Schedule Of Events:

September 12,2024

1:00pm - 4:00pm - A Taste of Heritage and a Glimpse of the Future at Heaven Hill
On this first-ever tour of its kind, you’ll be guided throughout Heaven Hill’s 89-year-old Bardstown distillery site, bottling plant and ultramodern shipping facility, then visit the massive Heaven Hill Springs Distillery site, set to open this year. Following a private tasting of rare Heaven Hill releases with our master distiller, Conor O’Driscoll, you’ll have the chance to purchase allocated whiskeys not often found on retailers’ shelves.

Cost: $250.00

Location: Heaven Hill Distillery 1311 Gilkey Run Rd,Bardstown, KY

6:00pm - 9:30pm - Bourbon in the Air
Get ready to kick off the 2024 Kentucky Bourbon Festival in style with Bourbon in the Air, an exclusive evening event held on Thursday, September 12, from 6 to 9:30 pm (distilleries and catering will stop serving at 9pm). This highly sought-after experience offers a limited number of attendees access to a night of bourbon indulgence under the stars.

At Bourbon in the Air, guests will enjoy catered hors d'oeuvres, exclusive cocktails, and neat pours from top distilleries across Kentucky while live music sets the scene for a memorable weekend for bourbon aficionados.

Not only does Bourbon in the Air provide an opportunity to mingle with fellow bourbon enthusiasts and distillery representatives, but it also offers a sneak peek of the festival grounds and distillery booths before the official start of the event on Friday.

Location: Kentucky Bourbon Festival Grounds

September 13,2024

12:30pm - 1:30pm - Cocktails: Worthy of a Bar, but Easy Enough for Home
Looking to up your home cocktail game under the direction of a pro? Join Chad Reid, lead mixologist at Seven Cocktails in Louisville, Ky, to learn the tricks of the trade. We supply all the guidance, mixing gear and ingredients, and you get to stir, shake and sip your creations!

Location: Brindiamo Penthouse

12:30pm - 2:00pm - Friday Bourbon Opener, Bourbon and Boards featuring Rabbit Hole

Step into a world of bold flavors with Rabbit Hole Founder and Kentucky Bourbon Trail Hall of Fame Whiskey Maker, Kaveh Zamanian, as your guide through the distinct world of our Bourbon and Rye whiskies. Each sip is a revelation, thoughtfully paired with the finest charcuterie that Kentucky has to offer. We’re kicking off the Kentucky Bourbon festival with an extraordinary afternoon and sensory feast where the best of cheeses and salamis meet our carefully crafted neat pours and cocktails. And get ready for Kaveh to share some of our most exclusive creations – special pours that few have ever tasted.

Cost: $95.00
Location: KPFF Great Tent

12:30pm - 1:00pm - The Bourbon:30 Talk Show - This Really Happened On A Tour
Distillery tour ambassadors educate and entertain some, well, interesting guests on the job. Hear Caryn Wells (Green River), Josh Hollifield (Heaven Hill) and Damien Gallaher (Angel's Envy) share some amusing first-hand experiences about their work in bourbon tourism.
Cost: Free

Location: Evergreen Main Stage

1:30pm - 2:00pm - The Bourbon:30 Talk Show - When Maker's Got Old: The Story Of Cellar Aged

In 2023, Maker’s Mark released its oldest bourbon ever, an 11-year pour dubbed Cellar Aged. Maker’s managing director, Rob Samuels, and innovation manager, Beth Bucker, will tell the story behind Maker’s first long-aged innovation.
Cost: Free
Location: Evergreen Main Stage

2:00pm - 3:00pm - Whiskey Blending as It’s Done at Pursuit Spirits

When you don’t own a distillery, you learn to source and blend whiskey at the highest level. Let Pursuit Spirits co-founders Ryan Cecil and Kenny Coleman guide you through the process of blending their elegant bourbons and vibrant rye whiskeys.

Cost: $85.00
Location: Brindiamo Penthouse

2:30pm - 3:00pm - The Bourbon:30 Talk Show - A Wry Smile for Rye Whiskey

Bourbon whiskey is younger than rye whiskey, but bourbon’s a bigger seller. Still, as distillers Brian Sprance (New Riff Distilling), Jacob Call (Western Kentucky Distilling) and Gregg Snyder (Chicken **** Whiskey) will tell you, in the glass, rye’s the boss and deserves more respect than it gets.

