Category: Kentucky

Kentucky Knob Region: Bourbon Country, Bardstown and Easy Living

Things to Know and Do:

• Narrow, U-shaped area in northern Kentucky between Louisville and Lexington, just south of the state’s famous Bluegrass Region.
• Home to rolling, farm-dotted hills, rugged cliffs, and numerous world-renowned bourbon distilleries.
• Approximately 230 miles in length, but never more than 30 miles wide.
• Dog friendly.
• To do:
  • Bardstown – Bourbon Capital of the World.
  • World-famous bourbon distilleries.
  • Scenic, rural drives.
  • Numerous excellent restaurants and shops in friendly small towns.
  • Several nearby state parks.

For most people, the mention of Kentucky conjures notions of things like the Kentucky Derby, bourbon distilleries, and perhaps Mammoth Cave. We’d like to tell you about a special little part of the Bluegrass State that we’ve found especially enjoyable – the Knobs Region.

The bright green portion of the map below shows the location of Knobs Region. It’s a horseshoe-shaped geological area made up of hundreds of mostly rounded hills and shallow valleys.

We first discovered the Knobs Region while driving through Kentucky in 2015. We were immediately drawn to its rural, idyllic landscape. Marked by rolling country roads, sweeping meadows, and quiet hilltop farms, the area is the essence of simple, country tranquility. In both 2017 and 2018, we stayed in a beautiful rental home located on a several thousand acre working farm near the community of Bradfordsville. Early mornings were perfect for gazing out across sunlit rolling fields and pastures, and the sun descending behind the farm’s knobs and was truly a thing to behold. We’re of the strong opinion that if one can’t relax in the Kentucky Knobs, they probably can’t relax anywhere.

If scenic drives aren’t your thing, check out the town of Bardstown, accurately billed as The Bourbon Capital of the World. Bourbon distilleries located in or near Bardstown include Maker’s Mark, Heaven Hill, Willett, Jim Beam, Lux Row, Four Roses, Barton, Preservation, Limestone Branch, and Bardstown Bourbon Company. Bardstown is also home to My Old Kentucky Home State Park, Old Bardstown Village, and a number of locally flavored bars, pubs and shops. We discovered the Around the Town Carriage Tour, which is a relaxing and interesting way to learn more about the town and surrounding area.

Recommendation: If you enjoy a relaxing rural setting, slow-paced afternoons sipping great bourbon, being within 20 miles of the world’s most renowned bourbon distilleries, and visiting some incredibly interesting and scenic parks and historical sites, then you’ll likely enjoy a few days in Kentucky’s Knob Region. We stayed just outside the small community of Bradfordsville, which is within 20 miles of the towns of Lebanon, Campbellsville, and Bardstown. Each of those larger towns has its share of excellent shops, eating establishments, and sites to see. The Knobs Region borders the famous and breathtakingly gorgeous Kentucky Bluegrass area, which can be reached within an hour by car. Virtually every place we visited in this region is at least partially dog friendly. We highly recommend giving this area consideration when planning future week-long or shorter vacations.

Loretto, Kentucky – Maker’s Mark Distillery

Things to Know:

• Admission fee for guided tours.
• Somewhat out of the way, but with plenty of signage and GPS assistance to get you there via scenic country roads.
• A bourbon lover’s dream stop. Extremely interesting opportunity for an up close look at one of the world’s most famous distilleries.
• The most well maintained distillery in terms of appearance, with squeaky clean buildings, wide sweeping walkways, magnificent landscaping, and unusual warehouse architecture.
• 3 Different guided tours requiring moderate walking and standing.
• Dogs are allowed on the grounds but cannot be taken on guided tours.

We’ve been here a total of three times in less than two years, so you know it’s one of our favorite places.

Eastern Kentucky is the promised land for bourbon lovers. Surprisingly, the majority of the world’s most renowned bourbon distillers can be found in a rural, sparsely populated region between Louisville and Lexington. The headquarters of such legendary manufacturers as Wild Turkey, Jim Beam, Buffalo Trace, Heaven Hills, and Maker’s Mark are all tucked away between horse farms and rolling pastures, reachable only by winding country roads.

Most of the distilleries offer tours of their facilities, complete with product samplings. While we can’t honestly say we’ve ever been on a bad tour, for our money there’s nothing quite like a visit to Maker’s Mark. We refer to it as the Disney World of bourbon.

What makes it different? For starters, the grounds are immaculate. Shrubs are trimmed to perfection, walkways are broad and sparkly clean, and buildings always seem freshly painted, free of the grayish-black stains typically associated with the bourbon-making process.

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Maker’s aging processes are also unique. They are one of only a few bourbon makers that rotate their barrels midway through the aging process, moving them from the warmer upper levels of warehouses to the cooler lower levels, and vice versa. This ensures a consistent flavor. Other distilleries leave their barrels on one level throughout the entire aging process, which creates different products with varying tastes. Also unlike other distillers, Maker’s doesn’t age its product for a specific number of years. While there is an acceptable age range for its bourbon, Maker’s is considered ready when it meets the taste test, rather than after a set time period.

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Maker’s manually cuts and imprints each and every one of its bottle labels using 1935 vintage, hand-operated presses. It also famously hand-dips the trade-mark wax seal on each bottle’s stem.

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The Visitor Center, or “Homeplace”, is a stately, historically restored structure. Maker’s Mark Distillery is a registered National Landmark.

The General Tour is a great way to see the entire distillery and operation, while the Heritage Tour immerses guests in the detailed history of bourbon making and the Maker’s brand. However, for a true behind the scenes experience, we recommend the Maker’s Immersion Tour. You’ll see parts of the facility other visitors don’t get to see, such as the yeast storage area, and you’ll have an opportunity to sample yeast, the pre-aged product, and undiluted, full-strength spirits.

Recommendation: This is at the top of the list of memorable things to do in northern Kentucky. If you’re only going to visit one of the many bourbon distilleries in Kentucky, we recommend this one. Tours are reasonably priced, very informative and quite well presented. The grounds and structures are the most impeccably maintained and impressive of any distillery we’ve visited. Tours provide excellent historical background on general bourbon history and the founding of the Maker’s brand. Tours also allow visitors to see Maker’s famous manual labeling and bottle waxing operations in progress, and provide access to areas you won’t be able to see on your own. Post-tour tastings are a definite plus. Allow an hour-and-a-half for the General Tour, two-and-a-half hours for the Heritage Tour, and three hours for the Immersion Tour.