The Trail Hotel Just Upped the Ante for Accommodations on Kentucky's Bourbon Trail

Immersive bourbon experiences at The Trail Hotel

Photo courtesy The Trail Hotel

Perhaps the most luxurious service available at The Trail Hotel, the Bourbon Butler acts as your personal liaison between Bardstown’s liquor businesses. Drop them a note over email ahead of arrival to rustle up a bespoke itinerary across distilleries, farms, and restaurants. The hotel runs shared half-day and full-day bourbon tours while private excursions combine tastings with a spot of golf or horseback riding.

Closer to home, the Bourbon and Bunkers at The Trail Hotel stages a refined golfing experience with a private bar stocked with Kentucky bourbons. Continue the conversation at Bourbon Alley, an al fresco cigar lounge with private fire pits, Adirondack chairs, and premium cocktails. Of course, it wouldn’t be a bona fide whisky-themed hotel without some moonshine splashed into a craft cocktail. Get into cahoots with the front desk and you might find yourself on the list for the Speakeasy-styled Bourbon Vault.

Photo courtesy The Trail Hotel

It’s not all booze; take the pressure off your liver at the hotel’s signature restaurant, Oak & Ember, where Southern fare gets a posh twist. You’ll be in safe hands with steak frites or mellowing out over the single barrel seafood platter. When that inevitable hangover makes itself known, a trip to the Rejuvenation Room will soon righten a sore head. This wellness center has IV Therapy stations and an oxygen bar to courteously see away the telltale signs of one too many. Otherwise, a three-minute cryotherapy session provides a speedy reset after a night on the liquor and works wonders for overall health.

Bourbon-themed accommodation at The Trail Hotel

Photo courtesy The Trail Hotel

Out of the 95 guest rooms, eight unique suites are themed around Kentucky’s bourbon production and heritage. The Still Suite pays homage to copper’s role in the distillation process whereas Cooperage Suite celebrates the white oak vessels favored for barrelling in Kentucky. Besides being beautifully attired for a relaxing weekend away, these suites furnish your stay with an education on Bourbon Country’s history through vintage photography and relics. Standard rooms follow a similar aesthetic to the suites with wood-paneled walls, springy carpets, and chic bathrooms.

The best rooms have patios or direct access to the resort-style pool, which has loungers and poolside service. Non-guests are welcome to swim, subject to a fee, which means you might even pick up some insider recommendations from the hospitable local community.

Other bourbon experiences in Bardstown

Photo courtesy The Trail Hotel

It would be easy to spend the whole trip lounging by the pool and working your way through the hotel’s bourbon menu. But, seeing as this small town has the world’s highest concentration of bourbon distilleries on its doorstep, you’ll want to get out and see how Bardstown’s mixologists are interpreting the goods.

Owned and managed by Bardstown-born Whitney Rye, The Parlor Room is a cherished downtown watering hole offering intimate tastings and masterclasses rooted in storytelling. Rye curates her workshops with care, covering pioneers from bourbon’s local heritage and reimagining classic cocktails. Featured pours include the likes of Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel and Weller Special Reserve. Budding bourbon enthusiasts and connoisseurs alike are welcome.

Cocktails are presented with theatrics at Liam Ash Cocktail Emporium. Expect your libation – most but not all are bourbon-based – to appear from a cloud of smoke or with a fiery finish. And if you’re not afraid of getting your hands peaty, Bardstown Bourbon Company runs sensory blending classes where you’ll create your own water of life to take home as a memento of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

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