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    Old Forester Distilling

    4.6 (123 reviews)
    ModerateDistilleries
    Closed Closed

    Old Forester Distilling Photos

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    Recommended Reviews - Old Forester Distilling

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    Chris C.

    Located conveniently on Whiskey Row along Main Street, Old Forester offers a great tour and tasting. The staff is so nice. They held our packages from other visits at the front desk while we toured. There is a bar and gift shop at the front. Our guide did a nice job talking through the history and brand. There wasn't much going on but we did get to see the onsite cooperage which is unique including the barrel char. The tasting provided a nice mix. Overall, we had a great time at this stop on the bourbon trail.

    Thought the 70's paneling at my mother's made a great background. (1924 not purchased there. Found in Nebraska at a MSRP.)
    Jason J.

    Big fan of Old Forester (except 1920 for some reason) so i had to stop. I cant wait to try the Staff Pick single barrel. The 117s look interesting as well. The staff (could have been a volunteer) were very helpful. Cant wait to go back.

    Aging
    Bob S.

    I've done several distillery tours in Louisville, and many of them share a familiar rhythm: a beautiful facility, a walk-through of the bourbon-making process, and a tasting at the end. What made the Old Forester tour stand out was the storytelling--especially the history. The discussion around Prohibition was particularly interesting, including how certain brands, Old Forester among them, were allowed to continue selling bourbon for medicinal purposes. That historical angle added real context and made the tour feel less scripted and more memorable. Another highlight was learning that Old Forester constructs its own barrels on-site. Watching how they assemble barrels from white oak, char them for flavor and color, and then make them fully watertight was fascinating. It's one thing to hear that barrels matter in bourbon-making--it's another to see the process happening right in front of you. Logan led our tour and did an excellent job keeping things engaging and interactive throughout. He struck a great balance between education and conversation, and never made it feel like a lecture. If you have the chance, he's absolutely worth requesting as your guide. Overall, this tour offered something a little different from the standard distillery experience and was well worth the time--even if you've done several others already.

    Post your tasting :) - 9/5/25 - 24 and 25 Birthday Bourbon, 117 extra old series, and President's Choice
    Brian V.

    The Old Forester distillery location on Whiskey Row in Kentucky. Having been a fan of Old Forester for a very long time, this visit was not unlike a religious pilgrimage for me. Outside of the tours, there's a bar/tasting room and a gift shop. I booked the "Goodness Never Varies Tour" for my visit ($85 as of 9/2025). This came with a tour in a group of about 14 people led by a knowledgeable tour guide (thanks again Trish!). We got to walk through the distillery and see/learn about all the steps of making the bourbon itself and got to see the cooperage where they make the barrels that house the distillate for years to come. Finally - and arguably the most fun part - we sat in a tasting room and sample some of the expressions. Since I was there on 9/5/2025, I was one of the first people in the world that got to try the new 2025 Birthday Bourbon! They change it up from what I've been told, but our tasting flight at the end of the tour was: 117 Series - 1910 Extra Extra Old, 2024 Birthday Bourbon, 2025 Birthday Bourbon, and one of the President's Choice single barrel releases. All were very, very delicious and I was able to buy two bottles of the 117 Series at the end of the tour. The vibe: really beautiful building. It was very chill during the tour and I was excited being surrounded by like-minded bourbon enthusiasts thirsting for knowledge, history, and of course bourbon. If you're a fan of Old Forester or even just a bourbon fan in general. I highly recommend one of tours.

    Lions tail
    Felipe W.

    The lion's tail was a worth it - a bourbon and sour mix that worked so well. The espresso martini was certainly one of a kind - bourbon spice without being heavy in an espresso based drink. If you're ever on main Street, stop by here! The staff are friendly and the vibe is heavily bourbon-themed

    Rafael V.

    My friends and I kicked off our annual Bourbon Trail trip in Kentucky with Old Forester as our first stop. We toured the urban distillery on Whiskey Row and wrapped up the experience with a tasting. I really enjoyed the entire visit--learning about the history and process of this storied distillery was a great way to begin our Bourbon Trail adventure.

