Hold onto your seats and prepare to sip, savor, and celebrate at the Bourbon Classic in Louisville, Kentucky! This isn’t your grandma’s tea party. It’s the ultimate festival for bourbon enthusiasts, with top-notch distillers, chefs, and experts all under one roof. This event is where the good times flow like the amber liquid itself. And the atmosphere is electric with the buzz of bourbon enthusiasts worldwide. So, saddle up, grab a glass, and let’s cheers to a weekend of unforgettable sips and stories. 

What is The Bourbon Classic in Louisville?

If you want to experience the pinnacle of the culinary, drink, and Bourbon arts in one place, look no further than Bourbon Classic in Louisville. It’s the world’s premiere Bourbon festival. And for little fun fact, the Research Society on Alcoholism says Bourbon drinkers in moderation have a lower mortality rate than those who don’t drink Bourbon.

The most well-known events at this festival include the Cocktail & Culinary Challenge. It showcases cocktails and small plates from renowned chefs and bartenders, the Bourbon University educational sessions, and TASTE. It’s an exclusive opportunity to sample a wide range of Bourbons, meet renowned master distillers, and dine on delicious food from featured restaurants.

Since its inception in 2013, this festival has become a fan favorite. In addition to being featured in USA Today and in yearly cocktail competitions across the country, Bourbon Classic was named one of Travel & Leisure’s “7 Best Cocktail Festivals Around the Country.” If you love Bourbon, this is the event of a lifetime.

Let’s dive into some of the events at this festival.

Top Shelf

The Top Shelf event, showcasing Pappy Van Winkle and Van Winkle Family Reserve whiskeys, is the first official event of the Bourbon Classic. This exhibition takes place in the 21C Museum Hotel in Louisville. Preston Van Winkle serves up his bourbons. And the chefs at 21C create special food pairings to go with the whiskeys while the guests peruse the art galleries. 

Savor

Savor is a three-course dinner on the second night of the Bourbon Classic at Angel’s Envy Distillery on Louisville’s Main Street. Owen Martin hosted this event in February 2023, and cocktails were served alongside dishes from the nearby eatery La Chasse. Guests also got to go on a tour of the distillery. 

Cocktail and Culinary Challenge

The Bourbon Classic’s Friday night festivities offer something for everyone. Distilleries select teams of local chefs and bartenders to compete in a two-part cocktail and small plate contest. Classic pairings are presented in the first round, followed by modern pairings in the second. A panel of judges gives their opinions on the small plates and cocktails while the live audience watches and tries them for themselves. It’s the type of competition where the best chefs and bartenders in the state show off their skills. It’s also great to see their abilities to meet stringent deadlines without sacrificing quality.

If you don’t like your Bourbon neat, this is the party for you. The drinks here range from the traditional, like old-fashioned whiskey sours, to the obscure and impossible to label. The same is true of the small plates.

The challenge for chefs and bartenders is to develop novel pairings that use as many regional ingredients as possible. Local farms and enterprises like Bourbon Barrel Foods and Freedom Run Farm are frequent sources of meats, veggies, spices, and other ingredients.

2023 winners include:

• Judges’ Choice Best Cocktail: Angel’s Envy Distillery
• Judges’ Choice Best Small Plate: Angel’s Envy Distillery
• Judges’ Choice Best Paring: Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co.
• People’s Choice Best Cocktail: James B Beam Distilling Co.
• People’s Choice Best Small Plate: Horse Soldier Bourbon
• People’s Choice Best Pairing: Barrell Craft Spirits

Saturday Taste

One of the highlights of the Bourbon Classic in Louisville is the Taste event, held on Saturday night. The evening starts with choosing between optional Bourbon University seminars or distillery tours. This year’s off-site tours included stops at the Kentucky Peerless Distillery, the Stitzel-Weller Distillery, Buzzard’s Roost tasting room, and Angel’s Envy Distillery. 

The Hyatt Regency hosted classes in the atrium’s side rooms. Some seminars include The Glencaryn Experience, The Beam Legacy, Approaching The Blend Craft Spirits, and Sip Back and Meet The Masters. After these classes—at which attendees sampled whiskeys that aren’t sold to the general public—the Taste segment of the festival began. 

Festivalgoers were treated to samples from distilleries and brands around Kentucky and the surrounding areas, including Old Carter, Woodford Reserve, Kentucky Peerless, Limestone Branch, Buzzard’s Roost, and Town Branch. At this point, guests were treated to small plates prepared by local chefs such as Chef Nokee Bucayu of Wiltshire Pantry and Chef Ming Pu of Brooklyn and the Butcher. 

A Must-Attend Event For All

The Bourbon Classic in Louisville is the kind of shindig you’ll discuss for years to come. Whether you’re a bourbon connoisseur or just starting your whiskey journey, this event has something for everyone. With the finest Bourbon, mouth-watering food, and expert knowledge at your fingertips, you’ll leave feeling like a true whiskey aficionado. So, don’t be sour mash and mark your calendars for next year. It’s the perfect gathering to raise a glass, meet new friends, and enjoy the finer things in life.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Should I Wear to The Bourbon Classic in Louisville?

It is customary to wear smart casual—put-together but relaxed—at Bourbon Classic events. Dress to impress with nice jeans, slacks, or a dress. All guests must be at least the age of 21.

Where Do I Park?

The Hyatt Regency Louisville, located at 320 W Jefferson St, Louisville, KY 40202, serves as the venue for the weekend’s activities. The Commonwealth Garage, a structure connected to the hotel and reachable from Jefferson Street between Third and Fourth Streets, offers indoor parking. There are parking lots close to the hotel if you need more space.

Can Bourbon Classic Take Pictures of Festival Goers?

Bourbon Classic will be taking pictures at all of the functions. Your purchase of tickets constitutes your understanding and agreement that any photographs taken during the event will be used solely for promotional purposes by Bourbon Classic, including but not limited to posting on the event’s official website, social media accounts, and future promotional materials.

Continue your bourbon adventure beyond the Bourbon Classic Event with DistilleryNearby. Our state-by-state directory helps you discover and explore distilleries near you, so you can continue to enjoy the finest spirits and learn from the experts.