Which Bourbon Distilleries Are Along the Kentucky River?
Anyone who plans a trip around the Kentucky Bourbon Trail® eventually asks where the river fits in. The Kentucky River winds through the center of the state, and for generations, it carried barrels, grain, and people between the farms and the markets. That is the heart of the bourbon history Kentucky River communities still share, and a few well-known names sit right along its path. Here is a look at the bourbon distilleries on the Kentucky River and in the valleys that lead to it.
How the Kentucky River Influenced Bourbon
Early distillers needed a dependable route to market, and the river supplied it. Barrels of whiskey traveled by flatboat down the Kentucky River to the Ohio and then on to the Mississippi, reaching customers far from Frankfort. Learning how the Kentucky River influenced bourbon is easier when you see the river itself, which is one reason we narrate that story on every cruise. For a deeper look, read our post on bourbon history on a Kentucky River tour.
Buffalo Trace in Frankfort
Buffalo Trace Distillery stands on the banks of the Kentucky River in Frankfort and is the best known of the river distilleries. It has a long record of continuous operation and a campus that rewards a slow walk. Tour spots can be hard to get, and that is where we can help. Our Trace Tour pairs a Buffalo Trace distillery tour with a cruise on the river that built bourbon, and our Old Taylor Tour & Lunch Cruise adds a barbecue lunch aboard and a visit to some of the older parts of the distillery, including a progressive tasting of premium pours.
Wild Turkey in Lawrenceburg
Wild Turkey Distillery sits atop Wild Turkey Hill in Lawrenceburg, and its visitor center looks out over the Kentucky River. It is a short drive from Frankfort, so it fits easily into a weekend that also includes a cruise. The distillery is part of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail®, and the hilltop setting shows why early distillers liked the river valley.
Distilleries in the Creek Valleys Near Frankfort
If you’re mapping out a bourbon trip from Frankfort, look beyond the distilleries directly along the Kentucky River. Several nearby stops sit in the surrounding valleys and offer their own connection to Central Kentucky’s bourbon history.
Castle & Key is in Millville, on the restored grounds of the Old Taylor Distillery. Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor Jr. built the original distillery in 1887. Glenns Creek Distilling now operates at the former Old Crow site, while Benson Valley Bourbon produces bourbon at the old Kennebec property using limestone spring water.
None of these locations is directly on the river, but they fit naturally into a Frankfort-area bourbon itinerary. A cruise gives you a different view of the region, taking you through the waterways and landscape that supported Kentucky’s early distilling communities.
Take a Bourbon Boat Tour in Kentucky
The best way to connect all these stops is a bourbon boat tour that Kentucky visitors will not find anywhere else. Kentucky River Tours offers a unique, one-of-a-kind way to see the Bourbon Trail™ from the water, and you can't find this anywhere else.
You can pair a cruise with a tasting on our River Tour and Taste or our Bourbon and Boats experience. Our season runs May through October, so plan ahead for 2027 with our seasonal guide and our tips for things to do in Frankfort. Stay close to the water at The River House or browse our overnight stays.
Kentucky River Tours is based in Frankfort, Kentucky, serving Kentuckians and visitors alike. Book your tour today!