FRANKFORT, Ky.  — The Kentucky Bourbon Trail is on a pace to surpass the record-high number of distillery visitations in a year, the Kentucky Distillers’ Association said.

What You Need To Know

  • Bourbon Trail visits likely to exceed record

  • Current record is 1.7 million visits in 2019

  • Kentucky Distillers' Association has launched "Book Now, Bourbon Later" campaign

  • Many popular distilleries are asking visitors to book tours in advance

The continued rise in bourbon tourism means that distilleries along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour will likely exceed the record 1.7 million combined visits set in 2019, prior to pandemic-related shutdowns, the association said this week.

Many of Kentucky’s iconic distilleries are asking visitors to book their tours well in advance because of the popularity of the visits, it said.

As a result, the KDA has launched a campaign asking people to “Book Now, Bourbon Later.”

“The last thing we want is for any bourbon fan to miss out on the experience they want,” said Kentucky Bourbon Trail Experiences Director Mandy Ryan. “Since most of our larger brands cannot accommodate walk-in visitors, reservations are the key to a successful Kentucky bourbon adventure. 

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