How to actually get allocated bourbon in Lexington
21+ for tastings
Allocated bourbon means the bottles a distillery releases in small numbers, so a store gets a few at a time and most people never see one on the shelf. Pappy Van Winkle, Blanton's, Weller, E.H. Taylor, Eagle Rare and the yearly limited editions are the usual names, and buying one at the suggested retail price in a Lexington store almost never happens. Lexington still has five real ways to get close, listed here in the order they are most likely to work this week: a pour at a bourbon bar, Buffalo Trace's daily rotating bottle in Frankfort, bottles the distilleries within an hour sell only on site, free-entry draws and drawings, and the vintage shelf at a licensed vintage spirits seller. Every fact comes from the seller's or distillery's own page, with the date it was read. Every tasting is 21 and over with ID, and the person driving does not taste.
In this guide: Distillery District on foot: Barrel House Distilling and Elkhorn Tavern