More

Tom Wilmes

Tom Wilmes is a journalist based in central Kentucky, specializing in bourbon and other spirits. A contributor for Garden & Gun, he has also written for Whisky Advocate, The Local Palate, Southbound, and various other publications. Follow @kentuckydrinks on Instagram.

People hold bourbon glasses

Travel

A spirited celebration is coming to a city near you

A hotel lobby with a polished interior and copper still

Travel

With five bars, a Bourbon Butler service, its own private-label whiskey, and even IV drips, the Trail Hotel aims to be a bourbon country headquarters

A bartender mixes bourbon

Food & Drink

Six pros from top bourbon bars across the Bluegrass State give their picks for “everyday” bottles that offer value and versatility

A jockey in a red and white silk raises his arms to the sky

Sporting

The Hall-of-Fame jockey on his mission to help behind-the-scenes workers at Churchill Downs and beyond—and the unbridled joy of a Derby victory

Two shotgun shell-shaped containers of whiskey and a bottle of bourbon

Food & Drink

Ducks Unlimited and World Whiskey Society collaborate on a pair of bottles for waterfowl lovers

Inside a bourbon museum with shelves of bottles

2025 BUCKET LIST

The Samuels House is steeped in two hundred years of whiskey history

Food & Drink

The historic designation has seen a comeback as a mark of quality in today’s crowded whiskey field. Here are several recent releases from producers large and small

A woman stands in front of bourbon barrels. She holds a glass of bourbon

Food & Drink

More and more distillers are experimenting with bourbons finished in “toasted barrels”—and for good reason

A priest and Pope Francis. Pope Francis holds bottles of bourbon and signs them

Arts & Culture

That would be thanks to Father Jim Sichko (and yes, it’s for a good cause). Read our interview with the Kentucky priest.

Marci Palatella and others with the award.

Drinks

A pioneer in the industry, Marci Palatella and her Pure Antique took best-of-the-best honors at this year’s massive San Francisco World Spirits Competition. And that’s not all she’s got in store.

Three bottles of whiskey.

Drinks

These bottles proved they can hang with the big boys at this year’s San Francisco World Spirits Competition

A bottle of bourbon with a partly filled glass on a table

Food & Drink

Distillers in search of distinctive flavors are experimenting with heirloom and locally grown ingredients in their bourbons and other whiskeys. These recent releases bring a taste of place.

A woman holds a brown poodle dog

Food & Drink

Meet Star, a new face around the Maker’s Mark farm in Loretto, Kentucky

An asian man with a beard wearing a blue button up shirt standing in front of a wood door.

Food & Drink

The author and restaurateur on his new bourbon-centered cookbook, Kentucky’s whiskey landscape, and why labels aren’t everything

a wood background with 10 bottles of bourbon surrounding a book.

Arts & Culture

Aaron Goldfarb, the author of the new book Dusty Booze, on an impossible-to-find rum, the search for Howard Hughes’ stash, and why vintage bourbons are better

A bottle pours bourbon into a glass cup a person is holding.

Travel

Bourbon and music, bourbon in the Big Easy, bourbon meets Kevin Bacon—see what’s flowing at these upcoming events

A bottle of bourbon on a wood barrel

Food & Drink

These recently released bottles offer value and versatility for bourbon fans

A man wearing a black vest and hat golds a whiskey sour at a black-topped bar. Walls of bottles are tucked into shelves behind him.

Travel

A spirited jaunt through the heart of Bluegrass State reveals its growing whiskey landscape

People at a table laugh and drink bourbon and take notes

Food & Drink

Master taster Melissa Rift on getting to know a new bourbon: “Meet yourself where you are”

Food & Drink

A few thoughts—and some science—on the proper care and handling of good bourbon