Kentucky is widely known for its Bourbon Trail and its rich Appalachian bluegrass music culture. On my birthday trip to Lexington, Kentucky, Ali and I visited the Castle & Key Distillery—just half an hour away from downtown Lexington, in Frankfort—and the Maker’s Mark distillery, for which you have to go out of your way to reach.

I would not be the Schnitzelbirder if I were not looking for birds while being in Kentucky; of course, the stars of this post are the distilleries themselves. I will let you know what our experience was, what we liked and didn’t like, and which was our favorite.

This is the first part of my 40th birthday trip report. While this focuses on the distilleries, I am focusing more on the rich brewery and restaurant scene of Lexington in the second part– and of course I visited a park to look for birds.

Road Trip from Michigan: A Stop at Alcove by MadTree

Leaving the cold winter weather in Michigan at 7 in the morning on Thursday, we had a brief stop in Cincinnati for a beer and some snacks at the Alcove by MadTree. At 2 pm, we arrived at our first real destination: the Castle & Key Distillery.

Review: Visiting the Historic Castle & Key Distillery in Frankfort

Castle & Key is both a very old and a very new distillery. It underwent several closures, changes of ownership, salvaging, and neglect since its first opening in 1887. Under current ownership, the distillery sold its first bourbon in 2022, eight years after the purchase.

Birding at the Distillery: Black Vultures in Kentucky

The Castle & Key Tour Experience

After we checked in for our tour, we met our guide, Ana, and one of the distillers and future tour guide, Charlie. Ana gave us a more detailed rundown on the history of the place and led us through the holy halls of this literal castle. We learned a lot about why the place is what it is, and what huge effort had to go into the restoration; we also learned a bit about bourbon.

The tour concluded with a tasting of three different bourbons, a hot toddy, and a bourbon ball. About the bourbon, I can only say: you have to try it yourself. We liked their Wheated Bourbon and left with a bottle.

The Verdict: It was a very informative tour in a picturesque setting. We really liked how personal everything felt with a group of only 10 people and basically two guides. We saw the fermentation tanks and the still itself, but the tour skipped a lot of buildings which would have been interesting to see from the inside.

Ana and Charlie did a great job overall! We can only recommend visiting Castle & Key and doing one of their tours!

castleandkey.com – 4445 McCracken Pike, Frankfort, KY 40601

Maker’s Mark Distillery Tour: Wax-Dipped Bottles and Cedar Tanks

The next morning we had to get up early; unfortunately, I deemed a 10 am distillery visit a good idea. Since the distillery itself is a bit further away from Lexington, we got up at 7 to have enough time to grab breakfast at Great Bagel: a 5 out of 5 breakfast!

Maker’s Mark is one of the more prominent bourbons on a normal supermarket shelf. Their bottles are known for their distinct shape and the wax coating around the neck/cap. Maker’s Mark has been around since 1953 and is now making bourbon in its third generation.

Navigating to Loretto: Meeting Whiskey Jean

The road Google sent us on to Maker’s Mark was anything but the normal way to get there. Consequently, when we arrived, we didn’t see the sign for visitor parking and ended up at the employee parking. But we finally made it to the right lot and check-in building, which is also the home of the local cat, Whiskey Jean.

Exploring the Grounds of Maker’s Mark: Carolina Wrens and Common Grackles

Once the staff called our tour, our guide Chris led us through the distillery estate. When he was giving his initial history rundown, I got a little sidetracked by the Common Grackles and Carolina Wrens announcing the arrival of spring, but I am pretty sure he did a good job.

After a brief history lesson, we went to the fermenter tanks and the still. The tanks you visit during the tour are some really old, fancy cedar tanks. Maker’s Mark has a small, old-school printer and label cutter on its property; every tour visitor got to take an original unused label as a souvenir.

We also walked through one of the barrel storages, the place where they close the barrels, and the bottling (and waxing) facility. Overall, it was a very complete tour where we could see every step from the fermenter tank to putting the bottles into shipping boxes. The conclusion of the tour was again a small tasting: we got to taste four of their current bourbons.

The Verdict: This tour did not leave out anything and was professional from start to finish. But this is also the first critique I have: the groups were bigger, there were several tours going on at the same time, and everything was on a schedule. When our guide said we only had the tasting room for another few minutes, it did not feel like the intimate experience of Castle & Key, but we did see everything I was missing on their tour.

makersmark.com – 3350 Burkes Spg Rd, Loretto, KY 40037

Comparison: Castle & Key vs. Maker’s Mark Distillery Tours

Both tours complemented each other perfectly. It was also a lot of fun and unique to dip my own bottle into the wax; likewise, talking to Charlie at the end of the tour and having him personally thank us was a highlight.

If I had to choose only one tour to go on for a weekend trip, I would go to Castle & Key; however, if there are no constraints, I would definitely come back for Maker’s Mark again as well!

What distillery should we visit on our next trip to Kentucky? And what is your favorite one? Let me know in the comments! 🥨🦉

All that bourbon tasting made me crave a hearty German meal. If you’re heading home to cook, my Swabian Goulash is the perfect pairing for a Kentucky bourbon nightcap.