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This was my first time in Louisville. My husband had been here for work, but not for fun! He planned this trip. I'm not really into bourbon, but he is - and it's starting to grow on me. We were going to number of distilleries, but were only going to tour one - and this was it! Nicky was our guide and she as great! She lead us through the whole process and explained everything. She also answered any questions that we had. I'm not sure how many were in our tour group, but she made sure we all had opportunities to see everything and ask anything. It was pretty cool to see the whole process and hear about the history of the brand! I'd definitely recommend this to anyone who wants to know more about the bourbon process and/or Jim Beam!
Hubby had been here before on a different tour, but my first time here. Found Cole to be funny and a good tour guide through the distilling process and through various sections of bourbon making. Although not a bourbon nor rye drinker, I enjoyed it thoroughly and passed my drinks on to my husband. The grounds themselves looked pretty and there are rocking chairs outside to relax, as well as a restaurant in another building that is supposed to be good.
I have been here a couple of times now for their tour and tasting as well as eating in their restaurant. Each time has been a great experience with tasty food, good service and a fun tour. I love their entire property, beautifully decorated with the warm welcoming country vintage feel. A great place tucked in the Kentucky countryside yet right off the freeway.
Jim Beam Honey Bourbon: Jim Beam's history begins before the US became a country as the Boehm family transplanted to the 13 colonies in 1740. Approximately 48 years later, the family moved to the KY region thanks to government incentives to move west and grow corn. At some point they changed their name from Boehm to Beam. Among the travelers was Jacob Beam, who used his father's whiskey recipe to distill corn into a new, sweeter kind of whiskey (bourbon). Jim Beam Honey is a honey liqueur infused with KY straight bourbon whiskey. Beginning with the bottle, I like the addition of honeycombs, but I'm a bit nonplussed as to why the company went from an attractive black label to an unattractive white (in my opinion). Of the honey whiskies I've tried, the aroma of Jim Beam's version is by far the best. It smells like I'm sniffing a bottle of actual honey. Unfortunately, the flavor didn't quite live up to the expectations set by the aroma. While it was sweet, sipping it neat, it had a somewhat artificial/medicinal quality to it. I've heard mixing honey whiskey with lemonade works well, so I also tried that, which proved to be a fiasco. Remember how I said it had a medicinal quality? Just in time for respiratory season, mixing it with lemonade reminded me of "Halls Honey Lemon Cough Drops". Texturally, it did not seem any thicker than normal whiskey even though it's part liqueur. It comes in at 32.5%alc/vol, 65 proof. BEE careful, this one is just okay at best. My Honey Whiskey Rankings: 1. American Honey 2. Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey 3. Jim Beam Honey Bourbon N/A Evan Williams Honey (It's been a decade, so I can't really compare it off memory, although I remember liking it at the time) *Only ones I've tried Doughboy_Food_Reviews
This was my second time on visiting this distillery and they have majorly upgraded both their visitor center and the tour. It was really cool to hear all about their history and how their bourbon was made. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable as well. Really enjoyed this tour and would recommend to others visiting bourbon country
James B. Beam Distilling was a favorite on a recent visit to Kentucky. Great staff that did an outstanding job of welcoming you. Great tour of the distillery with tasting's and neat opportunities throughout. One of most picturesque locations with lots of history and great bourbon. Highly recommend a visit and tour.
