Woodford Reserve Distillery
Woodford Reserve Distillery
4.5
12:00 PM - 4:30 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
12:00 PM - 4:30 PM
About
Bourbon distillery
Duration: 1-2 hours
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28 within 10 kms
See what travellers are saying
- Paula WFredericksburg, Virginia11 contributionsGood tourWe went on this tour on Valentine’s Day 2024. The grounds are beautiful. The staff was friendly. Our tour guides were knowledgeable. We took the tour and it was good but not great. Not because of the staff but because of the content. It focused a lot on the product which was good but we didn’t get any history of the brand. We looked through a glass door at the bottling process which was not my favorite part. However, the tasting room was nice. The gift shop was stocked with everything we tasted. I would say it was nice but not memorable.Visited February 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten February 15, 2024
- Woodcrest55129Woodbury, Minnesota451 contributionsEven if you are not whiskey drinkerThe tours fill up quickly. We booked to late (3 days in advance) to get the 70 min walking tour and had the shorter tasting tour instead. Enjoyed that on too. Even my wife who is not a whiskey person.Visited February 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten February 21, 2024
- susan mPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania192 contributionsBeautiful setting great tour and excellent bourbonVisited Woodford on our second stop of our bourbon trail. I came on this trip as the DD as I had never liked the taste of any bourbons or whiskey and never had any desire for them. I left Woodford with a different attitude about bourbon. The drive to Woodford is picturesque. The visitor area, gift shop and lounge is comfortable and inviting. We arrived a bit early for our tour and one of the guides offered to take our picture in front of the warm fireplace and asked about our tour. He said we could probably get the earlier one with him. He was correct and we were added to Jamie’s 3pm tour. As far as distillery tours, they are all pretty much the same after being on 7 of them in 3 days. Most tell you abcs of bourbon, the history of the place, show you boiling corn, a copper pot, pipes and how bottles are filled with liquid gold. I learned about white oak staves and I know all about level 4 charr and bourbon fungus. But it’s the guide and the tasting that make the difference and make them unique and memorable. Jamie is an excellent guide used his knowledge of the place and its bourbon with humor and charm and turned me on to bourbon and made me think about bourbon and its wonderful flavor and depth. We left the tasting and went across the road to the bar had the most delicious Old Fashioned with Double Oak Woodford, chocolate bitters, maple syrup and a grapefruit twist and sat outside on the Adirondack chairs and enjoyed the scenery, quiet and watching the horses. I would recommend Woodford bourbon and a tour with Jamie.Visited March 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten March 14, 2024
- KylieSDowners Grove, Illinois158 contributionsThe Mixology class was fun and informativeWe did the Mixology Class - 5 different Old Fashioned recipes each with a different Woodford Whiskey and special bitters. Small group. Our bartenders were fun and just really cool. Learnt a lot about mixing an Old Fashioned. If we can come back, we will do a grounds/distillery tour. Highly recommend the Mixology Class.Visited March 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten March 23, 2024
- Len C3 contributionsGreat timeWe had a great time on the Discovery Tour. Our guide I think his name as Cain, was entertaining and knowledgeable. Fun tour with tasting at the end of 5 different bourbon and whiskey. The best looking grounds I’ve seen as far as distilleries go.Visited March 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten March 24, 2024
- scottcapsChesapeake Beach, Maryland1,771 contributionsInformative tour and a nice tastingWe arrived 45 minutes early for our 3:00 pm Path to Flavor tour. So, we parked at the tasting room/shop and looked around for a bit, before walking to the tour building, which is across the road. We checked in and waited. While there is a very nice waiting area in the tour building, that is all that is there...no information, nothing really to look at while you wait. The tour left promptly at 3:00 with Tony as our tour guide. We boarded a limousine bus and were taken to the facility. Loved going inside of 3 areas. Great information from Tony about the history of the site and the WR distilling process. Easy to understand him as he used a microphone. Time allowed to walk around the designated areas, take pictures, ask questions. Only got to look quickly in through a screen door at the bottling room - it would have been nice to have a better view of that process. Tour was about 45 minutes with some stairs. We were then bussed back to the tasting room, where we had 5 tastings, plus a bourbon ball. Overall, a nice tour. And, the horse farms surrounding the facility are nice to see, too.Visited April 2024Travelled with friendsWritten April 13, 2024
