How to actually get allocated bourbon in Lexington

The five ways, in the order they work

First, drink it instead of hunting it: Lexington's bourbon bars pour allocated bottles by the ounce, the bar sections below list what each one's own page says about its list, and the published-menu examples show what a one-ounce pour of Pappy or Stagg costs where a bar prints it. Second, Buffalo Trace in Frankfort sells one rotating allocated brand most days, one bottle per person, and posts which one each morning. Third, several distilleries within an hour sell bottles only at the distillery, including fill-your-own-bottle experiences at Town Branch, RD1 and Bluegrass Distillers. Fourth, the free-entry draws and drawings: the calendar below holds every one with an official page, with the date it was last checked. Fifth, a licensed vintage spirits seller may sell old bottles bought from private collections under Kentucky's vintage spirits law; what that means is explained below, without prices.

Taste it instead: Paddock Bourbon Club, South Broadway

Paddock Bourbon Club at 1011 South Broadway is a bottle shop with a tasting bar. Its site says, "You do not have to be a member to come to our bottle shop or tasting bar, but members are rewarded for their loyalty," and "Not all of our inventory will be posted online." Hours on the site are Tuesday through Friday 3 to 10 pm, Saturday noon to 11 pm and Sunday noon to 7 pm, "subject to change as we plan private events, tastings, and travel for barrel picks," with closures posted on its social accounts. The site is for visitors 21 and older. Call or text 859-687-4118.

• Paddock Bourbon Club: hours, membership and inventory

Taste it instead: Bluegrass Tavern, Cheapside

Bluegrass Tavern at 115 Cheapside calls itself Kentucky's largest bourbon collection on its own site, which links a bourbon list that is several years old and posts no hours. Phone 859-279-2017. Ask what is open behind the bar today; an old list is a starting point, not tonight's shelf, and no count here is verified.

• Bluegrass Tavern: bourbon list and contact

Taste it instead: Bourbon on Rye, West Main

Bourbon on Rye is a downtown cocktail bar at 115 W Main Street whose site posts a bourbon list beside its specialty drinks, beer and wine and kitchen menus. Phone 859-286-5153. The site does not print hours or pour prices, so ask whether a price is for a one-ounce or two-ounce pour.

• Bourbon on Rye: menus

Taste it instead: OBC Kitchen, The Commons

OBC Kitchen, now at 125 Turner Commons Way, says it "houses an extremely rare bourbon collection, eclectic craft beer selection and extensive wine list." Its public bourbon menu lists Old Rip Van Winkle 10, Pappy Van Winkle 15, 20 and 23, Weller Full Proof and George T. Stagg among hundreds of names, plus a block of Bluegrass Hospitality Group single-barrel selections, without printing prices or pour sizes online. Its site lists Monday through Thursday 4 to 10 pm, Friday 4 to 11 pm, Saturday 10 am to 11 pm and Sunday 10 am to 9 pm, with brunch 10 am to 3 pm on the weekend. Phone 859-710-6680.

• OBC Kitchen: bourbon, hours and address
• OBC Kitchen bourbon menu (names only, prices not printed)

Taste it instead: The Obstinate Sons, Chevy Chase

The Obstinate Sons at 829 Chevy Chase Place publishes its whole bourbon list with prices and pour sizes: "All Pour Prices Reflect 2 Ounces, unless otherwise noted," and "We can offer 1 Ounce or 1/2 Ounce Pours of Anything." The list has a private-barrel section and a vintage section. Its site lists Tuesday through Saturday 4 to 11 pm and Sunday 4 to 10 pm, with the kitchen closing at 10 pm. Phone 859-303-8467.

• The Obstinate Sons bourbon menu with pour sizes
• The Obstinate Sons: address and hours

Examples from published menus, checked October 26, 2026

These are the prices two restaurants print on their own menus, with the pour size beside each, read on October 26, 2026. A menu proves what a bar publishes, not what is open behind the bar tonight, and tax and tip are extra. The Obstinate Sons, where the default pour is 2 ounces unless noted: Eagle Rare 10 Year $10 (2 oz), E.H. Taylor Small Batch $14 (2 oz), Blanton's $15 (2 oz), Weller Special Reserve $11 (2 oz), Weller 12 Year $35 (2 oz), Weller Antique 107 $10 (1 oz), Stagg 126.5 proof $10 (1 oz), E.H. Taylor Barrel Proof $35 (1 oz), George T. Stagg 2026 $45 (1 oz), Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year $35 (1 oz), Van Winkle Reserve Lot B 12 Year $45 (1 oz), Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye 13 Year $60 (1 oz) and Pappy Van Winkle 15 Year $65 (1 oz). Jeff Ruby's Lexington drink menu, a PDF: E.H. Taylor Small Batch $28, Stagg Jr. $45 and Weller Full Proof Jeff Ruby Select $45, size not stated. OBC Kitchen prints names without prices. Ask whether a price is for one ounce or two before you order anywhere else.

