Tag: Kentucky Bourbon

Introducing Hotel Bourré Bonne: Just Steps From Whiskey Row

Hotels, Kentucky Bourbon Trail, Louisville, Uncategorized

Luxury hotel offers rooftop views, elegance & Southern charm

Hotel Bourré Bonne officially opened its doors at 143 W. Market St. this month.  The $75 million, five-story hotel features 168 rooms and two upmarket restaurants, Steakhouse Bourré Bonne and the Rooftop Bourré Bonne bar and restaurant.

Photo courtesy of Hotel Bourré Bonne

The hotel, which is part of Hilton’s Curio Collection, is a luxurious new addition to Louisville’s hospitality scene, designed to reflect the city’s rich cultural heritage and vibrant future. Guests can enjoy elevated guestrooms, over 11,000 square feet of flexible ballroom space with sweeping city views, an indoor/outdoor bar and lounge, a state-of-the-art fitness center with a juice bar, and two standout dining venues operated by Bellé Noble Entertainment Group.

Photo courtesy of Hotel Bourré Bonne

The ground-floor luxury-style restaurant, Steakhouse Bourré Bonne, brings to life the rich heritage of Kentucky cuisine with a modern twist by featuring French-inspired cuisine and an extensive bourbon and wine list. Several private dining options are available, along with an Hérmes-inspired booth.

Rooftop Bourré Bonne offers a more casual indoor-outdoor setting with panoramic views adjacent to the outdoor pool and bar.

Photo courtesy of Hotel Bourré Bonne

Louisville is a city that blends authentic history with a new Southern twist. Also known as Bourbon City, and for good reason. With over two dozen bourbon experiences and tasting rooms, with several a few steps away from Hotel Bourré Bonne. Bourbon City’s newest attractions include Bob Dylan’s The Last Refuge, Whiskey Thief Tasting Room, Pursuit Spirts and Monk’s Road Boiler House by Log Still Distillery.

The Last Refuge. Photo courtesy of Go to Louisville

Still to come in 2025, the city will welcome a second location by Pursuit Spirits, Green River Distilling Tasting Room and The Piggy Bank, a tasting room by the WhistlePig brand. From historic distilleries to contemporary bourbon bars, Louisville invites guests to explore the craftsmanship and heritage that celebrates America’s only native spirit.

Following in Bourbon’s footsteps, Bluegrass music was born in Kentucky, deriving from the hills of Appalachia and raised on acoustic instruments and rich traditions. Louisville’s spin on today’s Bluegrass has been coined ‘LouGrass’ and the city offers free, live LouGrass performances every weekend April through October at a variety of venues, hotels, restaurants and neighborhoods. For a schedule of weekly performances, festivals and special events, visit lougrassmusic.com.

While planning a trip to Louisville, guests can download a copy of Louisville Tourism’s annual Visitor Guide to see the city’s top attractions and bourbon distilleries. Visitors also can get additional city attraction, lodging and dining assistance at gotolouisville.com.

Celebrate Louisville’s Official Cocktail for a Fortnight

Black History, Black History Travel, Kentucky Bourbon Classic, Kentucky Bourbon Trail, Louisville, Uncategorized

Bourbon City commemorates its signature drink culminating on National Bourbon Day

Set down your Mint Julep, because it’s time to celebrate Louisville’s official cocktail, the Old Fashioned. Proclaimed the city’s official cocktail in 2015 by former Mayor Greg Fischer, Old Fashioned Fortnight highlights the posh and stately Pendennis Club’s original during the first two weeks of June via events, tastings, and specials. Kicking off on June 1, the anniversary of Kentucky’s statehood, and culminating on National Bourbon Day, June 14, the fortnight of festivities underscores Louisville’s whiskey history and booming bourbon culture.

Photo courtesy of Go to Louisville.

Here are some ways to participate in Old Fashioned Fortnight June 1-14:

  • Craft Your Own Cocktail at the Frazier History Museum: The Frazier History Museum and Old Forester are teaming up to showcase Louisville’s official cocktail, the Old Fashioned. Led by Certified Bourbon Stewards, this unique experience guides visitors through making a traditional Old Fashioned with a unique twist while providing some fascinating history about the locally invented libation. Classes are for Bourbon beginners and aficionados alike and can be booked Monday-Saturday, online here.
Photo courtesy of Old Forrester.

