Barton 1792

Kentucky


While Barton has some cool old buildings, it’s more of a straightforward, working distillery than a scenic, museum-y one. The hour-long traditional tour offers the usual glimpse of burbling pots and resting barrels. What’s unusual is the cost: nothing! Tours leave on the hour (plus the half-hour on Saturdays), with the last one at 3pm. No reservations needed. You also can walk in anytime for a three-pour tasting from the congenial staff.

Longer tours (also free) that cover more of the grounds are available, but you must reserve ahead for those. Like its sibling Buffalo Trace, Barton 1792 isn't on the official Bourbon Trail, so you won't find it listed on the trail map.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Kentucky attractions

2. Heaven Hill

1.1 MILES

The largest producer in Kentucky, Heaven Hill makes Evan Williams, Elijah Craig and Larceny. There are two ways to immerse in the scene. The Mashbill Tour…

3. Willett

1.77 MILES

Micro-distiller Willett offers a terrific tour of its vintage 120-acre property, including a prolonged look into the refurbished chalet distillery where…

4. Lux Row Distillers

2.66 MILES

The entrance to Lux Row via a long, tree-shaded driveway sets the idyllic scene. The distillery sprawls across a 90-acre farm where peacocks roam and the…

5. Jim Beam American Stillhouse

12.87 MILES

Beam is the country's best-selling bourbon. Watch a film about the Beam family, take the 90-minute tour through the factory and warehouses, and then…

6. Maker's Mark

13 MILES

Touring Maker's is like visiting a historic theme park, in a good way. You'll see the old gristmill, the 1840s master distiller's house and the old…

7. Limestone Branch

19.22 MILES

Members of the Beam family – as in the folks who make mega selling Jim Beam – own Limestone Branch. The micro-distillery looks like a western lodge, all…

8. Abraham Lincoln Birthplace

23.83 MILES

Lincoln's birthplace has a replica of the single-room log cabin where he was born, enshrined in a neoclassical building that mimics his famed memorial in…