Woodford Reserve Distillery

A postcard-perfect National Historic Landmark in the heart of Kentucky horse country. Copper pot stills, stone warehouses, a creek-side campus, and the premium Corn to Cork deep-dive experience.

🏇 Official Bourbon Trail 🏛️ National Historic Landmark
Location
Versailles, KY
Booking
Moderate
Tours
$20–$80
📅
Book Ahead
2–4 Weeks
Tour Length
60–120 min
🏆
Our Rating
8.7 / 10
📍
Region
Lexington

What to Expect

Woodford Reserve is one of the most visually stunning distilleries in Kentucky. Nestled in Versailles horse country, the campus features stone buildings dating back to the early 1800s, a creek running through the property, and views that make you understand why people fall in love with this part of Kentucky.

The distillery uses copper pot stills — rare in bourbon production, where column stills are the norm. This gives Woodford its distinctive, slightly richer character and makes the production tour more visually interesting than most.

The Corn to Cork experience is their premium deep-dive — it covers the full process from raw grain to finished bottle in much more detail than the standard tour. It's excellent, though it overlaps significantly with Maker's Mark if you're visiting both.

Tour Options

Distillery Tour

Solid Option

The standard tour through the historic campus and production facility. You'll see the copper pot stills, fermentation room, and aging warehouses. Includes a guided tasting. A well-run, scenic tour.

💰 $20
60 min
📅 Book 2 weeks ahead

Corn to Cork Experience

★ Top Pick

Their most in-depth experience. Covers every stage of production in detail — you'll handle the grains, smell the mash, and understand barrel aging in a way the standard tour can't cover. Smaller groups. Worth it if Woodford is your only countryside distillery.

💰 $80
120 min
📅 Book 3–4 weeks ahead

Tasting Experience

Quick Option

A seated tasting without the full tour. Good if you've done production tours elsewhere and just want to taste the lineup. Quicker and more affordable.

💰 $25
45 min
📅 Book 1 week ahead

How to Book

Woodford is moderately competitive. Standard tours usually have availability at 2 weeks. The Corn to Cork books out 3–4 weeks ahead on weekends. Weekdays are significantly easier.

Note: If you're also visiting Maker's Mark, the Corn to Cork and Maker's Mark Immersion overlap quite a bit. Pick one or the other for the premium experience — both on the same trip is redundant.

Booking Method
Website
Must-Book
Corn to Cork ($80)
Cancellation
24hr notice
Walk-Up Chance
Moderate

Gift Shop

Excellent gift shop. Standard bottles at MSRP plus distillery-exclusive selections including single barrel picks and Double Oaked variants. The Woodford Reserve Double Oaked is a crowd favorite — grab one if it's in stock. Branded merchandise is high-quality with a horse country aesthetic.

Our Honest Ratings

Tour Quality
8.5
Value for Money
7.8
Campus & Grounds
9.5
Gift Shop
8.5
Booking Ease
6.2
Crowd Level
5.5

The Bottom Line

Woodford Reserve is one of the most beautiful distillery campuses in America. The horse country setting, historic stone buildings, and copper pot stills create an atmosphere that's hard to beat. The standard tour is solid, and the Corn to Cork is genuinely premium. Just be aware of the overlap with Maker's Mark if you're doing both — choose one for the deep-dive and do the standard tour at the other.

Practical Info

Address: 7855 McCracken Pike, Versailles, KY 40383

Hours: Tuesday–Saturday 9 AM – 5 PM, Sunday 12 PM – 4 PM. Closed Monday.

Parking: Free, large lot.

Kids: Allowed on tours, no tasting under 21.

Nearby & Pair With

📍 Itinerary Fit

Woodford Reserve Distillery is featured in our 3-Day Bourbon Trail Itinerary. See the full day-by-day route for how it fits with nearby stops.