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$$$
Down One Bourbon Bar in the basement of the Galt House Hotel pours over 100 bourbons and Kentucky cocktails, the city's largest hotel-attached bourbon room.
Signature drink: Old Fashioned, bourbon flights
Food: Smoked brisket sliders, BBQ plates
Tip: Walk-in for the bar. The Old Fashioned class runs Saturday afternoons; book through the hotel.
Cocktail barDistillery bar, tasting room$$$
Old Forester Distilling on West Main runs Louisville's first-bottled bourbon tour from the brand's original Whiskey Row warehouse, a $45 million distillery.
Signature drink: Old Forester bourbon flights
Food: Tasting plates
Tip: Tours run on the hour; book online. The barrel-tasting program is the highlight.
Cocktail barDistillery bar, tasting room$$$
Michter's Fort Nelson on West Main runs a working distillery and bar inside an 1890 Whiskey Row building, the brand's Louisville home with The Bar at Fort.
Signature drink: Michter's bourbon flights, classic cocktails
Food: Cocktail bar bites
Tip: Tours bookable online. The Bar at Fort Nelson takes walk-ins after 17:00.
Cocktail barDistillery bar, tasting room$$$
Angel's Envy on East Main in Louisville runs distillery tours with a tasting bar called The Finishing Room, the brand's downtown home pouring port-finished.
Signature drink: Angel's Envy port-finished bourbon
Food: Tasting plates
Tip: Tours run every 15 minutes; book online. The Finishing Room takes walk-ins for tastings.