- ztd1989Kenova, West Virginia746 contributionsBreathtaking And FunI decided to take A little excursion and knock off another OG Bourbon Trail Distillery. So I went to Woodford. First let me say it’s breathtaking and beautiful there. I loved being in the middle of Horse Country! Our guide Trevor/Travis forgot his name but Red head bearded guy! He was excellent and very informative and fun to be around. I loved seeing the gravity rails for moving the bourbon in action. The tasting experience was very enjoyable too, especially anytime I get chocolate with it! The overall experience was enjoyable I will return to do the food pairing tasting. I highly recommend this to any bourbon lover or horse lover! It’s worth the $32 fee for sure!!Visited April 2024Travelled soloWritten April 24, 2024
- Brettkort1Appleton, Wisconsin748 contributionsA Classy Distillery!Woodford Reserve is a much smaller, but very classy distillery. We started our visit with a drink on the back deck of the Visitor Center. The check-in for the tours is across the street from the Visitor Center/Gift Shop/Bar. It's a very short walk, but they also provide a shuttle bus which comes around every couple of minutes. Our tour guide Michael did a very nice job providing history of the distillery, and insight into the bourbon making process. As usual, the tour ended with a very nice taste testing of Woodford Reserve Whiskey.Visited May 2024Travelled with familyWritten May 13, 2024
- Justin2 contributionsBucket List WorthyIt was a bucket list pick and it did not disappoint. Great tour and tastings (especially the wheated and malt whiskies). My father and I went during a heat wave, so having access to an air conditioned bus during the tour made it even better.Visited June 2024Travelled with familyWritten June 18, 2024
- Janice C44 contributionsMy first trip to a bourbon distilleryFun tour led by Jesse. You first start at the welcome center and a van brings you across the street to the distillery. You get to see the fermenting room, cask room and more. Jesse was very knowledgeable and encouraged questions and has a great sense of humor. He made everyone feel very comfortable. After the distillery tour you take the van up the hill to the tasting room where 5 tasting glasses (and a bourbon ball) were waiting for us. He educated us on the various notes and tastes and asked us what we were getting from each. There is a nice gift shop to buy everything from key rings, coasters and glasses to a bottle of nice expensive bourbon. There’s also a nice are to sit and sip bourbon with beautiful surroundings. Highly recommend!Visited June 2024Travelled with familyWritten June 22, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Popular mentions
4.5
2,071 reviews
Excellent
1,462
Very good
434
Average
121
Poor
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Terrible
31
Travelers J&E
New York City, NY485 contributions
Oct 2023 • Friends
My friends and i visited Woodford for an Old Fashioned class, a tour of the Distillery and a tasting.
Compared to other distilleries Woodford is very well manicured. It has more the looks of a museum or adult theme park than an actual distillery. Especially the new building where the class took place.
The class was very informative, it was just a small group (4 of us plus another 4 people) and it lasted about an hour. We tried different versions of the Old Fashioned and learned how to make them all. I think the price for the class was high for what it was.
There was a little bit of a drizzle so the tour was fast-paced, which is hard to do that when you have a large group and people of all ages. They did provide umbrellas though but we ended up cutting a few corners to accomodate. All and all our tour guide did explain a lot and gave us many interesting facts about Woodford and bourbon in general. Do note that the tour involves walking the grounds, with some uphills and downhills, wet floor and so.
The staff was friendly and very well organized. We all sat and the tasting begun. They explained to us one by one what we would be drinking and explained the differences between them. Encouraging us to use all our senses to fully enjoy the liquor. The whole tasting seemed to last no longer than 30 minutes. And again i thought the price was high.
As soon as the tasting was over we headed back up to the Shop. It feels like the whole tour/tasting was just prep work to do an educated shopping hahaha
Once you get to that shop is very hard to avoid buying. The curious note is that once i got back to NYC i saw the same bottle i got at Woodford CHEAPER! (in NYC, of all places!).
Oh well... we still enjoyed ourselves and did something different.
