I've been to a few distilleries during my visit to bardstown but this one was pretty good. our tour guide Laura was very informative , funny and kept the tour going very well . of course the tour is free which is unusual for most distilleries today. good small gift shop and a worthwhile stop. I wasn't too familiar with the Barton brand and product but now I am and I'm glad I went by. Glad to hear that privately owned by a wealthy louisville family that continues to reinvest back into the brand and product and the employees. read more

Barton 1792 Distillery - Fermenting tanks - Distilleries Near Me - Bardstown, Kentucky

We were lucky to go for a tasting with chocolates a few years ago but there are no tastings now. They have permanently closed this place.

Really had a great tour here. loved the tasting room and that staff was so awesome. Its a must when in the area

Went today 8/8 as we are here for a long weekend. Tasting room, gift shop and tours closed. Nothing on website. Why? Disappointed

Tours closed. Big sign outside says tour closed to public. An old guy sits in the window of the security shack. We consider getting out to enquire, as the website shows them open. He sternly points to the sign.. can't be bothered to come out and offer a little conversation or clarification. Lousy customer service. Who hires an 80 year old plus security guard? read more

Barton 1792 Distillery - CLOSED FOR TOURS - Distilleries Near Me - Bardstown, Kentucky

First, I'll try not to repeat what several other reviews have mentioned, but I will say that Barton 1792 distillery is one of our go-to distilleries when family and friends visit from out of state. For one, it is free, and the tour is just as in-depth as the other Kentucky distilleries that require payment. Most importantly, if you're planning on doing more than two distilleries in one day, plan on getting up early, especially if you're coming from Louisville, Cincinnati, or Lexington. Furthermore, don't even think of using Uber or Lyft; if you've flown into one of the cities mentioned above, just rent a car. Since gas has risen over the last few months, it would be wise to stay in Louisville two nights and then Lexington for two nights instead of driving out further from either city, but that's my opinion for non-Kentuckians. We usually start from Lexington around 9 AM and hit Woodford Reserve, Four Roses, and Barton 1792. Sometimes, we will do Buffalo Trace, Four Roses, and Barton 1792. On a side note, during my recent business trip to Memphis, someone overheard that I was from Kentucky; he immediately asked me about the distilleries and the bourbon trail. He was specifically looking for Pappy Van Winkle and Blanton's bourbon distilleries. I advised him that there are brand names under different distilleries. Finally, if you're hunting for a Kentucky Bourbon Trail map, go to google and type in - bourbon trail pdf. You'll get several hits for pdf files to download. read more

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This visit almost couldn't be bad. 1792 is a good whiskey, and, as a Sazerac owned distillery, the tour and tasting here are free. If your schedule allows, there's no reason not to pay this distillery a visit. Every tour I've done on the bourbon trail has been different. This one is on the casual end and is fairly industrial. Prepare to spend some time outside, and, ladies, this might not be the tour for delicate heels. Our tour guide told us that she was pretty new to the job, but she was obviously well trained and well informed. You get to see a lot of the process, get into a rickhouse, can try the white dog, and it's followed up by a nice tasting. read more

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This tour is mostly outside, so plan accordingly if you're coming during a day that is hot!!! Stand tour, we see production, ingredients, barrels. One thing that stood out here is that we got to taste moonshine! Tasting was 3-4 with a chocolate as well. No cocktail bar here, and the gift shop was small.. so nothing too hoop la, but we did get a good educational session! read more

Barton 1792 Distillery - Distilleries Near Me - Bardstown, Kentucky

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This is a major disappointment. I went to bardstown this past weekend and this was high on my list. I get there. Nope. They just turn u away. I spoke with someone later. Apparently a few yrs ago they had issues with a rickhouse and their tour. But on website nothing. I from now on will not buy their products read more