    Aubrie H.

    Stopped in to visit the tasting room and were very impressed. It was the day of a bottle release so it was busy but there were high top tables and the bartenders did a great job of getting drinks in a timely fashion. There are multiple flights you can try but our recommendation would be the one that includes the birthday bourbon. We think its the best value for your money.

    Mylene Rose E.

    The experience was fantastic! Our tour guide explained the bourbon-making process very well from start to finish. The tasting was fun, even though I'm not a big fan of bourbon, my boyfriend really enjoyed all four varieties we tried. I just wish we had a little more time in the tasting room to finish our samples. The bourbon chocolate was also a nice touch. Overall, a wonderful experience!

    Matthew W.

    I had a wonderful experience at the distillery in Louisville. Our tour guide was outstanding and he provided a knowledgeable and funny experience. I greatly enjoyed his dad jokes. The most interesting facts learned were of them being the first to commercialize bottle and of the book written by their founder to combat the Temperance movement. The four spirits we tasted were all outstanding and the chocolate covered marshmallows were amazing as well. I have now added Old Forrester to my collection. Also this is the first distillery tour I went on where the barrel making is done in house and the toasting and charring is witnessed. It was very fun.

    Ross T.

    Great tour and great tour guide! Old Forester was unique in that we got the see the cooperage (barrel making) side as well. Such a cool property right on whiskey row. Highly recommend checking it out if staying in downtown and looking for a cool bourbon trail tour to check out without leaving Louisville.

    Kaylie P.

    Fantastic selection of whiskeys with wonderful staff! My husband is much more into sampling whiskey, and he absolutely loved his flight. Their gift shop is great as well. The tasting room is separate and gave it a darker, moody experience. Lots of old pictures up of the distillery and it's history. Standing and sitting space available.

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    5 months ago

    Loved the tasting and a major fan of the bourbon. So many great bottles. Right in downtown. Make sure you have a reservation.

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    9 months ago

    Very cool distillery. You can get pours of birthday bourbon at the bar. Highly recommend doing the tours.

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    11 months ago

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    1 month ago

    Great guide, well-presented history and demonstrations in a convenient and beautiful building on Main St.

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    Ask the Community - Old Forester Distilling

    Do they have a shop where you can buy some of their products?

    Yes

    Do they have a public bar?

    They do.. but currently closed. they are working on getting more staff to open it and do flights and old fashions.

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    Angel's Envy

    Angel's Envy

    4.6
    (797 reviews)
    0.5 mi
    $$
    Takes reservations
    Available by appointment

