Cocktail barDistillery, bar$$$
Stitzel-Weller in Shively reopened a 1935 Derby-day-built distillery as the Bulleit Frontier Whiskey Experience, the historic Louisville bourbon cathedral.
Signature drink: Bulleit Frontier Whiskey flights
Food: Tasting plates
Tip: Tours daily by reservation. The Garden and Gun Club is the lounge for tasting flights.
Cocktail barBelgian beer bar$$$
Holy Grale on Bardstown Road in Louisville pours a 30-tap Belgian and German beer list from a restored 1905 Highlands church, the city's deepest European.
Signature drink: Belgian and German imports
Food: Gastropub plates
Tip: Walk-in for the bar; the Gralehaus next door runs separately. Best Krieks in the city.
Cocktail barBourbon bar, hotel bar$$$
Proof on Main's bar in the 21c Museum Hotel pours one of Kentucky's deepest bourbon flights paired with bison burgers. At 702 West Main Street.
Signature drink: Bourbon flights, classic cocktails
Food: Bison burger, snack menu
Tip: Walk-in for the bar; the dining room takes OpenTable bookings.
Cocktail barHotel bar, bourbon$$$
Lobby Bar at the Brown Hotel in Louisville pours mint juleps and bourbon flights inside the lobby where the Hot Brown sandwich was invented in 1926.
Signature drink: Mint Julep, bourbon flights
Food: Hot Brown and small plates
Tip: Walk-in. The bar serves the Hot Brown in the evening alongside the bourbon list.
Cocktail barBourbon bar, smokehouse$$$
Doc Crow's on West Main in Louisville pours from a 2,700-bourbon library on Whiskey Row, the city's deepest bourbon list paired with smoked brisket and a raw.
Signature drink: Kentucky bourbon flights
Food: Smoked brisket, raw oysters
Tip: Walk-in for the bar. The Whiskey Wednesday flight runs four pours for $24.
Cocktail barBourbon bar$$$
Down One Bourbon Bar in the basement of the Galt House Hotel pours over 100 bourbons and Kentucky cocktails, the city's largest hotel-attached bourbon room.
Signature drink: Old Fashioned, bourbon flights
Food: Smoked brisket sliders, BBQ plates
Tip: Walk-in for the bar. The Old Fashioned class runs Saturday afternoons; book through the hotel.