The fourth distillery stop on our tour of the Bourbon Capital of the World, Barton 1792 was a fun one. The big reason we went was to take a tour of their distillery grounds and check out where they produce and distill the whiskey, as well as black-painted rickhouses that store the barrels aging the whiskey. If you enjoy whiskey and want to know how a distillery produces it, you will want to check out Barton 1792 because they deliver. Located just outside of downtown Bardstown, Barton 1792 is recognizable from the road due to their black-painted rickhouses that store the barrels aging their whiskey. The property itself is huge to where when you do take the tour, you have to drive your car from the gift shop to the destination beyond their black gates, weaving and winding on the narrow road to a parking lot in front of one of the production plants. Producing whiskey is an enormous operation, and Barton 1792 has it mastered certainly. During our tour, we went to Warehouse H, one of the rickhouses where they age the barrels of whiskey. Hearing our guide explain the process and be up close to the barrels was neat and insightful. One of the topics of discussion was a display showcasing the different levels of a 9f charred barrel used for aging whiskey. From there, we went and peered inside the production plant that included the mash cooker and distilling areas. Seeing the endless pipes and cylinders and other containers comprising grain, corn, and rye for making the whiskey was terrific. Our tour concluded at the visitor center where we had a complimentary tasting of Very Old Barton 80 proof, 1792 Small Batch, and Barton's Bourbon Ball liqueur. I was impressed with how well the VOB 80 drank for the pricepoint that I bought a bottle of it since they don't sell it retail in Florida. Additionally, Barton's Bourbon Ball liqueur was delicious, especially when paired with the homemade chocolate bourbon balls. When I discovered that was only available on-site at the distillery for sale, I bought a bottle of that too. Overall, touring the distillery was awesome. For a whiskey connoisseur like I, it was a terrific experience. read more

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It's CLOSED!!! Not open to the public!!!!! It was so disappointing. Google should really update their site. read more

Fun tour with a very knowledgeable guide. They are pumping out ALOT of bourbon here. It was cool to see the whole operation in full swing. Even got to see trucks delivering literal tons of corn. Gift shop was kinda meh. read more

Barton 1792 Distillery - Distilleries Near Me - Bardstown, Kentucky

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Can't beat their bourbon for the price. The facility tour is really good too. Some people do not like the smokiness of bourbon. Try their 3 year if that is you. read more

Went there just to check out the visitor center, the visitor center and yours were closed but nothing on yelp, google or their website said that they were closed. "Opens at 10:00 am". I understand being closed but their hours of operation should change on some website. read more

Really nice people working here and the tastings are free plus you get a chocolate. They let our dog stay for the tasting and even gave her a treat read more

Barton 1792 Distillery - Distilleries Near Me - Bardstown, Kentucky

Drop this one from your list. Staff was extremely rude to our tour guide and refused to acknowledge we had reservations despite evidence - a confirmation number and booking - to the contrary. Plenty of friendly, top shelf places to go so this ones off our list permanently. Really a shocking difference to every other place we've been. Wow. read more

Tony and I could smell the sweet lingering aroma of the distillery before we actually found it. Just loved the black warehouse buildings of the distillery compound against the area backdrop of nature...just seemed to fit..It would make a great photo for a jigsaw puzzle. The guard at the gate checked us in and directed us to the visitors center and parking. The tour of the distillery along with the Bourbon whiskey tasting was FREE...yes FREE! At the front desk they gave us 2 barrel taps or plugs as our ticket. One said Barton's and the other a large B. Both made of poplar wood, even though the barrels are made and have to be by law made from White Oak. Our tour guide was very nice. She gave us a history of the distillery, owners, timeframes, etc. Then she took us to the grains house where the corn, barley, rye and wheat is brought in by the huge rigs. Then she showed us the cookers and the mash house and stills. She also gave us a drink of 160 proof "white dog", it is pure grain alcohol before going into the barrels to hibernate for the next 7 to 10 yrs. Then she walked us over to a warehouse. They have 28 warehouses on the property, some of them over 100 yrs old. Each warehouse stores over 20,000 barrels of golden aging yum-yum!!! The warehouses are 7 stories tall, each barrel weighs 550 lbs and contains 51 gallons of warm mellowing elixir that makes your body immediately warm and glow with each sip. Then she took us for the FREE TASTING!!! Here we received 4 shots, one of "Very Old Barton", then she poured "1792", then she gave us some bourbon balls from Muth's Candies from Louisville, very good and also FREE, I had 3...lol!!! Then she poured the "Zachariah Harris Eggnog" finishing off with "Chocolate Bourbon Ball" they were all good so we got five shots total and the candies...Very nice and all FREE!!! read more