  • The Ideal Bartender Experience: Head to Evan Williams Bourbon Experience’s secret Speakeasy as an actor portraying Louisville native Tom Bullock takes you back in time to the prohibition era for a guided Bourbon tasting. Bullock was the first Black American to write and publish a cocktail book and tended bar at the Pendennis Club, where the Old Fashioned was purported to be invented. Book tours online. 
Photo courtesy of gotolouisville.com
  • Urban Bourbon Trail®: Download the Urban Bourbon Trail® digital passport and visit some of Louisville’s best local Bourbon bars and restaurants, all of which offer their own twist on the Old Fashioned cocktail. Bourbon enthusiasts who check in at six locations will earn a free T-shirt. Visit gotolouisville.com for more information.
Photo courtesy of gotolouisville.com
  • Barrels & Billets: One of Main Street’s newest Whiskey experiences takes place just next door to the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, where you can embark on your custom bourbon experience. Sample up to six different flavor profiles and build your own customized bottle of whiskey suited to your personal taste. If you love your newly created concoction, you can purchase your own bottle after the experience. Find tour times here.  
Photo courtesy of The Barrel: Bourbon & Bites Food Tour.
  • Beyond The Barrel: Bourbon & Bites Food Tour: Uncover the secrets of Kentucky bourbon and go beyond the barrel to dive into bourbon’s unfiltered history – and learn all the stories they won’t tell you on a Kentucky Bourbon Trail distillery tour. As the sun sets over the vibrant NuLu neighborhood, you’ll visit award-winning restaurants, hidden speakeasies, rooftop terraces, and cozy tasting rooms, Find available dates here.

For additional ways to celebrate Old Fashioned Fortnight, a more detailed history of Tom Bullock, and recipes on how to create the cocktail visit OldFashionedFortnight.com.

Guests can use Louisville Tourism’s annual Visitor Guide to see the city’s top attractions, culinary hotspots, and bourbon distilleries. Travelers also can learn about attractions, lodging and where to dine at gotolouisville.com.

History of the Old Fashioned

Heaven Hill Distillery Old-Fashioned Cocktail. Photo courtesy of Heaven Hill Distillery.


The Pendennis Club in downtown Louisville has long claimed the invention of the Old Fashioned cocktail since the 1880s. Club member and bourbon distiller popularized it, Col. James E. Pepper, who would go on to introduce the cocktail to the Waldorf Astoria in New York City, leading to its widespread popularity. Louisville native and pre-Prohibition mixologist Tom Bullock included his original Old Fashioned recipe in the preeminent cocktail book, “The Ideal Bartender,” published in 1917.

Classic Old Fashioned

Ingredients

Instructions

Enjoy the Classic Old Fashioned cocktail by Old Forester. From scratch classic build of sugar, bitters, bourbon, stirred to perfection.

Stir with ice, strain into double old-fashioned glass with fresh ice. Garnish with wide orange peel, oils expressed over the cocktail.

It’s Not Too Late to Attend the Bourbon Classic

Distiller Spirits, Distilleries, Drink, Drink mixes, Events, Gastronomy, Historic foodways, Historic Restaurants, James B. Beam Distillery, Kentucky Bourbon Classic, Kentucky Bourbon Trail, Louisville, Regional & Ethnic, Southern cuisine, Tours

https://www.bourbonclassic.com/saturday/

Article: The Ultimate Ranking Of Michter’s Entire Whiskey Lineup

Distiller Spirits, Kentucky Bourbon Classic, Kentucky Bourbon Trail, Louisville, Michter's, Uncategorized

The Ultimate Ranking Of Michter’s Entire Whiskey Lineup https://flip.it/uPGQ-f

Bourbon City Recognized As A Top Foodie Destination

Distiller Spirits, Distilleries, Elegant dining, Farm-to-Table Restaurant, Historic foodways, Historic Restaurants, Kentucky Bourbon Classic, Kentucky Bourbon Trail, Louisville, Michter's, Restaurants, Uncategorized

Extensive collection of national outlets name Louisville a top place to visit 

As fans of Bourbon City raise a glass to mark the end of 2024, it’s time to recap and celebrate a momentous year in the city’s dynamic tourism industry. Louisville was frequently in the winner’s circle over the past 365 days, earning top travel accolades from national travel media heavyweights such as TripAdvisor, Travel + Leisure, and Airbnb, among others.