I'm glad we were able to swing by this iconic brand. I was really shooting into the dark when I decided what specific tours to go on during the planning phase of our trip and the warehouse tour seemed interesting. Expectations were set as soon as we arrived, this would be a very short tour but the folks that checked us in kept raving about how it was one of their favorite tours. Our entire tour group was four people. It was very intimate and pretty cool to go on an, almost, private tour. Our guide was great and very knowledgable. We hopped on a bus that drove us to one of the warehouses. We walked in, ambling amongst rows and rows of stacked barrels. Our waiter at the restaurant told us afterwards that he's always worried something will collapse while he's in a warehouse and he'll be crushed by seven stories of bourbon barrels. That would certainly be hard to fit on a death certificate. Fortunately, structural integrity held up during the duration of our tour. Most of the tour was sampling, which is the most important part of the tour anyway. We were able to sample...I'm trying to remember the name and "chef's kiss" is coming to me but that's definitely not it. White dog? It's something earlier in the bourbon production process. We also tried a single barrel straight from the barrel and compared it to Jim Beam Black. As I tried to knock back some of the shit, it hit the back of my throat in just a way to spasm and then subsequently went down the wrong tube. I coughed and coughed and for the rest of short tour, tried to get up the bourbon-laced mucous that was building in my bronchial tree. For this reason only, I was grateful the tour was short. Compared to Maker's Mark, this was a foreword. Perhaps the distillery tour and tasting provides that experience and I'm not sure what possessed me to book the warehouse tour. It is possible that the main tour was sold out and if that is the case, I would suggest looking well ahead of time. We also ate at the restaurant. Us fat fucks can't resist eating every opportunity we get. We ordered cocktails which did the trick. We also ordered their brussels sprouts and cheese plate, both very enjoyable. The restaurant has a nice view over the grounds, a very nice space. Service was excellent. Not a bad way to end a tour.
How to drink Bourbon Pour a shot of that brown bourbon. Swirl a bit to let it aerate. Then put your nose deep into the glass and inhale deeply keeping your lips parted .. so that you taste the bourbon before you actually start drinking it. Yes.. if you live in Kentucky visit this bourbon capital of the world Bardstown. And Jim Beam Distillery is well worth a trip to learn how to go through the bourbon making process, from the corn to the fermentation and aging process. And they give you samples on the way, kids are allowed to accompany the tour. Finally you can personalize a bottle right from labeling to sealing it. Kids also get to make a wax fingerprint seal, which was pretty cool. The Kitchen had really good Margherita pizza, Brussels sprouts and amazing fries.
2 years ago
What a disappointment (especially compared to Buffalo Trace hospitality). Not a friendly, welcoming vibe. Small gift shop with not all brands represented. Expensive cocktails. Limited variety of bottles for on-site purchase (strange that all brands/flavors wouldn't be offered). I would have saved myself lots of drive time had I known. We were in and out. read more
The first time I visited Jim Beam was probably 11ish years ago. Bourbon tours were free and Beam hadn't renovated yet. The good ol' days. Anyways, I have been interested in revisiting Jim Beam in Clermont for a while, since the renovation. Also, in the in between time, I have come to actually LIKE bourbon (a very different story from 11 years ago me) and the Beam product Booker's is one of my faves! Unfortunately we didn't plan far enough in advance to book tickets online for a tour. You can book online, but not within 48hours of the day of the tour....so we decided to chance it and drove down on a friday afternoon to hopefully book a tour. Nothing was available within two hours of our arrival....for a traditional distillery tour. BUT it was the first day they were running their new Warehouse Tour and for the same price ($14) we could go on the tour that would be starting in 20 minutes. We got to go on the first public Warehouse Tour with our guide Travis. We took a bus over to one of the older rickhouses and hears a bit about their aging process. And THEN the coolest part of the tour...we got to open a barrel and sample some fresh-from-the-barrel bourbon!! A barrel slated to become Jim Beam Black. Travis was enthusiastic and full of information! And after our tour, we took the bus back to the tasting room. He gave us a run down of all of the products we had the option of trying. They have a set up like serve-yourself wine bars. You get a card pre-loaded with three pours, and the machines, although they show three pour-size options, are all programed to give you precisely the correct size pour. Distillery tours are more popular these days and if you are planning a visit on a weekend or holiday, you may want to plan ahead and make reservations a few days early. You have a lot of bourbon options in Kentucky and near to Louisville. Jim Beam is certainly a good option to try! Make sure to try some Booker's while you are there! read more