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Barton 1792 offers free tours and tastings. Things we did not know (which says a lot because we've been to a ton of distilleries): 1 - they cook their rye and corn together 2 - they're owned by the same group that owns Buffalo Trace 3 - their tanks are open to the elements outside to reduce the amount of CO2 inside the building The tour and tasting together take about an hour. You taste both the Old Barton 80 proof and 1792, plus their bourbon ball cream. We bought the latter because it's only available at the distillery. It's like Buffalo Cream, with a light chocolate flavor. When you drive onto the property, you check in with a security guard who notes all of your details. You'll then follow the guard down to the visitor's center. It's easier getting off property, but trust us - you'll be glad for the guard's help in finding your way through the buildings on your first visit. read more

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This review is purely on the tasting room alone and does not contain any information about the tours they offer. Barton 1792 certainly has that industrial manufacturing feel when you enter the property. Located in the heart of Bourbon Country, Bardstown, KY, they offer a small tasting that will wet your bourbon pallet with a few of their readily available bourbon blends. The girl who hosted the tasting seemed to love her job and she enjoyed working with people. The samples were good, I couldn't have one because it contained cream, but she made a point that what we were tasting is available for purchase in the gift shop, but was likely also available at most stores who sell liqour. Being one of the oldest facilities I would consider doing the tour next time around, but didn't this time as it was not part of the itinerary for the bus trip. the gift shop is fairly small, but they pack a lot collectibles for people to purchase and take hime with them. read more

The Estate Tour is excellent. The tour takes you through all of the production steps. The process and history of the facility are interesting. The tour guides are knowledgeable and the tasting is interactive. The tour is free. read more

Barton 1792 Distillery - Distilleries Near Me - Bardstown, Kentucky

Really small distillery. Need better signs to visitors center as you have to drive by around trucks. Bourbon is pretty cheap.

Highly recommend this "free" tour. I've been on a couple other bourbon/whiskey tours in the past, yet this far exceeded them. Our tour guy, Kyle, was absolutely amazing and so informative. He had so much more information than expected. Our group had lots of different questions which he provided detailed answers to. The sampling was great, too. Real happy we decided to come by for the tour. Best ever. Thanks, Kyle! read more

This was my second favorite distillery visited. All the staff were super friendly. Of course I would be also if I was slinging whiskey all day. The tasting was great fun and the free chocolate didn't hurt. 1792 is potent. Highly recommend a visit and tasting. read more

Barton 1792 Distillery - Distilleries Near Me - Bardstown, Kentucky

Barton 1792 offers a free tasting. We liked the casual atmosphere and style of the tasting by the guide. They have a specialty chocolate with their bourbon that is absolutely amazing! This was one of our favorite stops on the trail! read more

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Been to many of the distilleries in Kentucky, but this is the best. OK this is not the most attractive, elite location, but the history, the free tour and tasting, combined with the great employees (Rick was our guide.... first rate!) Make this the absolute best. You are given a barrel tap as your ticket for the tastings and then latter stamped with the date as a souvenir. You get several tastings, chocolate, a liqueur, and a taste of the 160 proof "white dog" on the tour. And, did I mention the World's Largest Bourbon Barrel in the beautiful picnic area in the back? Ding - ding - ding, winner, winner chicken diner. ... Barton 1792 Distillery is #1 read more

