kinda cool off the run experience with barrel tasting. If you want unique, this is it
Preservation - skip
willett - do it right before your reservation at bar Willett
Jack Ruby steakhouse - highly recommend this stop in Lexington. And be sure to try their exclusive 16 year Boone county MGP pick if there is any left
You will want to spend a great deal of time (and money) at Bar Willett. Carve out plenty there, make it your last stop (trust me on this) and be sure to book a reservation there. You won’t find anything close to this in KY. Even close.
Most of them truly suck is the answer. And once you’ve done one, youve done enough.
key is to focus on the tastings/experiences. HH will let you select a nice bottle on certain “tours”.
Willett may be worthwhile. BT for the history (and be selective, not all tours there are equal).