Tickets to Kentucky’s biggest annual bourbon party are going on sale. Get early access
Looking for a way to totally immerse yourself in all things whiskey? Check out the Kentucky Bourbon Festival in Bardstown, now in its 34th year.
The festival started as a bourbon tasting dinner and has blossomed into Kentucky’s biggest bourbon party, taking over Bardstown. Many whiskey makers now time special festival-related bottles and distillery events for the thousands of visitors that pour into the state ever fall.
If you want to go to the festival, you’ll need to act fast: Tickets for this annual event go on sale April 17, with early access for “Bourbon Insiders” on April 16.
There are multiple ticket tiers, from Bourbon Taster general admission weekend passes to premium VIP experiences, which sell out within minutes.
How do you become a Bourbon Insider? Subscribe to the festival’s e-newsletter at kybourbonfestival.com.
“The 2025 Kentucky Bourbon Festival marks the fifth year since the complete re-envisioning of the event,” said Randy Prasse, president and COO, in a news release. “We are now considered a world-class sampling and buying experience with bourbon enthusiasts making an annual pilgrimage to the Bourbon Capital of the World. Today, 85% of ticketed guests visit from outside Kentucky and the event continues to serve as an important tourism and economic engine for the entire region.”
Kentucky Bourbon Festival details
The festival, which will be Sept. 5-7, features opportunities to sample from more than 60 Kentucky distillers, take home a 2025 tasting glass, buy exclusive Distillers’ Row Series single-barrel bottles and special releases directly from the distilleries.
This year, there will be expanded offerings in The Great Tent with more events and more capacity. You can hear from master distillers as they talk about mashbills, secondary finishes and history, or enjoy a variety of culinary and cocktail programming.
“From engaging directly with the distillers who make your favorite pour to discovering a new brand to add to your bar, there’s no place quite like KBF,” said Cordell Lawrence, festival board chair and Eastern Light Distilling chief executive officer, in a statement. “We are pleased with the anticipation for the 2025 Kentucky Bourbon Festival — by our distillery partners and bourbon enthusiasts from across the U.S. and around the world.”
There are six ticket options this year, with prices $190 for three-day general admission to $1,395 for the VIP Decanter Club and up to $6,995 for the new ultimate VIP experience — the Oris President’s Club, limited to just 24 guests.
Other premium events are individually priced and will go on sale with admission packages. You could learn pro tasting and nosing tips from Peggy Noe Stevens, Brown-Forman’s first master taster who helped shape Woodford Reserve’s global brand. Hear from industry legends including Bill Samuels of Maker’s Mark Distillery, Fred Noe of James B. Beam Distilling Co., former Four Roses Distillery master distiller Jim Rutledge and Heaven Hill patriarch Max Shapira.
Hear what it takes to start a distillery from scratch from Joyce Nethery of Jeptha Creed and Ryan Edwards of Augusta Distillery. Learn the secrets of hunting for “unicorn” releases from Owen Powell of NEAT Bourbon Bar in Louisville and Josh Howes of Watch Hill Proper in Prospect.
Or come to a mix-and-mingle with female leaders in the whiskey industry, including Old Forester’s Melissa Rift, Preservation Distillery + Farm’s Marci Palatella, New Riff’s Mollie Lewis, Maker’s Mark’s Beth Buckner, Augusta’s Alex Castle and Buzzard’s Roost’s Judy Hollis Jones.
All VIP packages include daily early entry, crystal Glencairn glassware, one bourbon locker, bottle signings by master distillers, one ticket to Bourbon in the Air festival kick off on Thursday, Sept. 4, and access to the VIP Lodge with premium catering and exclusive neat pours and cocktails not available elsewhere.
The Oris President Club packages, which come with year-round perks and events, include access to the Brindiamo Penthouse overlooking the festival grounds, a spring bourbon experience, fall/winter KBF reception, a three-night stay at The Trail Hotel in Bardstown, private shuttle service to the festival and a limited edition Oris watch as well as all other VIP experience amenities during the festival.
This story was originally published April 15, 2025 at 11:48 AM.
