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Great tour and interesting collabs in the gift shop. We loved our tour guide and the property is beautiful. You can understand why they hold weddings on property.
Great tour and wonderful grounds, the $40 tour fee is high, but it was about an hour very informative. Awesome distillery, old castle with everything inside to distill. Lovely garden and the history was very interesting. Local food truck and small bar, tons of outdoor seating.
This place is friendly, fun, & the ambiance is breath taking. Michelle & Tamara were awesome they went far beyond normal customer service and very welcoming. The old fashion was on point
The staff at Castle & Key were friendly and helpful. My husband scheduled a testing and took home a couple favorites while I walked the grounds. The garden is beautiful and peaceful. It's a place to sit and relax while enjoying a drink. I do t drink bourbon so I had a martini espresso ($14). I would have to pass on it the next time. It was in a small plastic cup loaded with ice. It must have been a premix. If you took the ice out you got about a 1 oz drink and I'm not sure if there was vodka in it.
I did the explorer pass instead of the full guided tour. The guides were very knowledgeable. I was still able to go through much of the grounds on my own after seeing a bit of the inside of castle and gardens. The bourbon is good, but I think is a little overpriced. This could be a personal preference based on my small collection.
Although the bourbon wasn't my favorite, the property and service is excellent! This bourbon is young and I think it just needs more time. It's not horrible, it's just the completion is super steep. Buffalo Trace and Woodford Reserve is just down the road. However, in terms of property, this place is gorgeous. Even if you aren't a bourbon drinker, you'd love this spot. I tried out a small flight of the recommend bourbons. I enjoyed them, but for the price, I'm not sure I'd invest. At least, not at this time. But don't rule them out, I think they have a good thing in the making. This old abandoned E.H. Taylor Distillery has some potential. I'd recommend you go to Buffalo Trace early to catch the special bottles, then maybe hit Woodford Reserve. After that, go enjoy the grounds and tour of the Castle & Key Distillery. Then, head down the road to The Stave restaurant. It's a great spot with some great food.
Castle & Key is one of those places you truly have to see to believe. We signed up for The Distillery Experience, which turned out to be a fantastic tour of the historic 1800s castle--now filled with modern distilling equipment. It's an impressive blend of old and new. Our tour guide, originally from South Philadelphia, was excellent--and yes, our group gladly filled in the song lyrics when the moment arose. It made the tour even more fun. As great as the guide and the history were, I was really there for the bourbon. At the end of the tour, we sampled several of Castle & Key's offerings. Like most tastings I've attended, the toughest part was choosing a favorite--they were all solid. Afterward, we headed to the gift shop, where my wife once again found a handful of must-have items. Castle & Key is one distillery you do not want to skip. If you miss it, you miss a lot.
We first tried to visit in 2021 on a day the distillery was closed. When they visited the Dayton Art Institute Bourbon event, we chatted with them and decided to visit when we were planning to be in Louisville. I am glad we made it back (December 2025) and it will be a place we visit again. The tour was fantastic, we were able to see many aspects of the distillery and our guide was able to answer questions we had about the process and history of Castle & Key. Even though it was December, we took a stroll outside with fantastic Bloody Mary's from the bar. The waterside is pretty and the old truck was drawing a lot of attention for pictures. We purchased some of that spicy Bloody Mary mix and some other goodies from the gift shop. I cannot wait to visit again!
People at home told us we HAD to come here while we're in town! I'm glad they did! It is an absolutely beautiful place. The buildings are old and not everything looks great. But the grounds! We walked the botanical trail and all around the place - except where we weren't allowed. It's very scenic. We didn't get drinks - the line was constantly long, plus we had a bit of a drive back to our hotel in the city. The only food came there came from food trucks. It took 45 minutes to get lunch. I wish there were other options. I'm not a fan of food trucks because they do take a long time and there were so many people trying to get some lunch. Other than the frustration of trying to get some food, it was very nice!
Beautiful place. Would recommend going there. I like the gin. Did not do a tour but it would be worth the stop.
