James B. Beam Distilling Co., Clermont

We enjoyed both gift shops. The Kitchen Table restaurant and bar is a nice experience. Good food and drinks. Great overall experience. *Get your tour tickets in advance if possible. They sold out for the whole day by the time we got there. *Mask required (03/05/2022) for tour and gift shops.

Great tour. It was fun to see so much of the campus on the tour. They do have sell some allocated bourbon in lower gift shop, but like all bourbon at many times sold out. The tasting was good 4 small pours but that is legal standard. The tour guide was knowledgeable and it was fun to learn.

10/10 recommend the tour. Our tour guide Nikki was beyond knowledgeable. They have quite the history and Nikki did not miss a beat. For questions she did not know, which was rare, she found the answer quite quickly. She kept our tour group engaged and entertained the entire 1/5 hours. The grounds are absolutely beautiful, and the restaurant is top notch. There was not a single thing on the menu that we would not get again. The duck poppers, the sausage pizza, the red salad, absolutely delicious. Our server April was extremely friendly and personable. Everybody we came into contact with was friendly and happy we were there.

Excellent experience. We set out to get more of the bourbon trail under our belts to identify the ones that would be best to bring friends or recommend to other people, as well as to apply our bourbon knowledge. The Jim Beam one is one that I would absolutely recommend. What I look for in a distillery are a good gift shop and cocktail bar/seating area. Jim Beam is good on both, especially the cocktail bar (and restaurant) and seating. There is staying and tables sprawled out all across the grounds, meaning you can have your cocktail at the bar, at a table, or on benches or rocking chairs outside. The visitors' area is up on a hill do you get a good view of the rickhouses and hills beyond. Another note: you drive through the entire distillery to reach the visitors' area (gift shop, restaurant/bar), making it feel like you're separated from the rest of the world while you're there.

Where to start…? Just a great venue for a stop off if traveling or a true destination for bourbon lovers. Part of Kentucky historic bourbon trail and well worth the stop. Very busy so plan ahead and reserve times if dining or touring on site. All kinds of tours available. I recommend the 20 min tasting. You get a quick history lesson and can sample several brands available. Restaurant on site worth a try.