BARDSTOWN, Ky. — Bourbon fans heading to Bardstown for the Kentucky Bourbon Festival will have another reason to arrive early and stay awhile, as Cox’s & Evergreen Liquors plans four days of free bourbon tastings, master distiller appearances and special events Sept. 9-12.
The celebration, held in conjunction with Bourbon Heritage Month and the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, will feature 12 free events at Evergreen Liquors’ downtown Bardstown location at 127 N. Third St.
Cox’s & Evergreen Liquors is an official sponsor and preferred liquor store partner of the Kentucky Bourbon Festival. The four-day lineup brings together a wide range of Kentucky whiskey brands along with several well-known names from the bourbon industry as enthusiasts from across the country descend on Bardstown for one of the biggest weeks on Kentucky’s bourbon calendar.
Scheduled guests include Fred Noe, eighth-generation Beam family distiller; Jim Rutledge, co-founder and master distiller of Pennyroyal Distillery; John Wadell, head blender, taster and single-barrel curator for Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co.; and Jarrod Gollihue of RD1 Distillery.
“At Cox’s & Evergreen Liquors, we want to be more than a place to buy a great bottle. We want to be a destination where people can experience bourbon and connect with the people behind it,” Mike Fisk, CEO of Cox’s & Evergreen Liquors, said. “There’s no better place to do that than Evergreen Bardstown, in the heart of Kentucky bourbon country, during one of the most exciting weeks of the year.”
Wednesday, Sept. 9
- Preservation Distillery Tasting: Noon–2 p.m.
- Peerless Distilling Co. Tasting with John Wadell: 2–4 p.m.
- Barrel House Distilling Co. Tasting: 4–6 p.m.
- Lux Row Master Distiller Event: 5–7 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 10
- Four Roses Tasting: 1–3 p.m.
- Old Louisville Whiskey Co. Tasting: 3–5 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 11
- Augusta Buckner’s Bourbon Tasting: 10 a.m.–noon
- Pursuit Spirits Tasting: 10 a.m.–noon
- Echoes of Oak Tasting with Jim Rutledge: 3–5 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 12
- Brunch with Fred Noe: 10 a.m.–noon
- RD1 Distillery Tasting with Jarrod Gollihue: Noon–2 p.m.
- Heaven Hill Tasting: 1–3 p.m.
All 12 events are free and open to guests 21 and older.
In addition to the scheduled tastings and appearances, visitors can explore Evergreen Liquors Bardstown’s extensive bourbon selection and tasting bar, providing another stop for whiskey enthusiasts visiting the Bourbon Capital of the World during Kentucky Bourbon Festival week.
The timing places the events squarely in the middle of Bourbon Heritage Month, which is celebrated throughout September and highlights Kentucky’s signature spirit, its distilleries and the people who have helped build the state’s bourbon industry.
For enthusiasts making the trip to Bardstown, the Evergreen schedule provides an opportunity to sample whiskey from established Kentucky distilleries as well as smaller and emerging producers while meeting some of the people responsible for creating the bottles behind the bar.
Reservations and additional information about the events are available through Cox’s & Evergreen Liquors’ Kentucky Bourbon Festival event page.