We pulled up to a lovely location with absolutely gorgeous grounds to explore. It was quite cold out and we were a little surprised that their were no heaters or covered fire pits. The gift shop is huge, with adorable seasonal lighting, and lots to choose from. My friend and I have a slightly more alternative style, so it wasn't for us. But a great place in general to shop for most people. Unfortunately, the cocktails were wildly disappointing. And with this being a distillery and all, we just couldn't get past that. First we ordered an espresso martini. They poured it out of a keg over ice. Okay, sure. As long as it's good, that's fine. But my gosh! It was so syrupy. It really just tasted like kahlua over ice. Had no nuance. I actually couldn't take more than a sip. My friend also strongly disliked it, but she forced hers down (what a champ.) I actually went back and politely asked if I could just have gin and tonic instead. The bartender was very sweet and said no problem. And then, she poured a gin and tonic from the tap. I was shooketh. How is a gin distillery not pouring fresh gin and tonics? The cocktail was way better than the "espresso martini" but it was very sour and tasted mostly of citrus, but not fresh citrus, more like a really good sour mix. I could hardly taste the gin. I like gin! That's why I came here. So I found that odd. A great gin and tonic has a hint of citrus from a fresh lime slice or wedge, but the main flavors should be whatever botanicals you are featuring in your gin and the subtle bubbly bitter of tonic. Maybe this is how they make sure to provide great service to large crowds? I get that... but it just didn't hit the mark for us.
After seeing all the rave reviews for this distillery, we decided to schedule a late-afternoon tour, and I'm so glad we did! The property itself is absolutely beautiful, and our tour guide, Cristy, was incredibly knowledgeable and informative. Before we got started, she made sure to go over important safety tips, which I really appreciated. I will say, out of all the distillery tours I've been on, this one was definitely the most challenging physically. If you're bringing older adults or anyone with limited mobility, just keep in mind that there are some tight spaces, steps, and stairs throughout the tour. At the end of the tour, we were led into a speakeasy-style tasting room, which was such a neat atmosphere! Our tasting included several samples, chocolate, and an Old Fashioned. After the tasting, we were taken through to the gift shop, which had some unique souvenirs. We decided to grab a few drinks at the bar and hang out for a bit before heading out. Surprisingly, Cristy was there to greet us again and even gave us some great drink recommendations! Overall, we definitely recommend the experience! Just be mindful of the physical demands of the tour if you or someone in your group has limited mobility. read more
This place is way too big and touristy for a memorable tasting experience if that's your goal. However, the buildings are significant historically and architecturally so it's worth a visit. So big in fact that the parking lot is across the street. It was very crowded. I parked and walked over to explore the extensive grounds. Many of the buildings are old, the castle dating from 1887, with distilling at the location since 1819, with an 18 year break from the start of Prohibition, and an even longer break from 1972-2016. The site deteriorated greatly during this time until the Old Taylor site was restored and became Castle&Key. The castle and several other buildings are now fully restored, with the castle serving as the main visitor area. Inside the castle it was bustling with tourists so I left after a short wander. There are at least three places to sample spirits here: inside the castle building, in a covered bar patio outside, and a tiny stand-up bar in the patio in front of the castle. That's where I went. I chose two 1/2-ounce pours from the 10 available (bourbons, ryes, gins, and a vodka) for a reasonable $4 each and sat at a nearby table. The Restoration Rye and the standard Small Batch Bourbon were both decent but I wasn't motivated to buy a bottle. There's no cell service here but they supposedly have wifi. However it wasn't working and nobody I asked seemed to know why or for how long. Unacceptable for such a large, touristy place. As I said, the main draw is the buildings and the history behind this place. The site was striking architecturally, the old buildings of various types, from the vine-covered stone castle, metal industrial buildings with pipes running overhead, and an old rusting water tower probably no longer used, with any new buildings thoughtfully placed so as not to detract from the historical ones. And the grounds themselves were very pretty, flowers lining the walkways, some formal gardens, a rushing river overflowing a dam forming one boundary opposite the road side. Walk up the road a bit and you'll discover even more ruins. Not part of Castle&Key anymore but part of the original Old Taylor site as well. I love old ruins and found these striking. And just past these ruins is another distillery, Glenn's Creek. Check it out too but beware: it's a very different experience and may not appeal to everyone. read more