Compared to other distilleries Woodford is very well manicured. It has more the looks of a museum or adult theme park than an actual distillery. Especially the new building where the class took place.
The class was very informative, it was just a small group (4 of us plus another 4 people) and it lasted about an hour. We tried different versions of the Old Fashioned and learned how to make them all. I think the price for the class was high for what it was.
There was a little bit of a drizzle so the tour was fast-paced, which is hard to do that when you have a large group and people of all ages. They did provide umbrellas though but we ended up cutting a few corners to accomodate. All and all our tour guide did explain a lot and gave us many interesting facts about Woodford and bourbon in general. Do note that the tour involves walking the grounds, with some uphills and downhills, wet floor and so.
The staff was friendly and very well organized. We all sat and the tasting begun. They explained to us one by one what we would be drinking and explained the differences between them. Encouraging us to use all our senses to fully enjoy the liquor. The whole tasting seemed to last no longer than 30 minutes. And again i thought the price was high.
As soon as the tasting was over we headed back up to the Shop. It feels like the whole tour/tasting was just prep work to do an educated shopping hahaha
Once you get to that shop is very hard to avoid buying. The curious note is that once i got back to NYC i saw the same bottle i got at Woodford CHEAPER! (in NYC, of all places!).
Oh well... we still enjoyed ourselves and did something different.
Written July 26, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Evelyn H
50 contributions
Jul 2024 • Couples
This was a beautiful distillery filled with such historic buildings. The tour was very interesting, and we learned a lot about the process of distilling bourbon. Loved seeing all the copper pot stills unique to Woodford and seeing all the barrels and hearing about how they store and move them. The tasting was fun and a great way to end the tour, which culminated with a highlight of getting to see the $15,000 crystal decanter of bourbon given to the Kentucky Derby winner!
Written August 29, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
31HomeGames
Charlotte, NC1,454 contributions
Mar 2022 • Couples
We have visited 8 distilleries on the Kentucky bourbon trail so far and this is one of our favorites. The Path To Flavor tour takes you through many of the historical buildings to see and understand the whole distilling process. Particular highlights are the vintage stills and the barrel houses with it lovely angel’s share aroma. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and entertaining. The main entrance building and gift shop are beautiful and upscale. We found everyone there to be quite helpful and friendly. In the gift shop you can have bottles etched with your name or message for a modest charge. And you get to sample some v and y good bourbon.
The only caveats: Tours are very popular. Reservations are taken from three months in advance and will usually sell out. So try to plan well in advance so that you can reserve early in the three-month window. Additionally, this was the most costly of any of the basic tours we did.
The only caveats: Tours are very popular. Reservations are taken from three months in advance and will usually sell out. So try to plan well in advance so that you can reserve early in the three-month window. Additionally, this was the most costly of any of the basic tours we did.
Written April 10, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Carmen R
3 contributions
Sept 2024 • Friends
We went to Kentucky for the bourbon trail experience! We booked the curated cocktail mixology tour and were lucky enough to have JP Mattingly as our mixologist! This man, since booking the course to mixing our cocktails was the best! He gave us a top notch experience that none of us will soon forget as well as giving us excellent cocktail tastings! I highly recommend doing this tour, besides the fact that the Woodford Reserve grounds were beautiful and their product is like no other. Hugh thumbs up!!!!
Written September 24, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michael Cutali Realtor
Knoxville, TN43 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
Ok so this is a review for a visit in late July and we enjoyed ourselves so much we came back in August! I really have to thank Kane and his wife at the cocktail bar for such great Hospitality. I highly recommend Drew and the bartending staff outside the cocktail building - Drew's drinks were on point each and every time! We will be back in a few weeks :)
Written August 7, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mark E
42 contributions
Mar 2023
I recently did the tour and tasting at Woodford Reserve Distillery on a Tuesday. I found the experience to be just average, but it isn't entirely the distillery's fault. I just feel like so many of the Bourbon Trail distilleries become similar after a while, even the items sold in the gift shops. The tour was informative and interesting, but I felt like the tours were starting to get repetitive. My tour guide was really good, however, and he is clearly passionate about his job. The tasting at the end was really nice, and I enjoyed the 3 bourbons we got to try, followed by a cranberry-lemonade cocktail. The chocolate pecan candy was a nice touch for cleansing the palette. I went across the street to the separate bar for a quick cocktail following the tour/tasting, and it was just OK. I thought $17 was very pricey for an old-fashioned, even if I did get to keep the copper glass (it wasn't even filled halfway!). The drive to/from here was very pretty, and I enjoyed the country setting amongst many horse farms. I would recommend, but all the distilleries started to feel very similar for me.
