Bardstown, Kentucky is the Bourbon Capital of the World® and the home of the Kentucky Bourbon Festival®, which draws people to our quaint little town for a week of celebrating the storied history and art of distilling America’s native spirit. The Kentucky Bourbon Festival® began in 1991 as a Bourbon tasting and dinner, and has grown tremendously over the past years. Today, it is one of the Commonwealth’s leading community festivals, and is not only a celebration of Bourbon, but also the people and the community that have supported the industry for generations.

Over 200 years ago, as pioneers began settling the wild lands of Kentucky, they found that this was Promised Land for distilling Bourbon. From the ideal climate for aging barrels, to the fertile earth for growing corn, to the immense amount of limestone that makes for the purest of water, it was the perfect storm. From there, the rest is history. Today, Bardstown and Nelson County are home to many distilleries, both large and small.