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A free tour and free drink by itself merits a good review, but I think they have several other things going for them here. I think this distillery only began offering tours in May, so we weren't dealing with big crowds. And the gift shop, like the tour, is pretty no-nonsense. Not a lot of mythology or hyperbole or propaganda films. Just trinkets and a tasting bar. It's also something of a plus that you can now get a good bourbon tour without getting lost in the countryside. This one-hour tour takes you through the warehouses and the bottling facility. The bottling operation is huge - they do a lot of contract bottling for other products - and is probably the highlight of the tour. At the end, you get a couple of free tastings (bring your own chaser), and we got a complementary souvenir bung and bourbon ball. The only real negatives: no babbling brooks and charming countryside. You're walking through parking lots. Also, I think we blew it by coming in the summer, since the distilling operation shuts down for the summer months. And it's not exactly artisanal stuff happening here. This is a *factory* show, and a massive one at that. Finally, note that it's not an official stop on the 'Bourbon Trail' yet either. read more

Barton 1792 Distillery - Distilleries Near Me - Bardstown, Kentucky

This place is awesome. One of the Kentucky Bourbon Craft Tours. Tasting and tour was free. They took us on a 30-45 minute tour through their buildings, the making of their bourbon, and the warehouse. My favorite was the 1792 Bourbon, but I ended up buying a bottle of Very Old Barton's Bourbon because it was slight similar in taste and cheaper. I would highly recommend visiting. The employees are very energetic and very knowledgeable. read more

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We didn't have time to do the full tour but we did have time to stop in for a free tasting! We were able to taste two burbons and one burbon liquor and they were all fantastic! We were even given a burbon ball at the end, yum! The best part is that you don't have to show up at a specific time for the tasting, they'll accommodate you as you arrive. read more

Barton 1792 Distillery - Distilleries Near Me - Bardstown, Kentucky

Personally, I consider this one of the top distilleries to visit on the "bourbon trail". It might not be as bougie as some other's on the list but I personally don't need the glitz and glamor. What I appreciate is teh authenticity of this place and I don't judge it based on its gift shop. 1792/Old Barton is steeped in bourbon history and has that old world charm I am craving when visiting distilleries. As a local Kentuckian I've been to dozens of distilleries, large and small, and this place has the right amount of southern charm and authenticity - not to mention a great product at a real value in the ever saturated bourbon market. I've selected several 1792 Full Proof, single barrels, and the selection process and subsequent tours are always a blast, from our host to their products - 1792 has never disappointed me! read more

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We only stopped by to taste their bourbon. Only to find out they are closing their doors to tours, gift shop and tasting area. The bourbon was so so. read more

Great tour. Great tour guide. Lots of climbing for those disabled. It was interesting to see the different stages of distilling and to see the products they finished with. I'm not a fan of whiskeys with Rye and all of theirs had Rye. But the tour was awesome. I thought it was interesting what he answered when I asked about all of the trees covered with fungus. He said the black fungus is because they thrive on the exhaust from The Distillery. He said that it's very expensive 2 get this fungus off the trees so instead they pay a fine to the EPA every year. So I guess the fees are not sufficient because I was not very happy to hear this how they're destroying the environment and simply choose to pay the fees. The other thing I did not like was he asked us if we wanted to take one of the matches or something like that. And we said yeah so he dipped this long handle Cup in there and brought some out. He wanted us to all Dipper fingers in the same cup one at a time after we just all had our hands on the railings coming up two and a half or three stories. I was the first person and I used my pinky so I was okay with it but if I had to have been the first person I would not have tasted something everybody else had their fingers in. Something's here are just not cool. I prefer the Maker's Mark Distillery. They are even more incredible. read more

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Tried to take the tour this morning but as they are still wearing masks and so will you on the tour, we opted out! Follow the science please! Unfortunately, I can't say anything out their bourbon and as I have to leave stars to post I will give it 3 to be fair. read more

This distillery is hectic and unfriendly. But we got that vibe all over Bardstown. I grew up outside of Louisville and I can't believe the attitudes around this town. Between the drivers and the craziness of this distillery, this wasn't a pleasant experience. The Whiskey is tasty, I'd give that 5 stars but there's a lot of good Whiskey out there. We had a much better experience at Buffalo Trace, Makers Mark, Four Roses... no thanks!! read more