What a great 90 minute tour and visit. Too bad we had to rush out of tasting. Great history of family. We got to see them make bourbon and even bottled some for 49 dollars special 14 year old to go with factory label. Nice gift shop very friendly tour guide. Unique bottles thru the years. Book in advance. We were lucky to get in before crowd and only have to wait 2 hours. Plenty to see plus lunch while wating. read more
2 years ago
My first stop (and definitely NOT my last!) on the Bourbon Trail! For most of my adult life I have never really been into strong liquors like bourbon, whiskey, etc. I've recently tried to become more open-minded with trying new things, and surprisingly enough, I am starting to become acquired to them. You will instantly be in awe as soon as you get here. The campus is huge and breathtaking. You'll start your adventure in the large grey building with the company plastered right on the front. I highly recommend booking your tour in advance, as the entire day was already booked by the time that I got there. The tour lasts about an hour long and is filled with interactivity and a lot of cool things to learn. Dani was a fabulous tour guide and had us laughing all the way through, all while telling us every odd and end about Jim Beam's history. Every room we walked into was so exciting...We got to see the first steps of the bourbon being made, the barrels they are put into, how they create the bottles, etc. If you're interested in making your own bottle, you can do this during part of the tour for about $50, and can also get it engraved. My favorite part was the very end...the tasting room! We got to learn about the different flavors and proofs, and were each given a card to try out three samples of whatever Jim Beam we wanted - along with a free souvenir shot glass! All in all...it's a fantastic experience, whether you're from Kentucky or not, it's a great way to experience the Bluegrass State's culture and learn something new. read more
Cold, rainy days are perfect for distillery tours! I did this tour with my husband and grandpa, and we had such a great time. Our tour guide was very friendly and kept things moving swiftly, but not so fast that you couldn't take in the full experience. I didn't know that Jim Beam also distills for brands like Knob Creek and Basil Hayden's, so that was cool to learn. During the tour you also have the opportunity to customize your own bottle of Knob Creek bourbon. I picked up a bottle of their bourbon cream after the tour and it was fantastic! I didn't know they made a bourbon cream, so that was a pleasant surprise. I would gladly do this tour again - it was a great experience! read more
This place is really close to where I live so I drove through it today got out walked around the campus saw statues saw the scenery all the nice signs and the beautiful hills in the distillery and everything it was awesome they are close down currently because of the coronavirus unfortunately and I can't wait to take a tour with my buddy and will go in there and taste test and see on the inside inside anything at the outside it's gonna be awesome read more
3 years ago
Beautiful grounds, great restaurant and very informative and delicious bourbon tasting. Our guide, Marie was excellent and made this a great experience for our group. read more
2 years ago
Great experience at the largest bourbon producer. The grounds are impressive and our guide Joseph was phenomenal. You feel every bit of the heritage when onsite. Although there are many labels under the James Beam family, their attention to detail integrates them all perfectly. The distillery also boasts father and son master distillers, which was a rare treat. Fred and Freddie Noe raise the bar in their respective approaches to bourbon, which do not disappoint. We also experienced a great dining experience onsite at "The Kitchen," which was just as impressive as the bourbon. Definitely make this a stop during your visit. The staff is friendly, service is fast, and the food selection is delicious. Oh, do not forget the cocktails! read more
3 years ago
4 years ago
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4 years ago
To me, by far, the most picturesque and beautiful of all the ones we visited during our Bourbon tour. The grounds are lovely with Fall plants and pumpkins throughout. We didn't do a tasting or tour. But Baker Beam was there and so graciously signed bottles we purchased. We had dinner on property and it was delicious. I had the fried chicken. Our only complaint which we here is a constant one and after being open a year, and lots of complaints, they have yet to address...the sun setting and coming through the window. Two of those at our party had headaches. We were a other party and therefore had to sit in front of the big window which had a magnificent view but horrific sun. I'm fairly certain they have the funds to figure that one out. read more
My wife and I toured Jim Beam a couple weeks ago and really loved our experience! My brother and I were unable to visit the year before, because of renovations, but the year wait to go with my wife was well worth it! We really enjoyed the hands-on experience of being able to bottle our own selection of Knob Creek Single Barrel! read more
2 years ago