    The Angel's Envy distillery is pretty much the #1 reason that my top-tier chum who literally went…read moreto the school of hospitality and I decided to go on a trip to Kentucky, and after actually visiting, justified it as well. During an early 2025 trip to Washington, D.C., we went to multiple establishments and, coincidentally or not, encountered this specific bourbon and just loved it. The most notable occurrence was at Jack Rose Dining Saloon, where I had literally the best Old-Fashioned I've ever had, using a special Angel's Envy that hung out in some sherry barrels for a while. Since then, we've both regularly ordered it when given the opportunity, and ultimately decided that the best way to appreciate this fine spirit was to go right to the source. So to the mothership we went. My chum did most of the heavy lifting here and scheduled a bourbon tour with Louisville Food Tours (very strong recommend) that featured Angel's Envy at the first stop. It's hard to really put into words what this building looks like as you walk in and explore, but it's just so...nice. It's classy without being inaccessible, and it just felt like a true cathedral of bourbon. As tasteful as the bourbon it makes. During our initial tour, we were probably in the distillery for a solid half hour plus, getting a quick tour of the still and fermenters before being led into a side room on the second floor to formally taste some bourbon. Paula was our guide, both during this tour and later on, and was just enormously impressive, which I touched upon in my review of the official tour as well. She's no-nonsense and loves her bourbon - who can't relate? We learned how to inspect the bourbon in the glass, to take a test sip to numb the pain receptors and to truly appreciate the subtle notes in the bourbon with the second sip. It was legitimately helpful, useful information that we're both going to utilize going forward. After our three-hour tour ended (go hard or go home), it wasn't even much of a discussion - we came back here for a few hours to soak in more of the atmosphere and drink some more bourbon. At this point, it was probably close to 5ish but the place was still pretty busy; somehow we were able to secure spots at the bar upstairs and made ourselves at home. I wish I could remember the name of our bartender (blame the time that has elapsed, not the bourbon), but he was very good, social without being oppressive and was just present and let us do our thing. After sipping straight bourbon for most of the afternoon, I switched to the Bourbon Renewal, which you'll be shocked to know includes Angel's Envy but is a more summer, fruit-forward cocktail and super refreshing. Was the right call and hit the spot. (We also got waters because that's the responsible thing to do.) We finally went back downstairs to the gift shop, which doesn't feel like the right term - it was more majestic than something you'd walk into after going through, say, a museum for an hour or two. It's enormous and offers numerous bourbons and also some very high quality swag. We reunited with our chum Paula and sampled their limited edition two-grain, which was created due to a fortunate mistake in which the rye wasn't added so it's just the corn and malted barley. You CAN see the difference and taste it; to me at least, it's more caramel-y than their normal single barrel. We each bought a bottle to bring back to the homeland. My chum basically bought half the store, but I remained calm/deliberate and my only other purchase was a MAGNIFICENT black hoodie. I'm not kidding - I love hoodies and have probably owned dozens over the years, and this is literally the best quality one I've had. It has this interesting front pouch pocket design with like a pocket within the pocket for high-priority items like your ID or credit cards, and the hood itself is interesting. It's just really good and I wore it all day the next day as we slowly made our way back to the East Coast. It's been washed and carefully placed in my closet, where it will reign supreme when the weather inevitably turns nippy again. It's not an exaggeration to say we probably spent hundreds of dollars (at least not thousands) directly and indirectly involving Angel's Envy on this trip. Worth it.

    Right downtown and close to many other places. This was great to check out. Learned a lot about the…read morehistory. Our tour guide, Paula, was fabulous. She was attentive, informative and taught us how to get past the initial burn of bourbon. I much enjoyed the bourbon and the chocolate pairings were a nice surprise. We were able to get tickets the night before at a time that worked well for us. The bar area is a nice place to hang out and if you don't do the tour you can still go get some tastings.

    Photos
    The "Cathedral"
    The "Cathedral"
    Tasting room
    Tasting room
    Cocktail class

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    Cocktail class
    Michter's Fort Nelson Distillery

    Michter's Fort Nelson Distillery

    4.3
    (326 reviews)
    0.6 mi
    $$$
    Family-owned & operated
    Wheelchair accessible

    TLDR: The ultimate cocktail lounge experience on the Bourbon Trail. Skip the tour if you're burnt…read moreout and just belly up to the gorgeous top floor bar for world class drinks and free corn nuts. My group of four decided to wrap up our epic Bourbon Trail weekend at Michter's Fort Nelson Distillery right before heading to the airport. Having already hit six other distilleries over the weekend, we were completely "toured out" and opted to bypass the standard distillery tour. Instead, we headed straight upstairs to the bar and it was the best decision. We happened to visit right at the start of Derby week, so the entire building was alive and buzzing. Because of the festivities, they were highlighting their own rendition of the Derby fan favorite Mint Julep. I had to get one, and it did not disappoint. It was well crafted, perfectly balanced, and served in the classic, frost chilled sterling silver cup. Easily one of the best Juleps I've ever had. The bar area itself is beautifully appointed, sitting on one of the top floors of the historic building with a great atmosphere. A massive bonus: they offer patrons free bar snacks. The seasoned corn nuts were an absolute hit at our table, to the point where we had to ask for seconds (and they happily obliged!). Service was fantastic from start to finish. Despite the Derby week crowds, our water glasses were never empty and the cocktails came out incredibly fast. Whether you are doing a full day of tours or just want a world class drink in a stunning setting, Michter's is a phenomenal addition to any Louisville itinerary.