Written March 30, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Empty Nesters
Buck Creek, IN21 contributions
Jan 2024 • Couples
Informative tour with fascinating history. We did this tour as part of a Bourbon Trail trip with a bus tour. We enjoyed the path to flavor tour. The tour guides were excellent and talked loud enough and seemed excited about the history. The reason for four stars was our bus driver was not allowed to step foot in the place per Woodford Reserve rules. I found this a bit snobbish. Our bus driver was fun and informative. He should be allowed to have a good experience as he sells the place to tourists. Also, the gift shop was very expensive. I didn’t see a lot of people purchasing.
Written January 28, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
yemmitford
San Antonio, TX26 contributions
Sept 2023 • Friends
This distillery is in a beautiful setting in the Kentucky countryside. It was fascinating to hear how they have been making bourbon the same way for over 100 years… especially compared to a more modern distillery like Bulleit. They keep the tour groups small which made it so much more inviting. Tour guides did an outstanding job as well. You won’t get tipsy at the tasting, but you will absolutely enjoy it. The gift shop was great also, we bought t-shirts and a barrel top that was shipped to the house in only a couple of days… still charred on the inside. Highly recommend!
Written September 20, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mike K
Broken Arrow, OK12 contributions
Sept 2024 • Family
Totally amazing experince. The grounds are breath taking, the tours were first rate (five tastings), the staff are extremely pleasant, friendly and knowledgeable, and all the bourbon is 'top shelf'. Highly recommend visiting Woodford Reserve distillery.
Written September 15, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Steve M
Columbus, OH76 contributions
Apr 2024 • Couples
Not what it used to be. Did this tour right before the pandemic and it was more personal and authentically a craft experience. This time around, the rote tour was delivered formulaically with emphasis on “are we having fun yet!?” and a contrived twang. Tastings used to be in the rick house, but now are in a large conference room off the gift shop.
Written April 2, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
If we don’t do the actual tour, are there still things to do on the distillery site? Any picnic areas, etc?
Written August 12, 2022
A lot of people do not take the tour. I spend most of the time in a tasting of a flight of bourbons, with amazing revelations by the guide. I am not sure about a specific picnic area but there is a little cafe with outside seating. There is a large store, too, of course.
Written August 13, 2022
Is there an on site restaurant? If so, would you recommend?
Written January 11, 2020
There's a small café on site that has soups and sandwiches.
Written January 12, 2020
The web-page says tour is an hour, does that hour include the taste testing or is that sampling time additional after the hour tour? Trying to plan how long the total visit will be. Thanks.
Written March 6, 2019
I think you need to schedule 2 hours total. The your we took was a least one hour. The sampling took about 30 minutes with questions asked. Then you have the gift store!
Written March 6, 2019
How many are employees are there in the distillery itself? Not counting tour staff or marketing and sales!
Written October 26, 2018
Sorry but I didn’t count the employees.
I can say that in every area of the distillery including the gift shop, restaurant and touring areas there were employees visibily doing their jobs.
Written October 26, 2018
we would love to do a tour on may 27th but they are sold out. Can we come in just for a tasting with a group of 6?
Written May 9, 2018
We paid $10 per person for a tasting. No tour. It was easy and we paid the day we arrived.
Written May 22, 2018
Has anyone ever done the National Landmark Tour that is offered? I have been to Woodford several times but we are taking a new group and looking for something new. Is it worth the cost? Thanks in advance.
Written March 18, 2018
Sorry, I have not and don't know of anyone who has... good luck!
Written March 18, 2019
We were there the first weekend of this month, they now offer both. The tour and tasting is about 75 minutes. Or you can do just the tasting. They both cost $15 so I would definitely recommend the tour as well.
Written March 11, 2018
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*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.
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