Evan Williams Bourbon Experience (Photo by Marty Pearl/Special to the LCVB)

Louisville started out 2024 on a high note, being named to Travel + Leisure’s list of ‘50 Best Places to Travel to in 2024.’ Contributing to Louisville’s historic year was the back-to-back hosting of the 150th running of the Kentucky Derby and the 106th PGA Championship, helping Louisville earn a spot on Travel Pulse, Condé Nast Traveler, and The Manual’s lists of ‘Best Places to Travel to in May.’ Both TripAdvisor and Airbnb marked Louisville as a top “trending destination” in the United States, with the online platforms using reviews and booking data to affix Louisville to the prestigious lists.

21c Museum Hotel is a stop on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Photo courtesy of LCVB.

Throughout 2024, Bourbon City upheld its status with an outpouring of accolades for its vibrant culinary and cocktail scene. Louisville’s restaurant reputation is sizzling, with Travel + Leisure highlighting it as one of the ‘Best Food Cities in the U.S.’ and Cheapism proclaiming it as one of ‘America’s Best Food Cities.’ The hip and artsy NuLu neighborhood earned recognition from AFAR magazine as one of the ‘Best Food Neighborhoods in the USA,’ with numerous NuLu restaurants also receiving individual accolades.

North of Bourbon. Photo Jane Simon Ammeson.

Several of Louisville’s culinary standouts were awarded accolades from the prestigious James Beard Awards. Chef Lawrence Weeks of Enso and North of Bourbon and Dallas McGarity of The Fat Lamb were both named semifinalists.

Nami interior. Photo courtesy of Edward Lee.

The LEE Initiative, co-founded by Top Chef contestant and recent ‘Culinary Class Wars’ competitor Edward Lee, received a James Beard Humanitarian award, marking the Louisvillian’s second James Beard Award win. Lee also received a shout for his Butchertown restaurant Nami, which was named to USA Today’s ‘2024 Restaurants of the Year’.

Bob Dylan’s The Last Refuge.

Several of Louisville’s beer and bourbon festivals were also recognized nationally. The sixth annual Bourbon & Beyond music festival had a record attendance of 210,000 attendees over the four-day weekend, including 60,000 on a single day. This marked the festival’s highest single-day attendance ever.

Fort Nelson Distillery. Photo Jane Simon Ammeson.

Garden & Gun magazine highlighted festivals Bourbon & Beyond, Garden & Gun Distilled and the Bourbon Boule as three of the ‘Seven Standout Southern Bourbon Festivals,’ while Tailspin Ale Fest captured a spot on USA Today’s 10Best ‘Beer Festivals in the US.’

Louisville’s powerful reputation as a convention destination was also widely recognized with a trifecta of awards including winning the Groups Today Readers’ Choice U.S. ‘Destination of the Year,’ a MeetingsToday’s ‘Best Destination Marketing Organizations in the South,’ and a ConventionSouth Readers’ Choice Award.

Michter’s Fort Nelson Distillery. Photo LCVB.

Some of Louisville’s top national accolades for 2024 include:

  • “Best Places to Travel in 2024” – Travel + Leisure
  • “Best Places to Go in 2024” (Kentucky) – Frommer’s
  • “The World’s Best Travel Destinations in 2024” – Culture.org
  • “The South’s Best Cities 2024” – Southern Living
  • “Trending Destinations – United States” – TripAdvisor 
  • “Top Trending Destinations Locals Love” – Airbnb
  • “Most Up-and-Coming Neighborhoods in the U.S.” (Butchertown) – TravelMag
  • “Best Places to Travel in The South This April” – Southern Living
  • “Best Places to Travel in May” – Conde Nast Traveler
  • “Where to Travel in May 2024” (Churchill Downs) – Travel Pulse
  • “Best Places to Visit in May”– The Manual
  • “Best Places to Honor Black History in 2024” – U.S. News
  • “These 10 Destinations Elevate Black Culture Year-Round” – The Points Guy
  • “Awesome and Unique Bachelorette Party Destinations” – Purewow
  • “Best Vacations in the U.S. to Explore America’s Adventure Capitals” – Men’s Journal
  • “2024 Readers’ Choice Awards” (Destination of the Year) – Groups Today

Visit the city’s official tourism website for the complete list of Louisville-based accolades received in 2024, including those for hotels, restaurants, and festivals.