Most bourbon distilleries show visitors how their whiskey is made. But some have deepened the experience to include full-fledged bars with distinctive comforts and character. These on-site watering holes will make you want to linger and appreciate their work.
The Kandinsky Room
Chamblee, Georgia
Portions of Distillery of Modern Art in suburban Atlanta double as a contemporary art gallery, underscoring founder Seth Watson’s belief that distilling, too, is an art form subjective to each consumer. The Kandinsky Room, DoMA’s warmly industrial lounge bar named for abstract painter Wassily Kandinsky, draws a diverse crowd for cocktails and events including caviar tastings and comedy. Art lovers or not, dogs are welcome on the patio—and score their owners discounted bar tabs during Sunday “Yappy Hours.”
What to order: A Meteora cocktail, which combines DoMA’s 100-proof straight bourbon with coconut milk, ginger, lime, and pureed purple yam, which lends a vibrant hue.
The Bar at Willett
Bardstown, Kentucky
The fifty-two-seat bar tucked above Willett Distillery’s visitor center strives to feel like an extension of the childhood home of sibling Willett owners Drew and Britt Kulsveen. “We don’t want it to be so elevated that you have to get buttoned up,” says general manager and beverage director Andy Pope. Indulgent hospitality is the rule, though, from liquid-nitrogen-chilled glassware to the beloved house-made egg salad sandwich.
What to order: Cocktails tempt, but purists may opt for a tasting flight that in addition to Willett’s whiskey can sometimes include rare single-barrel expressions sourced from other distillers before 2012.
Still Austin
Austin, Texas
Patio bars are king in the Texas capital. Still Austin ups the outdoors ante with a lively, covered affair equipped with fans to cool patrons drawn by whiskey pours and live music on the satellite stage of renowned Austin music venue Antone’s. “We’re about fifteen minutes from both downtown and the airport,” says general manager of hospitality Kimi Smith, “so we get a great mix of locals and travelers who come straight here with their bags.”
What to order: Keep the patio vibe going with a slushy Cold Fashioned, made with Still Austin’s 98.4-proof flagship bourbon-the Musician-and dispensed from a frozen-drink machine.
The Generations Lounge
Lawrenceburg, Kentucky
When Wild Turkey’s architectural gem of a visitor center opened in 2024, its designers had the foresight to capitalize on the surrounding natural beauty, crowning it with a bar space of plush sofas that affords a commanding view of the Kentucky River and Young’s High Bridge. The bar’s name nods to the three generations of Russells (Jimmy, Eddie, and Bruce) who have become a distilling dynasty.
What to order: “For first-time visitors, I recommend our old-fashioned made with Wild Turkey 101,” says visitor center manager Sarah Grabo. “It’s bold but balanced, and it really highlights that classic Wild Turkey character.”
Garden & Gun Club
Louisville, Kentucky
We’d love to welcome you to G&G’s own inviting bar at Stitzel-Weller Distillery, where Julian P. “Pappy” Van Winkle once ruled. An antlered mount marks the way upstairs, leading to an intimate, lodge-like space to settle in with Southern bites, creative cocktails, and bartenders ready to offer plenty of tips for Kentucky visitors. “We love talking about travel, food and drink, and music with our guests,” says lead bartender Trevor Bowles.
What to order: Want a story to tell back home? Splurge on a tasting experience with either of two of the oldest Kentucky bourbons ever released: Blade and Bow 30 Year and Stitzel Reserve 31 Year.
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Steve Russell is a Garden & Gun contributing editor who also has written for Men’s Journal, Life, Rolling Stone, and Playboy. Born in Mississippi and raised in Tennessee, he resided in New Orleans and New York City before settling down in Charlottesville, Virginia, because it’s far enough south that biscuits are an expected component of a good breakfast.