• The Obstinate Sons bourbon menu
• Jeff Ruby's Lexington drink menu (PDF)

Taste it instead: Distilled, Jefferson Street

Distilled Restaurant & Bourbon Bar at 157 Jefferson Street describes "an expertly curated collection of Kentucky bourbons, rare whiskeys, and handcrafted cocktails" beside its Southern menu, and says it has been on Jefferson Street since 2014. Its site lists Monday through Thursday 5 to 9 pm and Friday and Saturday 5 to 10 pm. Phone 859-255-0002.

• Distilled: bourbon bar, hours and reservations

Taste it instead: The Rackhouse Tavern at The Campbell House

The Rackhouse Tavern, inside The Campbell House at 1375 S Broadway, says it offers "over 300+ bourbon offerings" and "guided tastings, unique bourbon pairings, and flights for both bourbon connoisseurs and beginners alike." Its page lists dinner 4 to 10 pm Sunday through Friday and 4 to 11 pm Saturday, a weekday happy hour from 2 to 4 pm with $10 old fashioneds, and live music Friday and Saturday 7:30 to 10:30 pm. Phone 859-255-4281.

• The Rackhouse Tavern: bourbon bar and hours

Taste it instead: Bourbon on Main, Frankfort

Bourbon on Main at 103 W Main Street in Frankfort, on the Kentucky River, calls itself "a family-friendly bourbon experience restaurant" with a Bourbon Collection page and "reservations, tastings & event rentals available." Its site lists Monday through Wednesday 11 am to 8 pm and Thursday through Saturday 11 am to 10 pm, closed Sunday, with the last seating for food an hour before the bar closes. Phone 502-352-2720. None of the bar pages above prints a price for an allocated pour, so ask what is open behind the bar today and whether the price is for one ounce or two.

• Bourbon on Main: hours, tastings and reservations

Buffalo Trace, explained: the daily rotating bottle

Buffalo Trace Distillery is at 113 Great Buffalo Trace, Frankfort, with the distillery and gift shop open Monday through Saturday 9 am to 5 pm and Sunday 11 am to 5 pm, closed Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Its product availability page, stamped 10.26.2026 at 8 am Eastern when read, lists daily offerings it says are "available for purchase on a daily basis," with "bottle limits vary based on available supply": Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Traveller Whiskey, Sazerac Rye Whiskey and Weller Special Reserve. Its rotating offerings, Eagle Rare 10-Year, Weller Antique 107, Blanton's Single Barrel and E.H. Taylor Small Batch, are "available on a random, rotating basis – typically one featured brand per day," and "rotating bottles are available one per person, per day. Subject to availability." The page says it "will be updated each morning to reflect our daily offerings and as needed throughout the day as inventory changes," and that "some products may sell out before we close the gift shop on any given day." Check that page the morning you drive. Tours and tastings are complimentary seven days a week, "reservations recommended, limited walk-up availability daily": the Trace Tour (75 minutes) is open to all ages, and the Hard Hat and Old Taylor tours are for ages 12 and up with an adult. Its plan-your-visit page says tour dates are released weekly on Wednesdays at 10 am Eastern, the reservation calendar opens up to 8 weeks ahead, and "complimentary guided tastings are available every day at the Distillery Gift Shop, no reservation needed." Every visit starts at the Freehouse Welcome Center, where IDs are checked. Pets are welcome inside the gift shop and visitor center but not on tours.

