Best Whiskey Distilleries in the U.S. to Visit on Your Next Road Trip
No question, this is the best time in history to be a dedicated whiskey drinker. Whether you're looking for a traditional bourbon or rye, or seeking something more experimental, the options are increasingly astounding—and delicious. What's more, whiskey tourism is at an all-time high as well. Distillery visits are turning into a way for whiskey makers to educate the public on the bottles and histories behind some of the most legendary whiskey brands, like Jack Daniel's to Wild Turkey, and rising stars including Breckenridge Distillery and Brooklyn's Kings County Distillery.
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A proliferation of distilleries in the U.S. (almost 2,000 at last count) gives you some options as far as which ones to visit. Many offer fun and informative tours, elaborate tasting rooms, and other unique experiences. No matter where you live in the continental U.S., there’s a decent chance some of our favorite whiskey distilleries are within driving distance. From Kentucky bourbon country to high in the Colorado mountains and beyond in both directions, here are our favorite whiskey distilleries in the U.S. to visit from coast to coast on your next road trip.
Best Whiskey Distilleries in the U.S.
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Few whiskey distilleries are as beloved as Buffalo Trace. If you were to ask rabid bourbon fans about the one whiskey distillery they’d most like to visit, this is likely the one to come up the most. The brand behind beloved names like George T. Stagg, Eagle Rare, and E.H. Taylor, the Buffalo Trace Distillery offers a variety of tours, including an arboretum and botanical gardens tour, a ghost tour, and (our favorite) a technical tour that takes guests through the ins and outs of top bourbon production.
St. Augustine is the oldest continuously occupied settlement in America with its founding way back in 1565. While the city is filled with history and even has a 600-year-old tree called “Old Senator,” there’s also an award-winning distillery here. St. Augustine Distillery offers free tours and tastings every day of the week. You’ll learn about the distillation process, smell the “sweet mash,” and even be able to try a few signature cocktails.
Opened nearly a decade ago, Bardstown Bourbon Company has quickly become a bona fide bourbon destination. If you visit this massive, futuristic-looking facility, you should take in the “Bardstown Bourbon Experience.” There are multiple tours and experiences, including one called “Rickhouse Barrel thieving,” where guests are able to go into the barrelhouse and try three bourbons that are “thieved” directly from the barrel.
Park City, UT, is a magnet for skiers and other alpine adventurers. But the area has become equally famous for its local whiskey maker, High West Distillery. Producer of iconic whiskeys like American Prairie Bourbon, A Midwinter Night's Dram, and Bourye, High West offers tours at its state-of-the-art distillery about 15 miles north of Park City in neighboring Wanship, UT. The brand also runs a general store, restaurant, and saloon right in the center of Old Town Park City.
When it comes to whiskey road trips, it’s pretty difficult to leave out the massive, sprawling destination that is the Jack Daniel Distillery. Located in Lynchburg, TN, the makers of the iconic Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey, offer daily distillery tours. On top of that, there’s a restaurant called Miss Mary Bobo’s Boarding House and Restaurant for a bite to eat.
Named for a nearby thoroughbred racing farm, this massive waterfront distillery opened in 2017 to usher in a new age of Maryland whiskey. Sagamore Spirit Distillery is known for its award-winning rye whiskeys. If you visit, you can take in an hour-long guided tour, attend a tasting, or have a drink at the on-site whiskey bar, Nineteen O’Nine.
While many American whiskey distilleries pride themselves on bourbons and ryes, Seattle’s Westland Distillery takes more of a traditional approach, with single malt whiskey (similar to single malt Scotch) taking center stage. The distillery offers 90-minute tours that lead guests through the creation of its award-winning whiskeys. There’s also a tasting room with indoor/outdoor seating offering flights, cocktails, and small plates.
Opened in 2018, Rabbit Hole is a must-visit whiskey destination. Come for the award-winning bourbons and ryes, and stay for the distillery tour where, for one hour, you’ll learn about the full whiskey-making process, beginning with a dram of Cavehill Kentucky Straight Bourbon and ending with a tasting at the Overlook Lounge.
Texas has become a serious whiskey destination in the last few years. If you’re touring some of the other whiskey distilleries in the state, stopping in at Balcones Distilling in Waco is a must. This award-winning distillery makes popular bottles like Balcones Baby Blue, Balcones Texas Pot Still Bourbon, Balcones Brimstone, and more. They offer tours and master classes, plus there’s a tasting room and a gift shop to snag some apparel.
Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor, Jr. built a castle to distill and celebrate bourbon back in 1887. It closed in 1920 because of prohibition, then became derelict over the decades. That is until the Old Taylor Distillery was purchased in 2014 and restored to its original glory. The new and improved Castle & Key Distillery offers an all-inclusive tour, as well as its Springhouse Music Series every Wednesday—and even yoga in its on-site, sunken garden.
Kings County Distillery is one of several makers of fine spirits that has jumpstarted a burgeoning industry in New York City. Offerings are presently focused on moonshine, bourbon, and a collaboration with Mast Brothers Chocolate. The distillery offers tours of the facility, located in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, on Fridays and Saturdays.
Deep in the heart of historic whiskey country, the Woodford Reserve Distillery was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2000, with a full renovation completed in early 2014. The famed distillery offers a number of options for visitors, from a general-interest tour offered seven days a week to more specialized tours offered less frequently.
Perched at nearly 10,000 feet and known for its skiing, Breckenridge is now home to one of the country's top new whiskey producers. Bourbon at Breckenridge Distillery takes center stage, but you can also try the brand's vodka and bitters, and enjoy a great meal in its beautiful Rocky Mountain facility. Tours are offered six days a week.
Located about an hour west of Austin, Garrison Brothers has a focus on high-quality bourbon, with a vintage-based approach. Tours of their facility, which include a whiskey tasting, are offered five days a week. Reservations are required on Saturdays.
This time-honored Louisville distillery dating back to the 1930s offers interesting tours that are heavy on the history of bourbon making. Visits to Stitzel-Weller Distillery run from Wednesday through Sunday, and include a whiskey tasting.
Tucked two hours north of New York City in beautiful Ulster County, Tuthilltown Distillery has embraced the historical legacy of its rustic, mountainous region known for agriculture and adventure seekers. The distillery collaborates on rum with the Huguenot Historical Society of New Paltz and carries Hudson Whiskey products as well. The tasting room is open all week and draws a good crowd on weekends.
Nantucket is home to historical structures and a vast literary and cultural legacy. It offers some of the most scenic landscapes you’re likely to encounter in the northeastern United States. It also happens to be the homeplace of some acclaimed whiskey. Triple Eight Distillery makes a variety of spirits, including bourbon and single malt whiskey. The operation—which also includes Cisco Brewers—offers regular tours.
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