1 month ago
In a word, this venue is "unique". In the world of distilleries and distillers, a destination worth the trip. Once a distillery over a hundred years ago and defunct, reborn into the 21st century. Spirits distilled from inside a real Scottish castle is not something available anywhere else. The grounds are well kept, including many of the original buildings and grounds. I did a tour. Cristi was my guide. Enthusiastic and knowledgeable would be my description of her tour. The downside is the spirits weren't particularly favorites but they were well made and well packaged. I'm intentionally leaving many details out as I don't want to be a spoiler! Go, try this place out! It's truly one of a kind. read more
Great tour and wonderful grounds, the $40 tour fee is high, but it was about an hour very informative. Awesome distillery, old castle with everything inside to distill. Lovely garden and the history was very interesting. Local food truck and small bar, tons of outdoor seating. read more
The staff at Castle & Key were friendly and helpful. My husband scheduled a testing and took home a couple favorites while I walked the grounds. The garden is beautiful and peaceful. It's a place to sit and relax while enjoying a drink. I do t drink bourbon so I had a martini espresso ($14). I would have to pass on it the next time. It was in a small plastic cup loaded with ice. It must have been a premix. If you took the ice out you got about a 1 oz drink and I'm not sure if there was vodka in it. read more
I did the explorer pass instead of the full guided tour. The guides were very knowledgeable. I was still able to go through much of the grounds on my own after seeing a bit of the inside of castle and gardens. The bourbon is good, but I think is a little overpriced. This could be a personal preference based on my small collection. read more
Although the bourbon wasn't my favorite, the property and service is excellent! This bourbon is young and I think it just needs more time. It's not horrible, it's just the completion is super steep. Buffalo Trace and Woodford Reserve is just down the road. However, in terms of property, this place is gorgeous. Even if you aren't a bourbon drinker, you'd love this spot. I tried out a small flight of the recommend bourbons. I enjoyed them, but for the price, I'm not sure I'd invest. At least, not at this time. But don't rule them out, I think they have a good thing in the making. This old abandoned E.H. Taylor Distillery has some potential. I'd recommend you go to Buffalo Trace early to catch the special bottles, then maybe hit Woodford Reserve. After that, go enjoy the grounds and tour of the Castle & Key Distillery. Then, head down the road to The Stave restaurant. It's a great spot with some great food. read more
6 days ago
Worth the visit! Beautiful location and amazing hosts! Tasting was awesome. Try the gin too! read more
13 days ago
Great grounds, tour and spirits. Had a great time on the tour with Michael. The Rye was my favorite but the gin was a surprise star too. Don't miss the Bourbon Bloody Mary. read more
Castle & Key is one of those places you truly have to see to believe. We signed up for The Distillery Experience, which turned out to be a fantastic tour of the historic 1800s castle--now filled with modern distilling equipment. It's an impressive blend of old and new. Our tour guide, originally from South Philadelphia, was excellent--and yes, our group gladly filled in the song lyrics when the moment arose. It made the tour even more fun. As great as the guide and the history were, I was really there for the bourbon. At the end of the tour, we sampled several of Castle & Key's offerings. Like most tastings I've attended, the toughest part was choosing a favorite--they were all solid. Afterward, we headed to the gift shop, where my wife once again found a handful of must-have items. Castle & Key is one distillery you do not want to skip. If you miss it, you miss a lot. read more
10 months ago
We first tried to visit in 2021 on a day the distillery was closed. When they visited the Dayton Art Institute Bourbon event, we chatted with them and decided to visit when we were planning to be in Louisville. I am glad we made it back (December 2025) and it will be a place we visit again. The tour was fantastic, we were able to see many aspects of the distillery and our guide was able to answer questions we had about the process and history of Castle & Key. Even though it was December, we took a stroll outside with fantastic Bloody Mary's from the bar. The waterside is pretty and the old truck was drawing a lot of attention for pictures. We purchased some of that spicy Bloody Mary mix and some other goodies from the gift shop. I cannot wait to visit again! read more
1 year ago