• Today's product availability (updated each morning)
• Tours, hours and closed days
• Plan your visit: the Wednesday release schedule and check-in
• Tour age rules and pets (FAQ)

Buffalo Trace, explained: the Bottle Draw

In September 2026 Buffalo Trace tested a new program it calls the Bottle Draw: "You register during a three-day window. Names are pulled at random. If yours comes out, you get 14 days to visit us and purchase your bottle." The first draw was for Elmer T. Lee 40th Anniversary Single Barrel at $99.99 plus tax: entry on the draws page from 10 am Eastern on September 15 to 11:59 pm on September 17, names pulled at random on September 21 and 22 by the sweepstakes administrator the rules name, Million Dollar Media, and pickup at the distillery from September 28 to October 11. The official rules say entrants must be 21 or older legal residents of the fifty states or D.C. with a valid driver's license, one entry per person, up to 5,000 winners selected at random, and that the winner buys the bottle in person with a matching photo ID. The page says "everybody hears from us, selected or not," that "entry order does not change your odds," and that the draw "does not replace our daily bottle rotation program." On October 26 the draws page still described that first draw and listed no next one. The daily rotation above is the only Buffalo Trace route open today.

• Buffalo Trace Bottle Draws (watch for the next window)
• Bottle Draw official rules

Distillery-only bottles: Town Branch, Cross Street

Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co.'s Town Branch Distillery at 401 Cross Street runs a tasting of "three off the menu, distillery only finished bourbons straight from the barrel" (bourbon finished in rye whiskey, maple stout and rum barrels), a thieving-and-cocktail experience that includes "our current DISTILLERY ONLY Single Barrel Reserve Bourbon selection (limited quantities available)," and a Fill Your Own Bottle experience in which you fill "your own cask-strength Single Barrel Reserve bottle" and write its label. All three are for guests 21 and over. The visitor center is open Monday through Saturday 9:30 am to 6 pm and Sunday 11:30 am to 6 pm, with the first Sunday tour at noon and no spirits sales until 1 pm. Children may join the campus tour; tastings are 21 and over. Walk-ins are welcome, but the page says tours book quickly.

• Town Branch experiences, hours and booking

Distillery-only bottles: RD1 Distillery at The Commons

RD1's page describes a Bottle-Your-Own Experience: "Taste through the rotating experimental barrels in our Thieving Room and choose your favorite. Then, thieve it straight from the barrel and fill your own 200 mL or 750 mL bottle to take home, complete with a custom label." There is also a tour and tasting and a full bar with a hidden speakeasy. Hours are Monday through Thursday 11 am to 6 pm, Friday and Saturday 11 am to 7 pm and Sunday 1 to 6 pm, at 113 Turner Commons Way, Suite 110.

• RD1 Distillery at The Commons: experiences and hours

Distillery-only bottles: Bluegrass Distillers, Midway

Bluegrass Distillers at Elkwood Farm, 158 W. Leestown Road in Midway, says: "Tour our distillery, taste straight from the barrel, and take home a bottle you've hand-corked yourself. We're open for tastings and tours year-round." Tours are available daily with booking in advance recommended; its tour page does not print prices, so read the booking page before you drive. Phone 859-217-2377.

• Bluegrass Distillers: tours and hand-corked bottles
• Book a tour

Distillery-only bottles: Castle & Key, Frankfort

Castle & Key at 4445 McCracken Pike in Frankfort says of its Experimental Series, "Pick up a bottle from our Experimental Series only on site," and that its Boiler Room shop carries "the full Castle & Key portfolio of spirits, along with a rotating selection of limited releases and site-exclusive merchandise." Hours on its visit page are Wednesday through Saturday 10:30 am to 5 pm and Sunday 11 am to 5 pm, closed Monday and Tuesday, and "all bars close at 4:30 PM." Its site also lists a Key Collective membership; the terms were not on the pages read.

• Castle & Key: hours and the Boiler Room shop
• Experimental Series, sold only on site

Distillery-only bottles: Woodford Reserve, Versailles

Woodford Reserve at 7785 McCracken Pike in Versailles opens its gift shop Monday through Saturday 9 am to 5 pm and Sunday noon to 4:30 pm, and its cocktail bar Monday through Saturday 10 am to 4:45 pm and Sunday noon to 4 pm, with no reservation needed for either; January and February it is open Thursday through Monday. Tours and tastings are by reservation on "a rolling 90 days," with no waitlist. "Only guests over 21 years old are able enter our tasting rooms – no exceptions," and a government photo ID is required to sample. For what the gift shop has on the shelf, the site says to call 859-879-1940; it cannot hold, ship or take phone orders for bottles. Its Distillery Series page names a Cabernet Sauvignon Barrel Finish as the latest release and lists past ones from 2024 and 2025. The distillery is closed November 3 for maintenance, November 25 and 26 for Thanksgiving and December 24 through 31. It is cashless and offers a designated-driver discount, one per group.

