How far is Bardstown, Kentucky from Cincinnati?

About 131 miles, or two hours ten minutes on a clear run. Take I-71 south to Louisville, I-265 round the city to I-65 south, then Exit 112 for KY-245 east into Bardstown.

Is there a bourbon distillery near Cincinnati?

Not one of ours. Bourbon & Oak has a single site, in Bardstown, Kentucky, about two hours south. Bardstown is the closest place to Cincinnati where several working bourbon distilleries sit within a few minutes of each other.

Can I visit the Kentucky Bourbon Trail as a day trip from Cincinnati?

You can, with an early start and no more than two tours, but it means roughly four and a half hours of driving in a day. A two-night weekend based in or near Bardstown gets you far more for the same fuel.

What is the best route from Cincinnati to Bardstown?

I-71 south to Louisville and I-65 south is quickest. If you want the Versailles and Lawrenceburg distilleries on the way, take I-75 south to Lexington and the Bluegrass Parkway west instead — about ten miles longer and a far better bourbon route.

Where should I stay for the Bourbon Trail from Cincinnati?

Bardstown itself if you can get a room, Louisville at 45 minutes north if you cannot, Elizabethtown at 25 minutes south-west as the budget option. Book months ahead for September, when the Kentucky Bourbon Festival fills the town.

Do you ship bourbon to Ohio?

Shipping spirits across state lines is governed state by state and the rules change, so check the shipping page for the current position before ordering. Where we can ship, an adult signature is required at delivery.

Planning Your Trip

Kentucky Bourbon Country, Two Hours South of Cincinnati

We have one distillery and it is in Bardstown, Kentucky — 131 miles south of Cincinnati, and the natural anchor for a bourbon weekend.

A dark wood bar cabinet stocked with Kentucky bourbon, of the kind shipped to collectors in Cincinnati

There is no Bourbon & Oak in Cincinnati, or anywhere in Ohio. We have a single distillery, at 1876 Oak Barrel Lane in Bardstown, Kentucky, and every bottle we make comes off that one site. This page exists because a great many people search for a bourbon distillery near Cincinnati and deserve a straight answer about where the nearest real one is and what the drive actually involves.

The answer is 131 miles, most of it on a single interstate, and it lands you in the densest concentration of working distilleries anywhere in the world. It makes a long day trip and a very good weekend.

The Drive From Cincinnati

About 131 miles and two hours ten minutes with clear roads. I-71 south is the spine of it — roughly a hundred miles down through northern Kentucky to Louisville, then round the city on I-265, the Gene Snyder Freeway, and onto I-65 south.

Leave I-65 at Exit 112 for KY-245 and head east. That last twenty minutes is the good part: it runs through Clermont past the edge of Bernheim Forest and comes into Bardstown through open country rather than off a slip road.

If you would rather approach from the east, the alternative is I-75 south to Lexington and then west on the Bluegrass Parkway. It is longer at around 140 miles, but it puts the Versailles and Lawrenceburg distilleries on your route instead of saving them for another trip.

131 miles, about 2 hours 10 minutes on a clear run
Fastest: I-71 south, I-265 (Gene Snyder) west, I-65 south, Exit 112 for KY-245 east
Eastern alternative: I-75 south to Lexington, then the Bluegrass Parkway west, around 140 miles
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International (CVG) already sits on the Kentucky side of the river
Louisville is the only real bottleneck — avoid crossing it between 4pm and 6pm on a weekday

Day Trip or Weekend

Four and a half hours of driving for a single tour is a lot to ask of a Saturday. It can be done — leave at seven, take a morning tour and an afternoon tour, be home by eight — but you will spend more of the day in the car than in a rickhouse.

Two days is the version we would actually recommend. Drive down Friday evening or early Saturday, spend a full day on the trail, stay in or near Bardstown, and drive back Sunday with a stop in Louisville on the way.

Friday evening: drive down, eat in Bardstown, early night
Saturday: two distillery tours with a proper lunch between them
Saturday evening: the Bardstown square, which has more in it than a town that size should
Sunday: one more stop, or Louisville's Whiskey Row on the way home

What Is Worth Stopping For

Bardstown is not a one-distillery town, and we would not pretend otherwise. Within fifteen minutes of our gate there are several more Kentucky Bourbon Trail stops, and the town itself has a genuinely old square rather than a reconstructed one.

Heaven Hill, Willett and Barton 1792, all a short drive from us
Jim Beam's home site at Clermont, which you pass on KY-245 coming in
Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest, 16,000 acres next to Clermont
My Old Kentucky Home State Park, ten minutes from the distillery
The Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History, on the old Spalding Hall site in town

Where To Stay

Bardstown is a small town with a big season. Rooms are comfortable and reasonably priced between November and March, and close to impossible during Kentucky Bourbon Festival week in September.

If Bardstown is full, Louisville is 45 minutes north with the room supply of a proper city and Whiskey Row within walking distance of most downtown hotels. Elizabethtown, 25 minutes south-west on I-65, is the cheaper fallback and nobody's idea of a night out.

Driving, Drinking and Crossing the River

Ohio's rules do not follow you south. Kentucky's limit is 0.08 and enforcement on the roads around Bardstown is not casual — this is a bourbon county and the police know exactly what visitors are there to do.

Tastings accumulate faster than most people expect: several distilleries, three or four pours each, a good share of it above 100 proof. Nominate a driver, book a coach, or stay the night. Rideshare in Nelson County thins out badly after dark, so it is not a plan. Tell us when you book if you are driving and we will arrange your tasting around it.

If the trip is not happening this year, we ship. Rules for sending spirits across state lines vary a great deal and change often, and Ohio's are not Kentucky's — the shipping page carries the current state-by-state position, and an adult signature is required at delivery wherever we can ship.

Book a tour Shop the collection

Common Questions

Frequently Asked

How far is Bardstown, Kentucky from Cincinnati?: About 131 miles, or two hours ten minutes on a clear run. Take I-71 south to Louisville, I-265 round the city to I-65 south, then Exit 112 for KY-245 east into Bardstown.
Is there a bourbon distillery near Cincinnati?: Not one of ours. Bourbon & Oak has a single site, in Bardstown, Kentucky, about two hours south. Bardstown is the closest place to Cincinnati where several working bourbon distilleries sit within a few minutes of each other.
Can I visit the Kentucky Bourbon Trail as a day trip from Cincinnati?: You can, with an early start and no more than two tours, but it means roughly four and a half hours of driving in a day. A two-night weekend based in or near Bardstown gets you far more for the same fuel.
What is the best route from Cincinnati to Bardstown?: I-71 south to Louisville and I-65 south is quickest. If you want the Versailles and Lawrenceburg distilleries on the way, take I-75 south to Lexington and the Bluegrass Parkway west instead — about ten miles longer and a far better bourbon route.
Where should I stay for the Bourbon Trail from Cincinnati?: Bardstown itself if you can get a room, Louisville at 45 minutes north if you cannot, Elizabethtown at 25 minutes south-west as the budget option. Book months ahead for September, when the Kentucky Bourbon Festival fills the town.
Do you ship bourbon to Ohio?: Shipping spirits across state lines is governed state by state and the rules change, so check the shipping page for the current position before ordering. Where we can ship, an adult signature is required at delivery.

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