After a tour of the Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co. in Louisville, a group of seven guys settled in, side by side, at the tasting room bar. Throughout the tour, it had become obvious this wasn’t their first Kentucky bourbon experience. One, wearing glasses and full of astute questions, had said he was a home brewer. Another wore a shirt proclaiming, “You Had Me at ‘Bourbon.’ ” Yet another had wanted to know if there were any locations in the rackhouse that produced better barrels than others.
Clearly bourbon enthusiasts, it turned out the men also were longtime neighbors from Cincinnati who had taken a weekend trip to Louisville to enjoy the distilleries and bourbon-related businesses concentrated downtown. “Having a strong downtown attracts people to come to a place to enjoy a memory with friends,” said Perri Kostecki, one of the Cincinnati crew. “You can just walk and let the trip happen.”
The walkable bourbon experience in Louisville is no accident—its density and variety have been encouraged by the Urban Bourbon Trail. With membership including bars, restaurants and hotels that feature more than 50 bourbons, the Urban Bourbon Trail has been a driver for growth in new bourbon-related businesses. According to Jordan Skora, marketing communications manager for Louisville Tourism, the Urban Bourbon Trail has drawn more than 25,000 visitors since 2008.
“Coupled with seven distilleries in the downtown corridor, Louisville has become the walkable Napa Valley of bourbon and a unique tourism destination,” Skora said.
Dave Schaefer, the home brewer who visited Peerless with his group of neighbors, said the density of bourbon-themed businesses downtown makes the bourbon experience in Louisville that much more organic.
“It’s about the memories you make,” Schaefer said. “Last night, we all went out, and all the facades are friendly, alluring—they just make you want to go inside. We stumbled into Merle’s Whiskey Kitchen and ran into a set from Kaleb Cecil, an up-and-coming country artist, and he was phenomenal.”
While not part of the Urban Bourbon Trail (the trail focuses on bars and restaurants, not distillery experiences), Peerless is one of many businesses that have seen the collateral benefits stemming from it. Cordell Lawrence, director of global marketing and strategy for Peerless, says the Urban Bourbon Trail has played an important role in honing Louisville’s image as a tourist destination.
“You have this rich cultural center that is Louisville and a simultaneous influx of new hotels like Omni, Hotel Distil and Moxy, right on Whiskey Row,” Lawrence said. “All these perfect pieces are falling into place to drive foot traffic to culinary destinations like restaurants and distillery experiences.”
Around 75 percent of Peerless visitors come from out of state, Lawrence said, and he doesn’t mean nearby states. Visitors are predominantly from the East and West coasts, and a sizable number are international. As he continues to see growth, the Urban Bourbon Trail has been “a huge economic driver,” Lawrence said.
“Our business partners and distributors who come in from out of state frequently tell us that, even when there is not a convention going on in Louisville, they struggle to find a hotel room on a Tuesday or Wednesday night because there are so many people coming here as a tourist destination. There’s room for growth—more restaurants, more bourbon bars, more hotels.”
With 46 participating businesses, the Urban Bourbon Trail offers visitors a broad range of experiences, including familiar names like the Old Seelbach Bar, the Brown Hotel Bar and Jockey Silks. The trail also highlights newer arrivals—hotels, bars and restaurants that put their own spin on Louisville’s bourbon tradition. Following are just a few places to stay, sip and sample what downtown Louisville has to offer.
PHOTO COURTESY OF WHITE LODGING
Whiskey Dry
Whiskey Dry draws visitors who want to experience a creative menu and huge bourbon selection painstakingly crafted by Chef Edward Lee. A multiple finalist for the James Beard Foundation Best Chef: Southeast, Lee has earned an Emmy Award nomination for hosting season three of PBS’ The Mind of a Chef, authored two cookbooks, produced a documentary, and opened a total of five restaurants in Louisville and Washington, D.C.
Unlike Lee’s flagship Louisville restaurant, 610 Magnolia, Whiskey Dry is a casual affair, devoting significant menu space to reimagined burger-joint staples. Several selections include a nod to Lee’s Korean heritage, like the spicy gochujang chicken wings or the fried chicken sandwich with kimchi, maple-soy glaze and hot sauce. The eponymous Big Ed Burger, however, is a straightforward Southern barn-burner: two beef patties, fried green tomatoes, “comeback sauce,” lettuce and pickle.
It’s the extensive bourbon list and fine-tuned cocktail menu that earned Whiskey Dry a place on the Urban Bourbon Trail. Curated by Bar Director Stacie Steward, the Whiskey Dry bar offers a collection of whiskeys in a library-style bar that “weaves through the history of the production of whiskey starting in Scotland, to Ireland, to American whiskey and, of course, Kentucky bourbon.”
“Not only is Whiskey Dry the only locally owned restaurant in the 4th Street Live! entertainment district, but we also boast over 200 whiskeys from all over the world, including hard-to-find Indian, French and Taiwanese whiskeys,” said Whiskey Dry General Manager Mara Brown.