People at home told us we HAD to come here while we're in town! I'm glad they did! It is an absolutely beautiful place. The buildings are old and not everything looks great. But the grounds! We walked the botanical trail and all around the place - except where we weren't allowed. It's very scenic. We didn't get drinks - the line was constantly long, plus we had a bit of a drive back to our hotel in the city. The only food came there came from food trucks. It took 45 minutes to get lunch. I wish there were other options. I'm not a fan of food trucks because they do take a long time and there were so many people trying to get some lunch. Other than the frustration of trying to get some food, it was very nice! read more
3 months ago
Beautiful place. Would recommend going there. I like the gin. Did not do a tour but it would be worth the stop. read more
We pulled up to a lovely location with absolutely gorgeous grounds to explore. It was quite cold out and we were a little surprised that their were no heaters or covered fire pits. The gift shop is huge, with adorable seasonal lighting, and lots to choose from. My friend and I have a slightly more alternative style, so it wasn't for us. But a great place in general to shop for most people. Unfortunately, the cocktails were wildly disappointing. And with this being a distillery and all, we just couldn't get past that. First we ordered an espresso martini. They poured it out of a keg over ice. Okay, sure. As long as it's good, that's fine. But my gosh! It was so syrupy. It really just tasted like kahlua over ice. Had no nuance. I actually couldn't take more than a sip. My friend also strongly disliked it, but she forced hers down (what a champ.) I actually went back and politely asked if I could just have gin and tonic instead. The bartender was very sweet and said no problem. And then, she poured a gin and tonic from the tap. I was shooketh. How is a gin distillery not pouring fresh gin and tonics? The cocktail was way better than the "espresso martini" but it was very sour and tasted mostly of citrus, but not fresh citrus, more like a really good sour mix. I could hardly taste the gin. I like gin! That's why I came here. So I found that odd. A great gin and tonic has a hint of citrus from a fresh lime slice or wedge, but the main flavors should be whatever botanicals you are featuring in your gin and the subtle bubbly bitter of tonic. Maybe this is how they make sure to provide great service to large crowds? I get that... but it just didn't hit the mark for us. read more
Beautiful grounds and loved seeing the history in the gift shop and spring house. The tasting room is extremely small so we waited for it to clear out since we were visiting with a baby. Spirits were good but not my favorite. Parking was plenty just across the street. Of all the distilleries, this was by far one of the most interesting to see but not the most welcoming in terms of staff. The vodka was the winner here, I still wish I would have done the tasting before going into the gift shop because I would have gotten the vodka over the bourbon. read more
2 months ago
15 days ago
In the area and were told we needed to go here as the grounds just along Glenn's Creek. Sure enough, the grounds are so pretty even with the dismal weather. The castle is what 1st grabs your attention. It's kind of crazy that it's here in kind of the middle of nowhere. We walk in to the store and you get to see all sorts of history. You can check out the old fire places(not too sure if it's even called this when it's that big? Looks like a couple furnaces to me.) Folks working here were super nice. There was a food truck but we weren't hungry. There's a bar. A nice bathroom. We made the mistake of not planning ahead for a tour so just wandered around the grounds that are very well maintained. Very relaxing atmosphere out here and we were betting that this place would be bustling during a warmer, nice day... Fall colors were pretty! read more
We stopped here at the end of our day as part of the craft trail. Absolutely beautiful grounds and campus. We grabbed and drink and enjoyed a walk around. We didn't stay long as they were closing shop. On the way out we stopped by the gift store and it had very good quality products inside. Would definitely come back here again and do a tour. read more
4 months ago
The favorite of all the tours we took. Unique atmosphere, fascinating architecture and friendly staff set it apart from all the others read more
9 months ago
What an educational experience with great tour guide and helpful staff. Loved the grounds and the speakeasy tasting room as well. We shared a flight from the bar and it was enjoyable. read more
5 months ago
Beautiful grounds, friendly staff, great tastings! Staff at Castle and Key were very knowledgeable on bourbon history and history of the property. Would like to meet the master distiller to get bottles signed. read more
1 year ago
