Louisville, KY - Sept. 11, 2021: Evan Williams Bourbon Experience on Whiskey Row is part of the Urban Bourbon Trail and features the world's largest rocks glass in their front window.; Shutterstock ID 2039952233; your: Bridget Brown; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI Image Update

Rosemarie Mosteller/Shutterstock

Evan Williams Bourbon Experience

Louisville


The first distillery to open on Whiskey Row, Evan Williams puts on quite a multimedia show. Exhibits transport you back to the 1780s when bourbon-making began, and Mr Williams’ original still was pumping out his elixir just a block away. The one-hour traditional tour and tasting runs every half hour on weekdays, every 20 minutes on weekends. The half-hour speakeasy tasting (per person $20, Friday through Sunday) is good fun in a hidden basement room.

Note that while you’ll see the artisanal distillery in operation here on Whiskey Row, most of the brand’s production takes place at the massive Heaven Hill facility in Bardstown.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Louisville attractions

1. Muhammad Ali Center

0.11 MILES

This must-see museum tells the tale of the city's most famous native: a local boxer nicknamed the Louisville Lip or, simply, The Greatest. Highlights…

2. Kentucky Science Center

0.18 MILES

Three floors of exhibits illuminate biology, physiology, physics, computing and more for families (kids love it) on historic Main St. For an extra $8 to …

3. Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory

0.23 MILES

See how baseball's most famous bat is made. Hillerich & Bradsby Co have been manufacturing the Louisville Slugger here since 1884. Admission includes a…

4. Frazier History Museum

0.27 MILES

This state-of-the-art museum covers 1000 years of history with grisly battle dioramas and costumed interpreters demonstrating swordplay and staging mock…

5. Old Forester Distilling Co

0.38 MILES

A new Whiskey Row facility that opened in 2018, Old Forester itself is a classic brand, around since the 1870s. The distillery lets you view the entire…

6. Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co

0.4 MILES

This small distiller located downtown along Whiskey Row has an intriguing story. First opened in the 1880s, it closed during WWI to conserve corn. It…

7. Angel's Envy

0.88 MILES

A micro-distillery that's one of the hippest spots around, Angel's Envy bucks local tradition by finishing its bourbon in port barrels, giving it a hint…

8. Falls of the Ohio State Park

1.18 MILES

In Clarksville, this state park has only rapids, no falls, but it is of interest for its 390-million-year-old fossil beds, which are ideally seen in late…