• Woodford Reserve: hours, reservations, the gift shop line and the 21+ rule
• Distillery Series releases

Distillery-only bottles: Four Roses, Lawrenceburg

Four Roses released its 2026 Limited Edition Small Batch on October 10: about 16,800 bottles at 109.2 proof, a suggested retail price of $249, "available at select retailers nationwide and at the Four Roses Distillery Visitor Centers in Lawrenceburg, KY beginning October 10, while supplies last," per its September 1 announcement. Whether any remain at the visitor center is not posted; call 502-839-3436 before you drive. The distillery at 1224 Bonds Mill Road is open Wednesday through Saturday 9 am to 4 pm and Sunday noon to 4 pm, with Bar 1888 pouring "seasonal cocktail selections and straight pours of our Bourbons" and a limit of two cocktails per adult. Its visitor-center page says there is "no added cost to visit either of our Visitor Centers, browse the gift shops, purchase bottles, or enjoy a drink at the bar"; tickets are only for the guided experiences, which the FAQ says are booked about three months ahead. Tastings are 1.75 ounces, the most Kentucky law allows.

• Four Roses 2026 Limited Edition Small Batch announcement
• Four Roses Distillery: hours, Bar 1888 and FAQ
• Four Roses visitor centers: shop and bar without a ticket

Distillery-only bottles: Wild Turkey, Lawrenceburg

Wild Turkey's visitor center at 1417 Versailles Road in Lawrenceburg is open Wednesday through Saturday 9 am to 5 pm and Sunday noon to 4 pm, closed Monday and Tuesday and on Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day; last call at the cocktail bar is an hour before the gift shop closes. The gift shop sells "anything from bourbon-scented candles to some of our highest-end, top-shelf bourbons"; the page names no distillery-only bottle. Tour reservations go to WT-Tourreservations@campari.com. Pets are not permitted inside or on tours.

• Wild Turkey Distillery: hours and reservations

Distillery District on foot: James E. Pepper

James E. Pepper Distillery at 1228 Manchester Street has a bar with "tasting flights, neat pours and Old Fashioned cocktails" and a gift shop; "reservations are not required for tastings." The guided tour is $25 per person, $10 for veterans and free for active military, with the tour page saying to book online at least an hour ahead and arrive 15 minutes early; park at 1170 Manchester Street. Tours and tastings run Tuesday through Sunday, with the page warning that visitor center hours vary and to check before you go. No children under 14 on tours; the retail area is kid and pet friendly. The tours page names no distillery-only bottle, so ask at the retail counter.

• James E. Pepper tours, bar and hours

Distillery District on foot: Barrel House Distilling and Elkhorn Tavern

Barrel House Distilling Co. runs tours on the hour with the last at 5 pm, open 11 am to 6 pm Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 pm Sunday. "Tours & Tastings for Adults 21+ are $15 per person. Anyone 20 & under is free but cannot participate in the tasting." Next door, its Elkhorn Tavern at 1200 Manchester Street pours cocktails from Barrel House spirits, including RockCastle Bourbon and Licking River Rye, open Tuesday through Thursday 11 am to 11 pm, Friday and Saturday 11 am to midnight and Sunday and Monday 11 am to 9 pm.

• Barrel House tours and tasting prices
• Elkhorn Tavern: menu and hours

Distillery District on foot: Dark Arts Whiskey House

Dark Arts Whiskey House & Alchemy Lab at 1170 Manchester Street, Suite 190, lists special releases, a Barrel Pick Program and The Alchemist's Bar on its site, and books experiences online. Its visit page prints no hours or age rule, so book before you go.

• Dark Arts: visit and book an experience

Downtown and Northside: Bespoken, Fresh Bourbon and New Era

Bespoken Spirits' tasting room at Greyline Station, 101 W Loudon Ave, Suite 136, lists Wednesday and Thursday 11 am to 7 pm, Friday and Saturday noon to 8 pm, Sunday noon to 6 pm and Monday 5 to 9 pm for the cocktail bar only, with cocktail classes every Thursday at 4, 5 and 6 pm. Fresh Bourbon's tasting room is "located in Downtown Lexington" and offers a three-part experience, "sensory experience, a mixology class, and a cocktail," with bottles for sale; its site prints no street address or hours, so book through its Tours & Tastings page. New Era Whiskey, a new downtown distillery, sells cask-strength single barrels and runs a Social Club whose members get "an exclusive Social Club bottle every month" and members-only single barrel picks; its site posts no visiting hours yet, so it is on watch here rather than listed as a stop.

