Kentucky History Drive

History is all around us.

Pioneers, Native nations, long hunters, soldiers and distillers. Explore the stories that made Kentucky, on a living map you can travel through time.

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Bourbon Heritage: the family distillers of the Rolling Fork country

Out from Bardstown into the Nelson, Washington and Marion county hollows: the Willett farm, Henry McKenna's Fairfield, Jacob Beam's Hardin's Creek and a Beam descendant's distillery at Lebanon.

Stops

  1. 1. Willett Distillery

    PublicPaid admissionReservation neededFamily farm. Working distillery; tours by reservation, fees apply.

    A family-owned distillery on the outskirts of Bardstown, on land that began as a Willett family farm; it was called Kentucky Bourbon Distillers from 1984 to 2012. Sources: Wikipedia: Willett Distillery

    No story yet for this stop.

  2. 2. Fairfield (Henry McKenna's distillery village)

    Private land: marker onlyDistilling by 1855. Small village; no visitor site. View from public roads only.

    Irish-born turnpike builder Henry McKenna settled in Fairfield in 1851 and by 1855 was making whiskey in a shed beside his mill. Sources: Kentucky Bourbon Trail: 160 years of H. McKenna

    16.2 mi, about 33 min from stop 1
    Henry McKenna's Fairfield sour mash →

  3. 3. Hardin's Creek (Jacob Beam country, approximate)

    Private land: marker onlyAbout 1795. Approximate area only; farmland is private. View from public roads.

    After 1790 Jacob Beam settled a farm and mill on Hardin's Creek in Washington County; Beam family history dates the first barrel to about 1795. Sources: Jim Beam: Beam history

    22.3 mi, about 31 min from stop 2
    Jacob Beam on Hardin Creek →Jacob Beam sells Old Jake’s first barrel →

  4. 4. Limestone Branch Distillery (Lebanon)

    PublicPaid admissionReservation neededYellowstone brand 1872. Working distillery; tours by reservation, fees apply.

    Founded by Stephen Beam, of the distilling family; its flagship Yellowstone bourbon brand dates to 1872. Sources: Limestone Branch Distillery

    17.2 mi, about 21 min from stop 3
    No story yet for this stop.

Directions cover the public stops only. Fairfield (Henry McKenna's distillery village), Hardin's Creek (Jacob Beam country, approximate): private property; view from public roads only. Access, fees and hours are general; verify before visiting. Context: To avoid repeating the Heaven Hill and Barton 1792 pages, this drive skips downtown Bardstown, Spalding Hall, Federal Hill, Holy Cross and Maker's Mark; see those pages for them.

Route map