Cost: Free
Location: Evergreen Main Stage

3:30pm - 4:30pm - Deconstructing a Barrell Bourbon Blend
In only 11 years, Barrell Bourbon has become a highly regarded blender of American and Canadian whiskeys and rums using an unusual variety of second-use casks. Have a peek at the art and science of blending as Barrell whiskey scientist and distillery operations manager, Tripp Stimson, and Nic Christiansen, manager of blending operations, deconstruct one of Barrell’s award-winning blends.
Cost: $85.00
Location: Brindiamo Penthouse

3:30pm - 4:00pm - The Bourbon:30 Talk Show - Will Changing Climate Change Our Whiskey

With topsy-turvy weather now the new normal, will fluctuating temperatures affect how whiskey matures? Potential water shortages also are a concern that may affect whiskey production. Experts Bernard Peterson (Peterson Farms), Jeffery Lewis (Independent Stave Co.) and Rachel Nally (Heaven HIll) will weigh in on those and other potential climate-related impacts on American whiskey.

Cost: Free
Location: Evergreen Main Stage

4:00pm - 5:30pm - Friday Bourbon Engagement, featuring Angel's Envy
Discover the art of whiskey finishing with Owen Martin, Master Distiller of Angel’s Envy, in this exclusive seminar. Owen will break down the intricate process behind one of Angel’s Envy's newest expressions, offering insights and four tastes into the craftsmanship that defines their distinct flavor profile. Join us for a unique opportunity to learn from one of the industry’s leading experts while enjoying a paired cocktail and light bites.

Cost: $95.00

Location: KPFF Great Tent

4:30pm - 5:00pm - The Bourbon:30 Talk Show - All In The Family: Heaven Hill Distilleries

After 89 years in operation, Heaven Hill Distilleries isn’t just one of the largest independent spirits producers in the U.S., its ownership hasn’t changed since the Shapria family founded it in 1935. Listen in as executive chairman, Max Shapira, his daughter and co-CEO, Kate Latts, and her husband, co-CEO Allan Latts, talk about the unique family-focused effort behind this large and historic spirits company.

Cost: Free

Location: Evergreen Main Stage

5:00pm - 6:00pm - Rare Whiskey Tasting: Proprietor’s Picks of Olde St. Nick
In the early 1990s, Marci Palatella was one of barely a handful of whiskey experts buying neglected barrels of some of America’s best bourbons and ryes to bottle for customers in Japan and Europe. Join the creator of the Olde St. Nick line and Preservation’s master of maturation, Kyle Lloyd, for a rare and spirited round of tasting and storytelling.

Cost: $125.00

Location: Brindiamo Penthouse

September 14,2024

12:30pm - 2:00pm - Saturday Bourbon Opener, featuring Bardstown Bourbon Co

Bardstown Bourbon Company New Product Preview. Be amongst the first to explore new and diverse offerings from Bardstown Bourbon Company’s award-winning portfolio. You will be greeted with a welcome cocktail prior to your journey with Dan Callaway, VP of Product Development, where he will lead you in a guided new product and food pairing experience.

Cost: $95.00
Location: KPFF Great Tent

12:30pm - 1:30pm - Cocktails: Make ‘em Pop

Making a great cocktail is about more than taste; it includes visual aspects, garnishes, aromas and even names. In this session, Heather Wibbles, Cocktail Contessa and managing director of Bourbon Women, will guide you through a hands-on class in utilizing all your senses to make irresistible cocktails at home.  We supply all the guidance, gear and ingredients, and you get to stir, shake and sip your creations.

Cost: $85.00
Location: Brindiamo Penthouse

12:30pm - 1:00pm - The Bourbon:30 Talk Show - (Always) Under Construction: New Kentucky Distilleries
As American whiskey continues its creep into international markets, new producers continue entering the space to make more of it to sell abroad. Listen in as veteran distillery operators John Hargrove (The Whiskey House), Caleb Kilburn (Eastern Light Distilling) and Denny Potter (Potter Jane Distilling) share progress updates on their brands’ state-of-the-art production plants set to open in 2024 and 25.