• Bespoken Spirits: tasting room hours
• New Era Social Club
• Fresh Bourbon tours and tastings

Farther out: Paris and Danville

The Kentucky Bourbon Trail's Lexington Region travel guide, posted May 4, 2026, sends its third day to Hartfield & Co. in Paris, at 320 Pleasant Street, and its fourth to Wilderness Trail Distillery in Danville, at 4095 Lebanon Road. Both are their own trips; Around Lex lists neither town yet. Kentucky Bourbon Trail is a registered trademark of the Kentucky Distillers' Association, and Around Lex is not affiliated with it.

• Kentucky Bourbon Trail: Lexington Region travel guide
• Hartfield & Co. Distillery, Paris
• Wilderness Trail Distillery, Danville

The vintage shelf: Kentucky's vintage spirits law

Kentucky's 2017 House Bill 100 defined "vintage distilled spirits" and created the rules for selling and reselling them, effective January 1, 2018, which is why a licensed shop here may sell old bottles bought from a private collection. House Bill 439, signed April 4, 2024, restructured that license: a $300 annual vintage distilled spirits license, a monthly report to the state, purchases made in person at the licensed premises, each bottle conspicuously labeled as vintage distilled spirits, and a cap of 24 packages a seller may sell in 12 months. Person-to-person bottle sales are not part of that law. Lexington's best-known vintage seller is Justins' House of Bourbon; its website and booking page could not be read on October 26, so this guide prints nothing about its hours, stock or prices. Prices on a vintage shelf are secondary-market prices, and this page never prints one.

• House Bill 100 (2017), Kentucky General Assembly record
• House Bill 439 (2024), Kentucky General Assembly record

The drawings and release calendar

Every line below is a seller's own release, draw or drawing with an official page, as that page read on the check date. Nothing here is a bottle sighting, a private sale or a resale price. Lane rule: a line changes the day the seller's page changes.

• Liquor Barn: upcoming events
• Kentucky ABC: auction notices

Rules of the road

Around Lex reports where licensed sellers release bottles. It never lists private sellers, never posts bottle sightings, never quotes a secondary price as an offer, and never runs a drawing of its own. A retailer's free-entry drawing is a chance to buy at the store's price; a charity raffle sells tickets under its own state license and is labeled as a raffle when one appears here. Every tasting is 21 and over with ID. Frankfort, Versailles and Lawrenceburg are drives, so settle who is driving before the first pour, and that person does not taste.

Lexington Bourbon Week, November 5 to 14

Lexington Bourbon Week runs November 5 to 14, 2026, with bourbon cocktails at bars and restaurants around town and an app to find them. Around Lex has a separate guide and festival page for it; the 2026 venue list was not posted when this guide was checked.

• Lexington Bourbon Week 2026: the cocktails, the bars, the app
• Lexington Bourbon Week (the organizer's site)

Send a correction

If a distillery or bar changes its hours, a drawing is announced, or a line above is wrong, use /submit to send a correction with a link to the seller's own page. The whole guide is rechecked weekly through December.

• Send a correction

Official sources for this guide

• Bourbon On Main: visitor information

  Last checked October 21, 2026.

• Buffalo Trace Distillery: visitor information

  Last checked October 21, 2026.

• Lexington Brewing & Distilling Co.: visitor information

  Last checked October 21, 2026.

• RD1 Distillery at The Commons: visitor information

  Last checked October 26, 2026.

• Bluegrass Distillers: visitor information

  Last checked October 21, 2026.

• Castle & Key: visitor information

  Last checked October 21, 2026.

• Woodford Reserve Distillery: visitor information

  Last checked October 21, 2026.

• Four Roses Distillery: visitor information

  Last checked October 26, 2026.

• Wild Turkey Distillery: visitor information

  Last checked October 21, 2026.

• James E. Pepper Distillery: visitor information

  Last checked October 25, 2026.

• Barrel House Distilling Co.: visitor information

  Last checked October 25, 2026.

• Dark Arts Whiskey House & Alchemy Lab: visitor information

  Last checked October 25, 2026.

• Bespoken Spirits: visitor information

  Last checked October 26, 2026.

Conditions can change after a recorded check. Recheck visitor information before leaving.