Festivals across Kentucky celebrate foods, music, arts and crafts, books, nationalities and ethnicities, flowers and, of course, the greatest two minutes in sports—the Kentucky Derby. So, what could be better than a celebration focused on bourbon, our native spirit? Along with the three-day extravaganza that is the Kentucky Bourbon Festival in Bardstown, other upcoming events incorporate bourbon samples, chats with distillers, music, food and, of course, fun.
Bourbon on the Banks, Frankfort, KY
Meander along the banks of the Kentucky River and sample your favorite bourbons as well as those you may not yet have tasted at the Bourbon on the Banks Festival in Frankfort. Celebrating its third year, the event will include more than 50 participating distilleries and plans to welcome 1,000-plus guests. Distillery and food trucks and tents will be set up along Riverview Park, with acoustic musicians playing along the route. For those who don’t imbibe in bourbon, microbrewers and wineries will be on hand offering alternatives.
Attendees will receive tickets for 16 samples with the price of admission. With the large number of distillers on hand, guests are encouraged to plan accordingly. “We don’t want people to think they will get a sample from each distillery,” said Diane Strong, the event director. “We want them to think about which ones they want to try.”
Strong encourages guests to visit with the distillers and learn more about their products.
New to Bourbon on the Banks this year is the sale of bottled spirits. “People will be able to taste it and then purchase a full bottle and take it with them,” Strong said. “Where else can you go and have the opportunity to purchase so many rare bottles?”
Strong said that some of these bourbon makers sell bottles only at their distillery, so this is a great opportunity for them to reach new customers.
The festival kicks off from 5-8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 30, with a VIP Reception & Bourbon Auction at the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History and a free, family-friendly, circus-themed event called Bourbon Street on Broadway in downtown Frankfort, which begins at 6:30.
Also on tap for Friday evening is the Ingram River Aged Pub Stroll, in which attendees can visit participating downtown locations to partake of a craft cocktail made with O.H. Ingram River Aged Whiskey.
The Riverview Park activities take place on Saturday, Oct. 1, from 1-6 p.m.
When the park festivities end on Saturday, attendees are invited to keep the party going at the Goodwood Brewery Afterparty in the streets of downtown Frankfort. Festival-goers can walk from the festival to the party or take a free golf cart shuttle. This event features live music and food in Frankfort’s new Mix District, an area that allows downtown restaurants and bars to sell drinks to go in specially designated cups.
The organizers of the nonprofit Bourbon on the Banks event will help fund a scholarship to the fermentation and distillation program at Kentucky State University and provide scholarships to students from Franklin County interested in attending any accredited college or university that offers a degree or certification in distillation and/or fermentation science. (For more information on these scholarships, visit bourbononthebanks.org/scholarship.)
This year, the organizers will make a donation to the White Oak Initiative, a nonprofit group that works to preserve and sustain white oak trees, which are used to make bourbon barrels.
“You can’t ride this bourbon wave without acknowledging the impact we have, both good and bad,” Strong said. “We believe strongly in giving back and appreciating the ride, for sure.”
Bourbon on the Banks Festival
Sept. 30-Oct. 1, Riverview Park, Frankfort
bourbononthebanks.org
Bourbon and Brewfest, Bowling Green
Guests at Bowling Green Bourbon & Brewfest will sample spirits and beer at the home of the Hot Rods minor league baseball team. “The ballpark is a great space for this event,” said Ashlee Wilson, the team’s director of marketing and corporate partnerships. “It is outdoors but also contained. Vendors can set up on the main concourse, and our concession stands can be used as booths.”
This annual four-hour event brings together distilleries, breweries and wineries to give attendees the opportunity to sample drinks.
General admission includes a punch card for 20 samples, while VIP admission buys 25 samples. “A punch allows for one sampling, which is a 1-ounce pour of bourbon or a 3- to 5-ounce pour of beer,” Wilson said. “We have other vendors who have specialty cocktails available, so that will be three to five punches, based on the alcohol level in the drink.”
Food vendors and small businesses will sell their products in pop-up-style shops. Wilson said that in previous years, participants have featured creative, hand-crafted, spirits-related items such as bourbon-barrel home décor and soaps made from beer. Boutique-style vendors will sell jewelry.
Bourbon & Brewfest usually sells 2,500 tickets, with 400 of those VIP. Along with the five additional punches, the VIP level includes admission one hour early and exclusive upstairs club-level access, where ticket-holders may enjoy a complimentary food buffet and sample special-release bourbons and craft beers.
Bourbon & Brewfest will offer the Safe Ride Home Program, in which attendees get a QR code to receive a $15 discount for an Uber ride. Wilson said it is a way for event organizers to say, “We want you to come out and enjoy yourself, but please get home safely because we want to see you again next year.”
The ballpark is in downtown Bowling Green, and organizers say holding the event there is a great way to show off the town as well as Kentucky’s spirits and beer. “The majority of our distillers, brewers and vendors are local to the state,” Wilson said. “We pride ourselves on supporting our local, regional and statewide businesses.”
Bourbon & Brewfest
Oct. 15
Bowling Green
Ballpark, Bowling Green
bgbrewfest.com
Bourbon & Barbeque, Louisville
Take a variety of seasoned pitmasters and their slow-roasted meats, add some famed distillers serving cocktails made with Kentucky bourbon in Louisville’s gorgeous Waterfront Park, and you have the makings of a great new party.
This is the inaugural year for Bourbon & Barbeque Louisville. The plan is to pair tasty cocktails with dishes prepared with smoke and fire created by local pitmasters and traveling barbecue circuit teams from around the country.
Andi Oustalet, the event developer, explained that the idea was generated from looking at food and spirits festivals in Louisville and realizing there was room for something new. “This will hit that sweet spot of an elevated, elegant weekend, pairing distillers and pitmasters,” she said. “Then, we challenge the distillers to come up with a craft cocktail that will go with whatever protein the pitmasters are serving.”
Local and well-known chefs are scheduled to participate. Some of the big names include George “Tuffy” Stone, Will Avelar and Wing Lam, who have achieved recognition through competitions, the Food Network, or the restaurants they own. They will offer various types of barbecue, with selections ranging from traditional to innovative.
“The varieties include Moroccan, tandoori, vegan, oysters—really anything that can be cooked with smoke and fire,” Oustalet said. “Much like wine is paired with food, we’re pairing bourbon cocktails with barbecue.”
Attendees will be treated to live music. Designated tents will cater to educational sessions for bourbon aficionados and distillers. In one tent, festival-goers can watch and participate in live podcasts, and, since the festival is during the height of football season, there will be a lounge tent with televisions and comfy seating.
Admission, which will be limited to 2,000, includes a wristband that covers all food, drinks and entertainment for both days.
“This is a kickoff to the holidays and an event you can attend with your friends,” Oustalet said. “It is not a competition for the pitmasters; it is a celebration of bourbon and barbecue.”