It's finally open! After being closed for awhile during COVID Jim Bean is now open. The Stillhouse is located on a great location with beautiful grounds. The store is packed with goodies from liquor to merchandise from their brands. If your a Knob Creek, Basil Hayden or Makers Mark, or the flagship brand: Jim Beam. The restaurant upstairs has opened as well. read more
4 years ago
Cool place to visit, interesting history, good tasting, nice restaurant. We stopped by for a tasting, and were very impressed with the whole of our visit. The visitor center is very nice although a bit crowded given the Ragnar event that started from there. The tasting was well organized and the tasting guide was very good. We got a lot of the history of the family, how the different brands came to be, and how the different pieces of the distilling process lead to different bourbons. After the tasting, we grabbed lunch, which was great, and headed on down the bourbon trail. Very nice place, I recommend visiting and probably touring if you have the time (unfortunately we didn't). They have some good bourbons and a nice setup for tasting them. read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
3 years ago
4 years ago
The tour was really great so shoutout to the tour guide. Super informative, great staff, bus takes you around so walking is pretty light, and of course you get to taste 4 whiskeys at the end. Definitely recommend! read more
3 years ago
I have done this tour twice and it is a great experience for bourbon lovers. Even people who aren't crazy about alcohol will find the tour interesting. The tour includes a walk through the Jim Beam facility and ends in the tasting room where you learn how to try bourbon for taste, not just to slam down alcohol after a rough day. The history of Jim Beam shows a great family business (now in its 7th generation) and there is a huge gift shop for Jim Beam fanatics (drinking glasses, shirts, even backpacks!). At $14/per person, it's a steal for the tour. Don't miss it the next time you're in Kentucky - it's about 30 mins (or less) south from Louisville. read more
4 years ago
Was hoping to do a tour, didn't realize you had to reserve a spot until we got there (our fault). Guy behind the glass was less than enthusiastic about the grounds. Basically said we could play with the interactive wall and if we really wanted to could walk around, and oh yeah they serve drinks and lunch at "The Kitchen" "up there by all the trees". Alrighty, did have a good drink and food at the kitchen (get the garlic Parmesan fries $7 for a large order) over all I guess I was expecting more. Truthfully I just wanted to see the inside of one the barrel houses, but not to be this time. read more
When you think of Kentucky bourbon, you think of Jim Beam. The famous barn is dead center on the distilleries land. You cannot miss it! Located about 30 minutes outside of Louisville. If you drove here from Nashville, it is on the same route heading back. Free parking on site. Tour is $14 and it comes with 4 tastings at the end. The tour lasts about an hour. You go through the entire distilling process during the tour. From grain to bourbon. Tour guide was really fun and informative. Very friendly. The tour ends with bottling, where you can clean and process your own bottle of Knob Creek. Great novelity gift to take home, no price increase for it. You can thumb print the wax seal for a personal touch. It was $50 for the bottle. After the bottling, you go to the tasting room. You get to keep your glass as the end! Tip, you have the check baggage any bottle you buy here when you get to the airport. Had a blast. I recommend this tour for any bourbon whiskey fan! read more
4 years ago
They now go by the name of James B. Beam. It's still a good tour and a popular place to visit for bourbon lovers. During the pandemic when they were closed for some time they renovated the visitors center and changed their restaurant venue. I haven't been to the new restaurant yet but the visitors center is quite impressive. If you are coming here from Louisville it's not far from exit 112 off of I-65 in Bullitt County. It's also close to Bernheim Forest that's a fun place to visit if time allows. Of visiting the Kentucky Bourbon Trail this one is among the top 4 in my opinion. read more
We came here for my husband's birthday and had a great time! Our tour was really informative and our tour guide Teresa was excellent! We tried two different bourbons on the tour, and then you could pick any of their whiskeys as your third. I really liked that. The grounds here are absolutely beautiful, and we happened to go on a really nice day. Our only complaint is the lunch/drink situation. They have one restaurant that we went to, and it was fine. My husband really wanted a drink, and you'd think it would be easy to get one given that we were at Jim Beam. He had to go in the main store, wait in a line for a drink ticket and wait in a separate line for a bar. It took a really long time, and you'd think it would have been easier. Overall, we had a great time here! read more
7 years ago
Jim Beam was the last tour of our day and I'm happy to say each one offered new information on the bourbon making process. Obviously they each have their own unique story to tell that makes them who they are today. Our tour guide was very personable and our group was a friendly bunch which was just the right way to finish off the day. The the tour itself was very interesting and the tasting room was a unique "drink your way" model that was refreshing. I got to make my own bottle of 11 year old single barrel Knob Creek at the end of the visit. That really turned a good tour in a beautiful setting into a terrific experience! Great idea everyone was smiling and laughing about making their own bottle, one guy made his own CASE! read more