Cost: Free
Location: Evergreen Main Stage

1:30pm - 2:00pm - The Bourbon:30 Talk Show - Explain Premium Pricing-Please
Consumers often wonder why whiskey prices are so different from store to store. Some blame distilleries, others retailers, and others still, distributors. Listen in as our panel of experts, including Mark Irwin (Bardstown Bourbon Co.) and Mike Fisk (Evergreen Liquors), discuss why pricing is so varied and what forces drive those prices.

Cost: Free
Location: Evergreen Main Stage

2:00pm - 3:00pm - Whiskey Blending: Precision + Balance = Perfection

The counters and shelves in Brett Connors’ lab at Castle & Key Distillery are covered by hundreds of micro-samples from an array of barrels he’ll use to batch bourbon, rye, gin and vodka at the historic Old Taylor distilling site. Join Connors for a hands-on blending course in which you try your hand at creating a distinctive blend.

Cost: $85
Location: Brindiamo Penthouse

2:30pm - 3:00pm - The Bourbon:30 Talk Show - Battling For Attention: Struggles Of Small Brands

One of the biggest weapons large distilleries have in their marketing quiver is big budgets. As smaller whiskey makers like Royce Neely (Neeley Family Distillery), Amine Karaoud (Old Louisville Distilling Co.) and Stephen Beam (Limestone Branch Distillery) will tell you, it’s hard to get noticed in a marketplace dominated by bigger brands.
Cost: Free
Location: Evergreen Main Stage

3:30pm - 4:30pm - Deconstructing Bourbon: Four Roses Small Batch Select

When master distiller Brent Elliott created Four Roses Bourbon’s Small Batch Select, he built it with bourbons using its F and V yeast strains. That unique combination elevated herbal and delicate fruit notes in a way no Four Roses bourbon had before. Join him to learn and taste the elements required to make up this delicious blend, and then try your hand at matching his result.

Cost: $85.00
Location: Brindiamo Penthouse

3:30pm - 4:00pm - The Bourbon:30 Talk Show - Master Distillers Panel: Proof, There It Is

The popularity of cask strength American whiskeys shows no signs of waning. But does higher proof guarantee a better drinking experience? Let our panel of experts including Conor O'Driscoll (Heaven Hill Distilleries), Brian Sprance (New Riff Distilling) and Lisa Roper Wicker talk about how and why proof is chosen specifically for each expression of whiskey.

Cost: Free
Location: Evergreen Main Stage

4:00pm - 5:30pm - Saturday Bourbon Engagement, featuring Heaven Hill

Heaven Hill Distillery is proud to produce more Bottled-in-Bond whiskeys than any other American Whiskey distiller. Join Heaven Hill Distillery’s National Brand Ambassador, Bernie Lubbers, as he walks through the history of Bottled-in-Bond, including why it was important then and why it’s still relevant and important today. Then, join him for a tasting of Heaven Hill Bottled-in-Bond, Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond and a new expression of Bottled-in-Bond sold exclusively in Kentucky.

Cost: $95.00
Location: KPFF Great Tent

4:30pm - 5:00pm - The Bourbon:30 Talk Show - Bourbon's Booming, Could It Bust

As demand for American whiskey soars, every distillery making them is working 24/7. Could this mega-production mode result in a whiskey glut, or will drinkers across the globe move it to their glasses? Distillery owners David Mandell (The Whiskey House), Marci Palatella (Preservation Distillery) and Joe Magliocco (Michter’s Distillery) will share their perspectives on the industry’s gamble on growth.

Cost: Free
Location: Evergreen Main Stage

5:00pm - 6:00pm - A Tasting of Woodford Reserve Distillery Series and Master’s Collection Bourbons with Chris Morris

Few Kentucky distilleries have as rich a history as Brown-Forman, and the story of one of its most popular bourbons, Woodford Reserve, is as deep and rich as the whiskey itself. Join master distiller Chris Morris on a walk through the brand’s history while tasting four rare releases from Woodford’s Distillery Series and Master’s Collection.

Cost: $250.00
Location: Brindiamo Penthouse

7:00pm - 10:00pm - Kentucky Bourbon Festival Icons Dinner

Join us for an extraordinary evening as guests of seventh and eighth generation master distillers, Fred and Freddie Noe, at Fred and Sandy Noe’s home on Bardstown's storied Distillers Row. There, you will meet legendary icons of Kentucky bourbon making such as Steve Nally (master distiller, Bardstown Bourbon Company), Bill Samuels, Jr. (chairman emeritus, Maker's Mark Distillery), Baker Beam (former master distiller, James B. Beam Distillery), and Royce Neely (master distiller and owner, Neeley Family Distillery).
 