We love this place! It is absolutely beautiful, rustic old buildings, photogenic castle, waterfalls and botanical garden are quite lovely. The staff are friendly and engaging. The giftstore had all of the fares from the distillery, plus some Keeneland Racetrack clothing. They have a food truck and the small bar has refreshing mixed drinks and a charcuterie board for sale. The restrooms are very nice and there is a complementary iced water dispenser in the gift store which is a life saver on a super hot Kentucky day. This distillery is a nice place for a couple or a family outing as the kids will love the waterfalls, the picnic area and the lovely botanical garden. You are free to enjoy the property at no cost. There is a tasting room and you can reserve tickets for the distillery tour. This is a must see distillery, among the top most beautiful. read more
3 months ago
Amazing tour, love the history! Beautiful distillery! So glad this place was saved and lovingly restored! read more
1 year ago
Beautiful property, great tour from Meika. She gave us a wonderful in depth history of the property as well as the bourbon distillery. Gift shop had very unique and high end products. Areas outside to "just hang out & enjoy" was wonderful- give yourself some extra time between tours to enjoy the grounds. Overall a great experience. Having food for purchase would have made this an even more enjoyable day. read more
1 month ago
4 months ago
2 years ago
We took a tour and it was very informative about the history of the property. The grounds are beautiful, and see and smelling the mash (smells like bread) was an awesome experience! Also, check out the gift shop. On the tour we tasted their bourbon, rye, along with a bourbon ball (Yum!), and a gin drink. Very much worth the cost of the tour. After our tour we enjoyed a picnic on the grounds, and would definitely recommend doing so, as well as touring the grounds. read more
5 months ago
11 months ago
2 years ago
Bar Review Only! WOW! This smaller distillery is a must visit! My group was impressed with Castle & Key Distillery from start to finish. The distillery itself was tucked away and had an old world charm to it. The grounds are well kept and mix old building architecture with modern uses. We happened in on a Sunday to try some spirit flights and honestly wished we had had time to do a tour. I got the Whiskey Tasting which came with (3) samples. My fiancé got the gin tasting as well. The Small Batch Bourbon was some of the smoothest we tried on our trip! The Rise Gin was the favorite in the bunch as well. Flights and cocktails were very moderately priced and gift shop was fully stocked with items for purchase. All staff members we encountered had a smile on their face and were super accommodating. Make Castle & Key apart of your visit list! It is well worth it! read more
Beautiful distillery! We didn't do a tour, but loved the grounds, the gift shop and Husband loved his tasting of five of theirs. That way he knew which bottle to buy in the gift shop. Just be careful if you're going from place to place to not leave bourbon in a hot car for too long! read more
We visited Castle and Key seeing it on a documentary and it did not disappoint. We were able to sign up for tour on the spot and it was busy. There we're releasing a 7 yr bourbon for the first time. Not knowing much about bourbon the tour was very informative and the grounds were beautiful. Many people appeared to out enjoying the afternoon. There was live music and two food trucks. Everyone we talked to, staff and patrons, were very friendly. If you are in the Lexington area and looking for a distillery to visit this would be a good choice. read more
1 year ago
Gorgeous distillery! This distillery sat unused for 40+ years. It is so impressive what they've done to bring it back to life. And I'm so thankful they did because the grounds are so beautiful. In addition to the tour, they have plenty of outdoor seating where you can drink their product and eat food from a food truck. It is really more than a tour...it's an overall experience. You'll find yourself spending hours here on a nice day. I'll be honest with you. The tour guide wasn't the best, the food from the food truck was marginal, and I don't love their bourbon, but all of that is simply overrun by the environment they've created out here. I'd put it up there with Maker's Mark for the beauty of the surroundings. But when you add to that the bar and outdoor areas to sit you have an incredible place to go and simply get away, I highly recommend. read more
Many of the distilleries have gone to larger, impersonal, gift shops and tasting rooms. Castle and Key still has that magical feeling. Small distillery, but so quaint. The people are all so helpful and so nice. We were invited to shop, or head over to grab a cocktail and bring it back to shop. Which is what we did. The grounds here are beautiful. We did not take a tour as we were short on time. But we will be back. Thank you to Seb and Matt for making our visit special. read more
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Ask the Community - Castle & Key Distillery
Is Castle and Key dog friendly, and where on the property? Thank you
Hi Terri! Thank you so much for inquiring about pets on our property. Castle & Key is responsible for assuring the health and safety of all guests. In keeping with this objective, we do not permit guests to bring their pets on property. We love our…
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