Having missed this a couple times while in Kentucky touring Distilleries..,we finally had the time to stop at Barton's.Owned by the same folks who also own Buffalo Trace... the setting and the architecture will remind you a little of Buffalo Trace as well!We stopped in on an afternoon during the week and went on a small tour with 4 other people!The folks in Kentucky are generally friendly what struck me immediately was how genuinely happy they were to see us and how much fun we had with our tour guide who did an excellent job of explaining Barton's history and the current production methods! The ladies that were there that day treated us like we were special and we really enjoyed the stop as well as the Bourbon tasting at the end! If you're there around the Holidays... make sure and pick up a couple bottles of their Eggnog!! It's (I think) the best of any down there!
We took a tour of the distillery and our guide was so knowelgeable and great! It was so hot that day though, but we loved it all and came in for tasting. We purchased a few things we could not get in Canada. We recommend this tour!!
At the last minute on our way to Louisville to see more distilleries, my husband found that there was another distillery (off the official tour) really close to us and we decided to add it into our schedule. So glad we did, it was our favorite tour of the day. It reminded us of Buffalo Trace, which we love, and found out later it is a sister company! Our tour was very informative and fun. They have the only fermenting tanks that are OUTSIDE (that I have seen) because of how long ago they built their distillery. Very cool place, and 3 samples- the egg nog was yummy too!
After visiting another distiller we stopped by Barton's to pick up a bottle as a gift. Unfortunately my husband could not muster up a tasting - which was a shame since it was free. What I wanted to give feedback on is the staff at Barton's - friendly, helpful, outstanding. Next time we will be sure to visit this distiller and get the full effect. (the smell in the air at this distiller was awesome)
Hard to give a partial review, because we were unaware that many distilleries shut down in the summer, this one was one of them. Nothing to see, just barrels sitting in the warehouse and the shipping department. They were running a small bottling line of vodka for another customer. I do have to say that our guide was very informative, probably the best of the 4 distilleries we toured, even without production. This being last tour we took, I had many questions and the guide was able to answer almost all of them.
We went on the Lamplight night tour at this distillery and it was wonderful! The tour guide was a wealth of knowledge. The bourbon tasting at the end of the tour definitely warms you up :)
My husband and I visited four distilleries in Kentucky as our own "Bourbon Trail" tour. This small working distillery was our favorite tour. The tour is free (a nice plus), but what I really enjoyed was the feeling we were in a working facility, not a show for tourists. Occasionally we'd have to step aside as semi trucks delivered grain and other products. Our tour guide (I'm so sorry I've forgotten her name!) was young, enthusiastic about the company, and very knowledgable. The tour does involve going up and down some steep stairs. Barton is not on the "official" Bourbon Trail, but well worth a visit. The town of Bardstown is picturesque as well, and I highly recommend Mammy's Cafe for lunch! One note of warning--the distillery does occasionally shut down for a while during the summer months, so call ahead.
Can you really complain about a tour that costs nothing and you still get free samples of bourbon at the end of the tour?The tour was pretty good, we were just passing through so we had to choose just one tour, we don't have a comparison against the other distilleries tours. It's free. We learned more about bourbon than we already knew. We got to see the white dog coming off the still. We also got to smell and taste the white dog, interesting in itself. Overall, very good experience! And really, free sample of their finest bourbon, can that really be complained about?
We very much enjoyed out tour, and our tour guide was quite engaging and well-versed in the history and functioning of the distillery. Very nice peek at the barrels aging in the barrel house, the bottling and packaging area was very nice, and the samples given at the close were very good. Very friendly people, not an insulated tour that walks you down hallways, peering through windows into where things are going on.
We had a private tour of the Barton distillery and it was probably one of our favorites on our trip. The distillery is not as polished and tourist-friendly as the others, which I actually preferred. Our tour guide went into great detail over every aspect of the distillery, which was great. I highly recommend a private tour here.