Brown said the Urban Bourbon Trail encourages a sense of camaraderie among downtown businesses and highlights the mutually beneficial relationship between hotels and restaurants.
“Foot traffic is very important, being a restaurant located downtown, as we generally rely on tourists that are staying in hotels nearby,” Brown said. “Giving tourists a fun ‘challenge’ by having to visit multiple venues opens us up to more people who may have not known about us prior to reading our bio in the Urban Bourbon Trail passport.”
Hotel Distil and Repeal Restaurant
Offering a unique guest stay in the heart of Louisville, Hotel Distil is housed in a historic building on Whiskey Row, steps away from the dozens of distillery experiences, bars and restaurants available on the Urban Bourbon Trail. The hotel isn’t officially on the trail yet—it opened last October—but, based on the seriousness with which it takes Kentucky’s signature spirit, it’s only a matter of time.
“We’re about bourbon,” said Hotel Distil General Manager Dana Orlando. “We have a bourbon culture. Everything we do throughout the hotel is bourbon. When you go into the guest room, there’s a bourbon experience. We have to embrace this Urban Bourbon Trail for us to thrive.”
Orlando, who previously worked for hotel brands like Ritz-Carlton and Waldorf Astoria, said she appreciates the combination of opportunity and small-town charm that Louisville offers.
“Because I’m from the luxury hotel industry, they expect you to put these really creative packages together to have interest for people traveling East Coast/West Coast,” Orlando said. “But honestly, when I just simply share this bourbon tourism, the Urban Bourbon Trail and how large it is, they’re just interested in that. I don’t have to create crazy packages or anything that’s out of the box. Simply what we have is what they want to have.”
Bourbon opportunities are on Hotel Distil’s doorstep, but they don’t stop when you enter the building. The hotel’s popular Repeal Restaurant uses staves from empty Old Forester barrels from just next door to fuel its oak-fired grill. During warm weather, guests can enjoy Bitters End, the only open-air rooftop bar on Whiskey Row. In addition to a well-stocked bar, Hotel Distil offers hard-to-find libations in its “rare cabinet,” with selections that, at the time of this writing, included a 2007 Eagle Rare 17-year, a 2002 George T. Stagg and a 1967 Weller’s Gold Vein Antique Reserve.
“We claim to have a rare selection,” Orlando said. “We have a rare cabinet that people look at and say, ‘I’ve always wanted this, and now I can have a taste.’ ”
Foxy Louisville and Zombie Tacos
Sharing a building with Hotel Distil, Moxy is a hotel for the young, the young at heart and, really, anyone who wants to try something new. Billed as a hotel with the heart of a hostel, Moxy welcomes guests by way of a cocktail bar and a taco shop. Moxy Louisville is the first Moxy in Kentucky and only the 19th in the United States. It’s the first dual Moxy Autograph Collection hotel in the world, according to General Manager Justin Weeks.
“The idea is really comfortable beds, great shower experience, big TVs,” Weeks said. “You can drop your stuff and hang out in the living room. You can check in at the front desk, or you can check in at the bar. You get a cocktail on us when you arrive.
“It’s really driven for people who are looking for a different experience. Especially for those road warriors, coming to a Moxy will add a bit a flair, a little bit of excitement to your life.”
In addition to its youth-centric furnishings, Moxy Louisville offers events that cater to a younger crowd, including a live DJ series, a happy hour called “Adulting Is Hard,” and an “Anti-Brunch” on Saturdays that substitutes more traditional beverages with tequila shots. And don’t forget the taco shop, Zombie Taco, which is open 24/7 and offers an outdoor order kiosk. (The thick-cut bacon jalapeño taco lives up to the hype.)
Like Orlando, Weeks said the Urban Bourbon Trail, distillery bourbon experiences and foot traffic in general are driving downtown business growth. While Moxy doesn’t have the same emphasis on bourbon culture that Hotel Distil offers, it still benefits from ongoing growth in bourbon tourism.
“This weekend was huge for us,” Weeks said during an interview in February. “We sold out Friday night, and we’re selling out tonight. Everyone is doing distilleries or the Urban Bourbon Trail. People are coming in specifically for that.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF WHITE LODGING
Urban Bourbon Trail 101
Launched in 2008, the Urban Bourbon Trail is a collection of bars and restaurants with a significant bourbon culture and offering more than 50 bourbons.
To begin your Urban Bourbon Trail experience, pick up a passport at the Louisville Visitor Center or at any of the 46 participating businesses. With any purchase at a participating organization, you’ll earn a stamp in your passport. When you’ve scored six or more stamps, congratulations: You’ve won an Urban Bourbon Trailblazer T-shirt! To get your shirt, redeem your passport in person or by mail at the Louisville Visitor Center.