Stitzel-Weller Distillery is a bar in Louisville.
Stitzel-Weller in Shively reopened a 1935 Derby-day-built distillery as the Bulleit Frontier Whiskey Experience, the historic Louisville bourbon cathedral five miles south of downtown.
Food program: Tasting plates
Tip: Tours daily by reservation. The Garden and Gun Club is the lounge for tasting flights.
Address: 3860 Fitzgerald Road, Shively, KY 40216, Louisville
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 beer program.
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.
Proof on Main's bar in the 21c Museum Hotel pours one of Kentucky's deepest bourbon flights paired with bison burgers and snacks, a Whiskey Row walk-in standby.
Signature drink: Bourbon flights, classic cocktails
Food: Bison burger, snack menu
Tip: Walk-in for the bar; the dining room takes OpenTable bookings.
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, the city's hotel-bar classic.
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.
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 bar.
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.
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 on West Main.
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.
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 and bar reopened in 2018.
Signature drink: Old Forester bourbon flights
Food: Tasting plates
Tip: Tours run on the hour; book online. The barrel-tasting program is the highlight.