    This was the place i chose to wait in line for before they opened. I've only ever had their…read moreAmerican Whiskey before, and really enjoyed it. (Was hopping for the 10 yr Bourbon but got the 10 yr Rye.) Had always heard good thing about the rye too but a little more than i usually pay for any bottle, but hey . . . . I was there . . . . so i did. The staff were great but if i had one complaint, it's that it was bundled with another bottle. Sure, i understand when a retail place does it but it seemed unnecessary here, even annoying.

    Photos
    Tour the active distillery on the Michter's Fort Nelson Tour.
    Tour the active distillery on the Michter's Fort Nelson Tour.
    Michter's The Bar at Fort Nelson.
    Michter's The Bar at Fort Nelson.
    Michter's Old Fashioned at The Bar at Fort Nelson.

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    Michter's Old Fashioned at The Bar at Fort Nelson.
    Whiskey Thief

    Whiskey Thief

    4.7
    (35 reviews)
    0.6 mi

    Barrels of good times to be had here…read more Everything is barrel strength at Whiskey Thief, so the five sample tasting is quite the gauntlet. I found the high proof points to be draining, and so I can't recommend buying a bottle with my own money. The chocolates are a must pairing. Service, however, is super chill and friendly. The bar is a chill place to hang out afterwards, and the bitter blend for their Old Fashioned is stellar. I also bought a couple bars of soap. Earthy and aromatic!

    What a wild disappointment. I do believe we came on and an off day, based on reviews and…read morerecommendations from friends, but our experience was so wildly unacceptable that I'm not sure it matters if we were an outlier. Our experience started at parking, there were multiple tour busses idling in the lot, and cars were parked rather haphazardly. We were directed to park on the side of the road with such a steep drop off, at one point our Yukon had two wheels off the ground. When checking in to the the $35/person tour (which we booked two weeks ago) I mentioned the parking situation and was told "yeah it's really bad, but we're working on it." I don't own a distillery, but seems an obvious solve is asking the tour buses to park up the road by the gift shop vs taking up space in the lot. We were eager to join our tour and forget about the stressful lot but alas, our tour was an absolute shit show. I stopped counting when I hit to 50 people, our tour guide had a loud speaker, most people in the tour were drunk and talking over him, and for the first time in many many tours, we walked off before we ever got a chance to try anything. There is no reason but greed to not cap a tour, they were making close to 2 grand off a miserable experience for their guests. Again, I do think it was likely an outlier but we will never be back, and I will ensure no one I know ever goes either.

    Photos
    Nice bar area
    Nice bar area
    Whiskey Thief
    Whiskey Thief

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    Rabbit Hole Distillery

    Rabbit Hole Distillery

    4.6
    (197 reviews)
    0.8 mi
    $$

    We enjoy visiting Kentucky and touring the bourbon distilleries. The tours aren't necessarily…read moreunique from one to the next, with regard to the process of bourbon distilling,, however, there are some stand outs we have found over the years. Rabbit Hole is a newer distillery located in downtown Louisville. As with almost all others, their shop is where the check in area is and it's all immaculately clean. The team that works here are knowledgeable and friendly. I have found most of the distilleries have happy employees- that's appreciated. One part of the tour that stood out for us was a special tasting of one of their founder's blends (Adoura) at the end of the tour. When the price tag for that particular one is $900 a bottle, it's a real treat to try it.

    I was very excited to tour this distillery, my husband went here during his bachelor trip almost…read moretwo years ago now and always said it was fun. We showed up around 930am for our 10am tour - they say to get there at 9:45 AM, but we were a little bit early - and they greet you with a welcome cocktail, which was pretty nice, you can choose between an Old Fashioned or a Manhattan. The tour was very informative and you do the tastings throughout, and then we headed up to their rooftop bar to drink a bit more - it was a rainy day but still nice. Overall I liked this distillery and would come back - there is free lot parking too, although only about 20 spots.

    Photos
    Overlook entry
    Overlook entry
    Rabbit Hole Distillery
    Rabbit Hole Distillery

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    Old Forester Distilling - distilleries - Updated June 2026

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