Guests will enjoy an open bar for whiskey pours and cocktails from each participating distillery, followed by a catered dinner prepared by The Kitchen Table, the amazing, modern-southern restaurant at the James B. Beam Distillery.
 
The evening also includes an exclusive round table tasting featuring whiskies from each brand, and opportunities to meet these bourbon icons from the Bluegrass State.
 
Ticketholders will meet at the KYBF festival grounds at 6:30 pm and be provided directions to Fred Noe's house, just a few blocks away.

Cost: $500.00

Location: Fred Noe's House

September 15,2024

12:30pm - 2:00pm - Sunday Brunch, Bourbon, Bacon and Burgoo, featuring Michter's

Join Michter’s Master Distiller, Dan McKee and Master of Maturation, Andrea Wilson for an authentic Kentucky culinary experience – Enjoy a cocktail with a traditional Southern-style brunch including a Kentucky classic - burgoo! Learn about Michter’s six production techniques and gain unique insight into Michter’s whiskeys all over brunch. Michter’s Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon, Michter’s 10 yr Kentucky Straight Bourbon, Michter’s Barrel Strength Kentucky Straight Bourbon. Guests will be able to explore the differences in proof and age.

Cost: $95.00
Location: KPFF Great Tent

12:30pm - 1:30pm - Rare and Vintage Bourbon Pours with Travis Hill

If you like “dusties”—bourbons quite possibly older than you—join veteran bourbon collector and educator, Travis Hill, for this tasting of rare American whiskey treasures. This year’s lineup includes an 80 proof Old Crow Bourbon (1978), a 90 proof Jim Beam Bourbon (1969), an 8 year, 90 proof Old Fitzgerald Bourbon (1977), an Old Forester Bottled-In-Bond (1960s) and an Old Granddad 114 proof (1981).

Cost: $125.00

Location: Brindiamo Penthouse

12:30pm - 1:30pm - The Bourbon:30 Talk Show - Unicorns: Are They Worth The Hunt

Unicorns, a.k.a. super rare bottles, are prizes about which collectors wax poetic. O.G. unicorns are dusties made long before bourbon’s current boom. Are they still worth seeking out, are they even available, or are there new unicorns being released in 2024? Listen in as veteran collectors Larry Rice, Jeremy Schell and Chris Sternberg compare bottle hunting in the early 2000s to searching in 2024.

Cost: Free
Location: Evergreen Main Stage

1:30pm - 2:00pm - The Bourbon:30 Talk Show - Press for Information: Whiskey Reporters Panel

American whiskey writers see and experience the industry in ways most consumers never do. Listen in as David Thomas Tao, Sara Haven and Frank Dobbins discuss trends, share their research, talk about travel to distilleries across the globe and mention regularly that their jobs are some of the best in the world.

Cost: Free

Location: Evergreen Main Stage

2:00pm - 3:00pm - Ask Anything Bourbon Q&A: Sips and Stories With Veteran Whiskey Makers
Enjoy this rare opportunity to ask our panel of whiskey experts whatever you want to know about their work—all while sipping their whiskeys and enjoying their entertaining answers. On the panel will be master distillers Conor O’Driscoll (Heaven Hill), Lynne Dant, Ross Cornelissen (1792) and Potter Jane Distilling co-founder Jane Bowie.
Cost: $85.00
Location: Brindiamo Penthouse

2:30pm - 3:00pm - The Bourbon:30 Talk Show - The Takeaway: Tell Us What You Learned At the 2024 KYBF

The KYBF welcomes some 7,000 visitors each year to taste whiskey, talk to the people who make it and listen to industry buzz. KYBF Chairman, Cordell Lawrence, KYBF President & COO, Randy Prasse, KYBF Vice President of Distiller Relatons, Stacy Pritchard and Bourbon:30 host Steve Coomes and some KYBF team members review what’s new and ask audience members about their favorite parts of KBF 2024.

Cost: Free
Location: Evergreen Main Stage

Date: September 13-15,2024

Location: Kentucky Bourbon Festival, 114 N 5th St, Bardstown, KY 40004

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