Touring bourbon distilleries is a lot of fun. It’s also very educational, and each distillery has its own unique experience. Four Roses is one of the most revered bourbon brands around. Their distillery tour is unique in many ways, not the least of which being their facilities are split between two sites an hour apart from each other.
The Lawrenceburg site is beautiful, as are most bourbon distilleries. What makes this site unique is the Spanish Mission-style architecture. The sunny yellow stucco is accented with blazes of four red roses throughout. Unlike other distilleries, Four Roses shuts down in the summertime for maintenance. So while you can still take a tour from July-September, you’re not going to see mash in the fermentation tanks. What you will see at the Lawrenceburg site is the entire distilling operation, from fermenters to stills. You’ll also have the opportunity to have a bourbon tasting in their beautiful tasting room.
After you tour the Lawrenceburg facility, you’ll want to hit Bluegrass Parkway for a scenic drive over to Bardstown. There you’ll find the Four Roses Cox’s Creek bottling and warehouse facility. If you show them the receipt from your distillery tour, you’ll get free admission. That’s two tours for $5 a person. At Cox’s Creek, you’ll get to see the bottling line and rick houses. Four Roses has the only single story, 6 level warehouses in Kentucky. According to Jim Rutledge, there’s less variation in the aging process with single story rick houses, which leads to a more consistent product.
Touring the entire Four Roses operation would make a lovely day trip for any bourbon lover. You can even plan to stop in Bardstown for lunch before you head out to Cox’s Creek. Learn more about touring both Four Roses facilities here.
Photos Courtesy of Maggie Kimberl