Kentucky Bourbon Festival

The Kentucky Bourbon Festival is held each September in Bardstown, a small town south of Louisville that the festival calls the Bourbon Capital of the World. The 2027 edition is set for Thursday 16 to Sunday 19 September 2027, on the historic grounds of Spalding Hall, 114 N. Fifth Street.

The 2026 edition ran from 10 to 13 September 2026 and marked 35 years of the festival. In September 2026, the festival’s home page promised more than 200 brands from over 70 distilleries, with more than 30 events and experiences. The festival is run as a non-profit with distillery members on its board.

What to taste

• Bourbon, side by side. Bourbon is an American whiskey made from a grain mix of at least 51 percent corn and aged in new charred oak containers. With some 200 brands in one place, the festival is the place to compare styles you would otherwise taste one distillery at a time.
• New names. The organisers pitch the weekend as a chance to sip the most sought-after brands and find new favourites.

Practical tips

• Tickets are required. Admission tickets are needed for entry. Prices and the 2027 event list were not yet published when this page was checked, on 29 September 2026.
• Age. The minimum legal age to buy alcohol in the United States is 21. Bring photo ID.
• Add distillery tours. The Kentucky Bourbon Trail distilleries run tours and tastings all year: Jim Beam in Clermont is between Louisville and Bardstown, and Buffalo Trace and Woodford Reserve are further north-east. The experience page linked below compares three of them.
• Getting there. Louisville has the nearest large airport, and there is no scheduled passenger train service to Bardstown. Plan on a car and on a driver who skips the tastings.
• Where to stay. Book early for festival week in Bardstown, or stay in Louisville, the larger base.