Bourbon Chronicles: Bulleit Frontier Whiskey and Wild Turkey Distillery

We visited both bourbon distilleries back in 2011 when mask mandates were still in place and tour sizes were drastically reduced which meant, when we visited Wild Turkey, we only walked the grounds and did not get to experience their tour. But! the good news is we finally go to experience the Wild Turkey tour and tasting in 2024.

Location: both distilleries are located between Kentucky’s major cities of Louisville and Lexington in a nearby a town called Frankfurt (the capital). From Louisville, Bulleit distillery is about 38 minutes (32 miles east). One could make a day of it visiting both locations, if tours are booked in advance. But both have equally delightful properties to visit if you happen to be a walk-in.

Bourbon Tour – Bulleit Frontier Whiskey

The visitor experience is great. I highly recommend a visit to their gift shop. Bulleit has a bar (around the corner from the gift shop) that each tour empties out into. There are also least two large sitting rooms where you can take your cocktail to sip and savor their product. The amenities at this distillery, we feel, make it worth a visit as a walk-in (without a tour).

Our bourbon tour was equally impressive. It’s interesting to be able to see a more updated, digital side of the distilling process. We had an engaging and knowledgeable guide and the tasting experience finished off by including a sensory experience. This being one of the early distilleries we visited as new residents, was where I discovered I prefer rye whiskeys.

Bulleit distillery gift shop is one of the best on the KY bourbon trail

I really enjoyed browsing the items in their gift shop. It was filled with fun and unique items that were high quality. There’s a station where you can personalize a bottle. It was a lot of fun to figure out what we wanted to displayed on our own label. It also makes a great gift or way to commemorate your bourbon trail trip.

I think the one drawback to this distillery is that it doesn’t have a food option. Operating an on-site restaurant is no small feat, but I feel the business would benefit from some type of on-site food option, even a food truck.

Name	Location	Tour Time	Tour name	Cost /person	Address	Food on site
Bulleit	Shellbyville	1 hour	distillery tour & tasting	$22	3464 Benson Pike Shelbyville, KY 40065	None
Wild Turkey	Lawrenceburg		TBD		1417 Versaille Rd Lawrenceburg, KY 40342	None

Bourbon Tour – Wild Turkey

This location is on our list of distilleries to return to and take the tour. At the time, we were able to walk the grounds and peruse the gift shop and read through the walls of the brand’s history.

There is no food options on site so plan accordingly.

Fun fact: I hadn’t realized Matthew McConaughey is the brand’s creative director. I hope to learn more when we get to go on the tour someday.

I documented more our Bulleit tasting experience on my Instagram story “Bulleit+WildT”.

Louisville bourbon trail ice cube rating

Since we were able to return to Wild Turkey and experience their bourbon tour and tasting in December of 2024, we’ve upgraded their ice cube rating to 3.5 out of 5 (crushed ice…). The on-site bar is fabulous but we have yet to experience the food from their limited menu so it sits at 3.5/5. I’m sure when we do get to try the food, we won’t be disappointed.

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The views and opinions expressed here are my own.