Spring is the perfect time to “hike” the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and stop in the commonwealth’s fine distilleries to reacquaint yourself with the spirits-making process and have a taste or two. After all, you’ll want to hold your own in Derby cocktail conversations when the topic of our state’s native beverage arises. When you’ve sipped for a while, the belly will no doubt begin to grumble for solid food…and you’re in luck!
In addition to distilling nearly 95% of the world’s bourbon, numerous Kentucky distilleries now offer some mighty fine vittles to complement their sipping products. Prepare for your taste buds to be tantalized at cozy cafes and divine delis, barbecue bistros and riverside restaurants. Every eatery offers its own take on the best complement to a cocktail.
Following are but a sampling of the many distilleries with food.
James B. Beam Distilling Co.
Clermont
beamdistilling.com
Strapping his wooden whiskey still to his back, Jacob Beam moved his family west in the 1780s to the foothills of Kentucky. The Beam dynasty began when he sold his first batch straight from the barrel in 1865. In the mid-1960s, Master Distiller Booker Noe — the grandson of Jim Beam — pioneered small-batch bourbon. His son Fred Noe, the current master distiller, has overseen the reimagined campus of James B. Beam Distillery and now works alongside his son Freddie, an eighth-generation master distiller.
Inspired by the original table of the “First Family of Bourbon,” The Kitchen Table restaurant at this distillery serves “food without fuss” that’s locally sourced and as a result, is pure Kentucky.
Executive Chef Brian Landry offers such specialties as bourbon-infused barbecue, smoked brisket, Kentucky burgoo, fried catfish and wild mushroom pizza with crust made with yeast from the distillery. And of course, whiskey-friendly pairings.
Maker’s Mark Distillery
Loretto
makersmark.com
Even non-connoisseurs of bourbon can easily identify bottles that sport the red wax drip atop Maker’s Mark, made famous by the Samuels family. These days, the distillery is also known for its farm-to-table restaurant specializing in locally sourced, sustainably produced Kentucky meals.
Tucked inside the beautifully restored Distiller’s House, Star Hill Provisions offers a seasonal menu carefully curated by Chef Newman Miller to pair with Maker’s Mark’s signature handcrafted cocktails. Ingredients are grown and sourced on the Star Hill farmland that surrounds the distillery and every dish is “served with a side of Southern hospitality.”
Raised a mere 10 miles from the distillery, Newman led kitchens in Louisville, Chicago and Scotland before heading home to eventually assume the reins of the culinary program at Maker’s Mark. Since then, he has also hosted dining experiences, partnered with celebrity chefs, and even cooked at the prestigious James Beard House. Chef Miller is the real deal.
You’ll agree once you taste creations like house-fried chips with beer cheese dip, Golden Reserve two-cheese meatloaf sandwich on toasted ciabatta, and a Whisky Creek salad blending roasted butternut squash, sunflower seeds, walnuts, local asiago cheese and greens with maple bourbon vinaigrette. Oh my!
Stitzel-Weller Distillery
Shively
stitzelwellerdistillery.com
Intimate and inviting, The Garden & Gun Club at Stitzel-Weller is all about Southern hospitality. Its cocktail bar and lounge feature a curated menu of elevated cocktails and a contemporary take on Southern dishes presented on small plates. Think butter bean hummus, trout dip and pimiento cheese served with veggies and homemade sourdough crackers. Rumor has it that the crackers alone are worth the trip. Well…those and the cocktails.
Barrel House Distilling Co.
Lexington
barrelhousedistillery.com
Rich with whiskey and moonshine history, Barrel House Distilling Co. is owned and operated by founders Jeff Wiseman and Pete Wright. Wright’s great uncle Devil John Wright was a moonshiner, bounty hunter and U.S. marshal.
Their products include small-batch RockCastle Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Devil John Moonshine (made by Devil’s own recipe and distilling process) and Oak Rum, aged in once-used bourbon barrels.
Located in the barreling house of the old James E. Pepper Distillery in Lexington, The Elkhorn Tavern was named after the branch of Elkhorn Creek that flows nearby and its food is a prayer to Kentucky’s finest “light regional fare.” Start salivating now…Elkhorn burgoo, a rich stew made with elk, rabbit, beef and vegetables; country ham (how long has it been since you’ve tasted the real thing?); corn mash muffins made from spent barrel house grains; distiller’s boards with the most delectable charcuterie; and…drum roll, please…bread pudding “smothered in bourbon sauce made with barrel-house select bourbon.” And your intro to the aforementioned can be a divine Barrel House cocktail! What are you waiting for?
Jeptha Creed Distillery
Shelbyville
jepthacreed.com
Built by mother-daughter duo Joyce and Autumn Nethery from the ground up, Jeptha Creed opened in 2016 on a 64-acre Shelby County farm where its red-kernel, heirloom Bloody Butcher corn is grown. This distillery plants, ferments, distills and bottles on the farm every drop it sells. The Netherys call it “ground to glass.”
And USA Today calls its whiskey one of 2025’s “10 Best Craft Spirits” and its distillery tour came in at No. 8 on the “Top Craft Distillery Tour” list. Guests can taste straight from the barrel on a barrel barn tour.
You can balance your bourbon tasting at the Creed Cafe with wholesome small bites, pizzas and salads served with a Bloody Butcher corn muffin.
Copper & Kings Distillery & Rooftop Bar
Louisville
copperandkings.com
Billing its mission as “Brandy in Bourbon Country,” Copper & Kings Distillery’s brandy ages in bourbon barrels and its bourbon ages in brandy barrels. With a mission to revive American brandy, Copper & Kings is a welcome surprise on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Its brandy is distilled in traditional copper pot stills using fresh fruit and American wine, then aged in the aforementioned bourbon barrels in the heart of bourbon country.
According to the distillery, “Bourbon lovers welcome. American brandy converts expected.”
Expansive views of Louisville, complete with lovely sunsets, spread below Copper & Kings Rooftop Bar. Of course, the cocktail and spirits selection is superb. The current big news is the food. As of April 1, 2026, Louisville’s popular Cultured Cheese Shop will move its location to the Rooftop Bar. The shop specializes in gorgeous charcuterie boards that feature local and unique farmstead cheeses, including many of Kenny’s Farmhouse Cheeses, handmade in Barren County.
What a perfect place to celebrate spring!