2 years ago
8 years ago
Out of all the tours along the trail, this was by far the most commercially run. We visited on 8/18/18, the final tour at 3:45PM. Felt like a theme park. The tour was reasonably priced, but a bit strange they make you board a bus for a 1/8 of a mile walk. I appreciate them catering to others, but I really would have preferred to walk. The tour was just like most of the tours on the trail, walked you through the specific process Jim Beam runs through and gave you their history. It was nice, but our tour guide was lacking some charm. We got to the end of the tour where you do the tasting. She gave the typical run down of each bottle she has lined up on the counter (when shes done you get to have 3x 1oz pours from an automated pouring system). So its helpful to hear her talk about each bottle. Well she skipped about half of them. There were several families with kids so they were restless and she tried to rush it for them. I was not appreciative of that, I really was looking forward to hearing about Basil Hayden and Bookers. I was looking to try them since you don't find them at most places. She brushed them off that they were just for the real bourbon drinker and then began handing out the cards. After the cards were handed out I went back up to her to begin more conversation, I was interested in learning more about Basil Hayden in particular. I explained to her I was looking to try both Bookers and Basil Hayden. So I asked which does she recommend we start with. She responds "You've got-to be kidding me. I explained you begin with the lowest proof...". Honestly,that set me off and I walked away. Extremely rude and she can kiss her tip goodbye. We then got to the machine to stick our card into and it failed for someone in our party. He went back to her, cautiously. He explained how it wasn't working and she started to give him the 3rd degree how she already covered how to work the card and how we had to leave the card in and hold the button. He then explained he did all that and it did not work, so she scurried around him and ran off to the machine as she stuck it in she said "This is how you put the card in" and boom she saw the error. Instead of apologizing for her rude behavior she handed him a new card and went off. We finished our samples and just left. We had plans to buy some product, but decided they don't deserve our money after her behavior. I do not recommend Jim Beam, the staff is rude and they can care less about you. You're a number to them and show no hospitality. Save your $10 and skip the theme park atmosphere they give you. read more
2 years ago
6 years ago
I gave an extra star for what they are doing during COVID. Times are tough and nice to be able to stop on the drive and do a tour and tasting. Grounds are amazing and look forward to when they resume the full tours. Basic tasting is highly recommended -- just wish you could pick more than 1. The small batch tasting was neat but value not there (again will infer many changes due to current times). Fun to get personalized bottle to take home and display (and sip when the time is right). read more
This place is a must visit stop on the bourbon trail. If you've visited a couple of distilleries you know the process is about the same. The difference is in what show you and how they do it. Beam lets you stick your finger in to sample the mash if you want (bitter oatmeal taste), see a barrel of bourbon dumped live and try a little small taste (only place on the trail I think they do this), and you get to wash a bottle out (with bourbon) and see it get filled. You can even buy "your bottle" and get it engraved, sort of like dipping it in the wax at Maker's Mark. The tour does a good job explaining the basics of bourbon distillation but the company doesn't seem to arm their tour guides with as much information as the smaller operations. For example, they didn't know if different bourbons use different grain mixes to get different flavors or if everything starts the same way. Our tour guide was really friendly and was talking to us after the tour when they could talk a bit more. The sampling room is a little odd since you use a card and an automatic dispenser. They do have some interesting choices so plan carefully and don't waste your sample on something you can get at your local bar for cheap. Oh and you get to keep the tasting glass. Be sure and check out the world's smallest distillery in the gift shop on the way out. If you like bourbon this place is a must visit. read more
Wow what a fun tour! We were taken through the entire process...AND got to bottle our own Knob Hill single barrel complete with wax finger print! Tasting was 3 Bourbons then you choice for the 3rd AND you get to keep the shot glass!!! Setting is very pretty with lots of rockers around to relax and enjoy the views. Worth the trip read more
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James B. Beam Distilling - distilleries - Updated June 2026
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