Country Living names Kentucky city with rich bourbon history a 2025 American hidden gem
A Kentucky city has been recognized by Country Living magazine as an overlooked stop on the state’s Bourbon Trail central to the creation of the iconic whiskey — and no, it isn’t Bardstown.
The magazine’s editors spent hours hitting the road and chatting up locals to compile its list of the top 10 standout small towns in America for 2025. The result? Country Living has credited Maysville as the unrecognized birthplace of bourbon in Kentucky.
Many apocryphal stories swirl around bourbon and its origins in Kentucky, which aren’t well-documented and remain obscured to this day by conflicting claims and legends. It’s likely bourbon evolved over time in many places across Kentucky, particularly when whiskey wholesalers in Louisville began storing it in charred-oak barrels and shipping it downriver to New Orleans for sale, posits bourbon historian Michael Veach.
So what makes Maysville, located at the edge of the Ohio River, special? Here’s why Country Living picked it as one of America’s most remarkable small towns.
The birthplace of bourbon?
Country Living cited local distiller Peter Pogue, a member of the six-generation family behind Old Pogue Distillery, who told the magazine, “Maysville is well-documented as the birthplace of bourbon.”
Maysville does indeed have a rich bourbon tradition. According to a history published on the distillery’s website, it was an early stop for pioneer distillers seeking to escape the taxation on spirits aimed at paying off American Revolutionary War debt. Violent resistance against that tax culminated in the Whiskey Rebellion, which broke in western Pennsylvania in 1794.
Country Living calls Maysville “a must for history lovers,” given its two historic districts.
“Old Washington is a preserved 1780s frontier village that highlights the town’s roles in both pioneering and the Underground Railroad, while downtown’s Main Street District has been revitalized with shops such as EAT Gallery, where L.A. transplant Simon Watt sells hand-crafted jewelry and art. Around the corner at the Kathleen Savage Browning Miniatures Collection, dollhouse enthusiasts can get lost in 3,300-square-feet of elaborate 1:12-scale recreations of everything from Russia’s Catherine Palace to the ancestral home of Princess Diana,” the magazine states.
Other attractions include the Floodwall Murals, where the town’s most famous one-time inhabitant, actor Rosemary Clooney, actor George Clooney’s aunt, is depicted.
Katelyn Bailey, tourism director for the Maysville-Mason County Convention and Visitors Bureau, told the Herald-Leader in an email Wednesday the recognition helps spotlight the city’s unique character.
“Being honored by Country Living Magazine as one of America’s 10 Best Small Towns for 2025 celebrates the charm, hospitality, and legendary character of Maysville. Our vibrant community invites travelers to immerse themselves in a rich tapestry of history and culture—where every street and landmark holds a story waiting to be discovered. We welcome visitors to explore Maysville and experience firsthand the the genuine warmth and charm that have defined our community for generations,” Bailey wrote.
Country Living’s top 10 small towns in America
In no particular order, Country Living named the following small towns among its list of detours well worth taking:
Madison, Ga.
Sisters, Ore.
Rockport, Mass.
Maysville, Ky.
Lockhart, Texas
Bluffton, S.C.
Milan, Ohio
Easton, Md.
Nevada City, Calif.
Tamworth, N.H.
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