We spontaneously visited Barton 1792 Distillery while driving through Bardstown. The tours and tastings are FREE, which by the way after visiting many distilleries, may be the only or one of a few distilleries who offer such a sweet deal. The security guard at the gate who checked us in was so friendly as were the staff at the gift shop/tasting room. We didn't have time for a tour, but we did have a tasting, which includes two bourbons and the chocolate bourbon ball liquor. The liquor is only offered at the distillery and wow is it devine...not overly heavy, but creamy and full of flavor. We also very much enjoyed the bourbons (1792 and Very Old Barton) as well as the bourbon ball chocolate that accompanied them. Barton 1792 is not on the official bourbon trail, but it is very close to Heaven Hill and Willett Distilleries and is most certainly worth a quick visit for a tasting and hopefully a tour should you have the time. read more

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This was one of the last distilleries in the area that I hadn't been to. It's about five miles from downtown Bardstown and close to Heaven Hill and Willett Distilleries... you could definitely hit all three while you're in Bardstown. Barton's isn't actually on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. I'm not sure what it takes for a distillery to be officially on the trail, but this one isn't lacking what most distilleries on the trail have. The tours here are free and all of the ones that I've been to on the trail charge a small tour rate... so maybe that's it. When you pull up, you have to check-in with the guard. Then you park near the visitor center/gift shop/tasting room. We were there on a Saturday and the last tour started at 3:00. That tour was "full" mostly because there was a tour bus full of people on that tour. Luckily two of those people opted not to walk the tour, so we were able to squeeze in. The tour started on the porch area of the visitors center. There the lady guiding the group started telling us about the history of the place, which is owned by Sazarak/Seagrams. More than just bourbon makes it's way to the facilities to be bottled. In the end, we made our way back to the visitors center and capped it off with a tasting. I have to always mention, the Kentucky liquor laws are very strict and they limit all of the tasting consumption at all of our distilleries. You get two tiny pours and a chocolate bourbon ball. The first pour was Small Batch, which I didn't care too much for. The second pour was a Chocolate Bourbon Ball bourbon cream, which I loved. The guide said that you can only buy it there. Of course I had to snag a few bottles. She lied though, because I spotted it in Lexington at my favorite liquor store. I wouldn't recommend the tour to anyone with mobility issues though. It requires a lot of standing, walking a stairs. Willet still remains my favorite Bardstown distillery... so don't miss that one if you find yourself here. read more

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This was the VERY first distillery we went to on our bourbon trip. We didn't take a tour at this stop, so I can't touch on that! They had a beautiful patio out front, and a sweet little gift shop (very small though). This distillery was rich in history and had some trinkets to show. We did do a tasting which was awesome, it included the main bourbons they distilled, as well as a dessert liquor, AND a bourbon ball. If you haven't had a bourbon ball, welcome to kentucky, theirs was really good. The woman leading the taste did a great job of explaining each bourbon and giving a history of each. Overall, it was a good start to any bourbon trip. I'm not going to say it was the best distillary on the bourbon trail, or anything super special, because it did fade into the rest, but it wasn't a bad experience! read more

We had not planned ahead so we were unable to take a distillery tour but decided to stop in the visitor center anyway. Cyndi was so welcoming and we were able to get a tasting where everything we tasted was better than the last. Doris was awesome in her explanations. Don't miss this place. Great experience. read more

Barton 1792 Distillery - Barton - Distilleries Near Me - Bardstown, Kentucky

A great tour of a historic distillery, you can't beat a complimentary tour and tasting of such a historic distillery. The people are friendly and knowledgeable and the tours just long enough in the Kentucky heat. I can stop here with visiting Daly or friend and still make another distillery near by. read more

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Tour was excellent very in depth went from where the grain first comes in all the way to the finish product and sampling we have been to a few different distillery's and this was of my favorite the guide was excellent and funny the best of all it was all free could not believe it so glad we went read more

Barton 1792 Distillery - Distilleries Near Me - Bardstown, Kentucky

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Tastings and tours are free! We appreciated that we could do a tasting only and that it was a nice representation of their product. We tried the 1792, Very Old Barton, the eggnog and the Chocolate Bourbon Ball cream liqueur. This is a great way to sell those last two products since they are only available on site and are at a good price point. The staff was friendly and pleasant to talk to. We are glad we stopped by. read more