Experience The Spirit Of Kentucky Along The Whisky Trail

For a vacation experience that is enjoyable and educational in equal measures, stay at the full-service Hampton Inn Elizabethtown Kentucky Hotel and explore the American whisky trail. If you appreciate Kentucky bourbon, a guided tour and tasting session at a working distillery is an experience you won't want to miss. But why settle for just one? There are seven distilleries within 25 miles of Elizabethtown, plus a bourbon heritage center and a whisky museum.

Wild Turkey is a brand with a worldwide reputation. It is produced in scenic Lawrenceburg in a cliff top distillery overlooking the Kentucky river. You can observe every aspect of whisky production on guided tours through the facilities. Watch the fermentation process and taste the mash straight from the vat. See how the bourbon is distilled and sample the raw spirit. Learn how Wild Turkey is aged, blended and bottled.

Jim Beam is the world's best selling bourbon. Visit the historic home of T. Jeremiah Beam in Clarmont where the legend began. Tour the grounds and rackhouse then move on to the tasting venue. There you can savour the flavors of two exceptional bourbons while learning how Beam's premium whiskies are crafted. At the Jim Beam store you can purchase your own distinctive bottle hand signed by the distiller.

Bardstown is billed as the bourbon capital of the world and is a prime destination for whisky lovers. The Heaven Hill Distilleries Bourbon Heritage Center tells the story of Kentucky whisky through interactive exhibits and their hosts will lead you in a bourbon tasting session. The Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History holds a collection of antique whisky paraphernalia including a moonshine still. The Historic Tom Moore Distillery offer guided tours to the public.

Maker's Mark in Loretto has the distinction of being a National Historic Landmark. Dating back to 1805, it is the oldest distillery in the US still in use on its original site. The visitor's center is located in the master distiller's house built in 1840. On the tour you can see whisky being made the old fashioned way. Grain is crushed in an old roller mill and sour mash ferments in giant cypress vats, used before the invention of stainless steel.

If you're interested in history and architecture, you'll want to tour some of the smaller distilleries in the area. Four Roses distillery, built in 1910, is on the national register of historic places. Located in the countryside of Lawrenceburg, near the banks of the Salt River, it is built in Spanish Mission style. Buffalo Trace in Frankfort features hundred year old warehouses and a unique steam assisted aging process. Woodford Reserve in the bluegrass region of Versailles offers both a bourbon discovery tour and a national landmark tour.

After a full day on the whisky trail, you'll be glad to return to the comfort of the Hampton Inn Elizabethtown Kentucky Hotel. Relax with a swim in the heated indoor pool or burn off those bourbon calories in the fitness center. In your room you can unwind in front of a 32-inch HD television, use the internet to email people back home or make yourself a cup of coffee. You'll sleep soundly in luxurious Cloud Nine bedding. In the morning, take advantage of the complementary hot breakfast buffet before setting out on another whisky adventure.