LOUISVILLE, Ky. (August 31, 2021) – September’s Bourbon Heritage Month is an ideal time to celebrate America’s only native spirit in Kentucky – where 95% of the special whiskey is made.
Once considered the “Wall Street of Whiskey” Louisville has been a spirits-soaked civilization ever since Evan Williams first marketed his whiskey to the city in 1783. Up until the 1920’s, a portion of Main Street was known as “Whiskey Row” because of the more than 50 spirits related businesses that were operating there at the time. Thirteen years of Prohibition nearly decimated the industry, but now almost a century later, Louisville is brimming with Bourbon themed restaurants, attractions, accommodations, and events.
Special dinners and events are being held throughout Bourbon Country, including the Kentucky Bourbon Festival later this month in Bardstown. Beginning September 1, here are some ways to celebrate Bourbon Heritage Month in Louisville:
SEPTEMBER EVENTS
Whiskey Walking Tours (Sept. 1,8,15,22, 29) – Immerse yourself in Louisville’s special bourbon whiskey history by attending a free “Whiskey Walking Tour” through downtown Louisville. A “Looking at Louisville” tour guide will take you on a ten-block walking journey, sharing their knowledge of pre-Prohibition Louisville and the boom of bourbon on Whiskey Row that is still taking place to this day. Tours start at the Louisville Visitor Center, span 90 minutes and are capped at 10 participants. Tours are free, but participants are asked to register online. Walk-ins accommodated based on availability.
Hospitality & Heritage Walking Tours (Sept. 3, 10, 17, 24) – Explore Bourbon history and Louisville’s rich African American culture and hospitality, from prohibition through civil rights. Attendees will receive a curated Bourbon Vibes guide by historian, curator and guide Andrea Meriwether, with her recommendations about where to catch your own Bourbon Vibes in Bourbon City. Offered Fridays in September at 11am and 1pm, free but advance reservations requested with walk-ins accommodated based on availability.
Black Americans in Bourbon Experience (Sept. 4, 11, 18, 25) -– Held at the Frazier History Museum (home of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail Welcome Center), hear the untold stories of African Americans who helped make one of the state’s greatest products, Bourbon, into America’s native spirit. Told from multiple points of view, this tour will take you on a journey from post-World War II to the present, giving visitors an idea of what it took for African Americans to come out of the shadows and into today’s headlines. Tours run 3:30pm on Saturdays.
$5 Buck Bluegrass (Sept. 9, 16, 23 & 30) – Experience Louisville’s heritage through music and taste on the scenic Ohio River while enjoying local Bluegrass music wharf side on the Mary M. Miller riverboat. Featuring unique bourbon only found in Kentucky – the $5 series, starting September 9, will be held every Thursday in September from 7-10pm. (21 & over only)
Kentucky Southern Social (Sept. 16 -18) – This Bourbon lovers’ weekend at the Omni Louisville Hotel offers special events including an Old Forester 150th Anniversary Dinner, Speakeasy Dinner with Rabbit Hold founder Kaveh Zamanian, Angel’s Envy Cocktail Hour & bottle engraving and fireside cocktails with Peerless owner Corky Taylor, among others.
Art of Bourbon (Sept. 23) – Held at the Speed Art Museum, The Art of Bourbon combines Kentucky’s official art museum with Kentucky’s greatest product to produce the region’s premier bourbon and whiskey auction party. Curated with the support of Wall Street Journal bestselling author and renowned Bourbon critic Fred Minnick, this event will allow you to bid on some once-in-a-lifetime offerings.
Louder Than Life (Sept. 23-26) – Local food and drink culture will be incorporated into the four-day festival’s culinary scene with pop-ups from popular Kentucky Bourbon brands and local Louisville restaurants. Headliners for the event include Metallica, Korn and Disturbed.
ALL MONTH LONG
The Louisville Visitor Center will be offering 25% off Bourbon themed merchandise throughout the month. While you’re there pick up the new Kentucky Bourbon Trail Field Guide & Passport for info on local and Kentucky-based distilleries or use Urban Bourbon Trail Passport as a guide to get a taste of some of Louisville’s best Bourbon bars and restaurants.
While planning a trip to Louisville for Bourbon Heritage Month, guests can download a copy of the Louisville Tourism’s annual Visitor Guide to help plan a tour around Louisville to see the city’s top attractions and bourbon distilleries. Visitors also can get additional city attraction, lodging and dining assistance at gotolouisville.com
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Since 1968, Louisville Tourism’s primary goal has been to enhance the area’s economy through tourism development – to promote and sell Louisville as a world-class destination. Tourism was the third largest industry in Louisville hosting 19 million visitors in 2019. This peak of visitation had been generating an estimated economic impact of $3.4 billion which supported over 57,000 local tourism-related jobs.
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