Castle & Key Distillery

A must stop for their grounds. While my husband did a tasting, I got a crafted soda and walked the grounds. Their cocktail station has great options. The store is clean with a wide variety. Plus the bathrooms are very clean. We aren’t a huge fan of their bourbon, but would still come back for the atmosphere! I wish there would’ve been a DD option in the tasting to learn about their bourbon.

The grounds were gorgeous and the buildings were incredibly interesting. Our tour guide Miles was excellent, even though it was very hot out. Our favorite drink was the vodka mule and will be definitely trying that recipe again at home.!

A group of about 12 of us took a tour headed out from Louisville, Kentucky and were fortunate enough to make a stop here. Such a unique location with a beautiful castle. The river nearby added a nice touch along with a very historic feel. Everything about it was amazing and the drinks were delicious.

Best tour and experience at a Distillery this week! We loved the whole experience and highly recommend you stop! Chris our tour guide was outstanding with information and stories. The tour takes you through the gardens and castle and ends with a great tasting. The gins are amazing for those who don’t like bourbon. Treat yourself and make this an experience that the previous and current owners dreamed of. Enjoy the spirits, gardens and plan a day with the food and Mule trucks! Cheers to the great staff for a wonderful day. 👏👏

Castle & Key is just such a unique place! We had so much fun exploring the grounds and walking through the buildings! Miles was an amazing tour guide and we will definitely be back!

Beautiful piece of bourbon history! The grounds are immaculate, the drinks are delicious, and Rich, our tour guide, gave us all the history along the tour. We will definitely be back here when on the Bourbon Trail next.

One of the most beautiful distilleries in Kentucky. Quaint and enchanting. This place does it right, we had a wonderful tour guide and delicious tasting afterwards. Such a cool story behind this historic distillery with Colonel Taylor. You feel like you are in the fanciest version of late 1800s Kentucky with the Sunken Garden, Roman baths, and castle scenery.

We had a wonderful Bourbon tour of the Castle & Key Distillery. Our tour guide, Rich, was extremely knowledgeable and answered every question of our group. We enjoyed the pre-tour visit to the store and the ending at the tasting room. The tour itself was very educational and informative. Rich had his humorous moments 🤣 Lots of history to learn!

This is probably my absolute favorite distillery to take family to. It's an amazing location, there is a nice garden walking trail, a great little bar, food trucks, and seating all around. You can walk along the creek, sip cocktails, and be part of bourbon history in Kentucky. And you can do it without paying for the tour itself I absolutely LOVE this place.

We love this place! It is absolutely beautiful, rustic old buildings, photogenic castle, waterfalls and botanical garden are quite lovely. The staff are friendly and engaging. The giftstore had all of the fares from the distillery, plus some Keeneland Racetrack clothing. They have a food truck and the small bar has refreshing mixed drinks and a charcuterie board for sale. The restrooms are very nice and there is a complementary iced water dispenser in the gift store which is a life saver on a super hot Kentucky day. This distillery is a nice place for a couple or a family outing as the kids will love the waterfalls, the picnic area and the lovely botanical garden. You are free to enjoy the property at no cost. There is a tasting room and you can reserve tickets for the distillery tour. This is a must see distillery, among the top most beautiful.

We took a tour and it was very informative about the history of the property. The grounds are beautiful, and see and smelling the mash (smells like bread) was an awesome experience! Also, check out the gift shop. On the tour we tasted their bourbon, rye, along with a bourbon ball (Yum!), and a gin drink. Very much worth the cost of the tour. After our tour we enjoyed a picnic on the grounds, and would definitely recommend doing so, as well as touring the grounds.

Very unique distillery, beautiful grounds with great quality bourbon. Great selection of different spirits.

Bar Review Only! WOW! This smaller distillery is a must visit! My group was impressed with Castle & Key Distillery from start to finish. The distillery itself was tucked away and had an old world charm to it. The grounds are well kept and mix old building architecture with modern uses. We happened in on a Sunday to try some spirit flights and honestly wished we had had time to do a tour. I got the Whiskey Tasting which came with (3) samples. My fiancé got the gin tasting as well. The Small Batch Bourbon was some of the smoothest we tried on our trip! The Rise Gin was the favorite in the bunch as well. Flights and cocktails were very moderately priced and gift shop was fully stocked with items for purchase. All staff members we encountered had a smile on their face and were super accommodating. Make Castle & Key apart of your visit list! It is well worth it!

We visited Castle and Key seeing it on a documentary and it did not disappoint. We were able to sign up for tour on the spot and it was busy. There we're releasing a 7 yr bourbon for the first time. Not knowing much about bourbon the tour was very informative and the grounds were beautiful. Many people appeared to out enjoying the afternoon. There was live music and two food trucks. Everyone we talked to, staff and patrons, were very friendly. If you are in the Lexington area and looking for a distillery to visit this would be a good choice.

My favorite Distillery so far. The Grounds and Facility are amazingly cool, straight out of a 1930's era B/W film. Our Guide during Derby 151 week, Maggie, was also top-notch. Highly recommend.

Many of the distilleries have gone to larger, impersonal, gift shops and tasting rooms. Castle and Key still has that magical feeling. Small distillery, but so quaint. The people are all so helpful and so nice. We were invited to shop, or head over to grab a cocktail and bring it back to shop. Which is what we did. The grounds here are beautiful. We did not take a tour as we were short on time. But we will be back. Thank you to Seb and Matt for making our visit special.

Gorgeous distillery! This distillery sat unused for 40+ years. It is so impressive what they've done to bring it back to life. And I'm so thankful they did because the grounds are so beautiful. In addition to the tour, they have plenty of outdoor seating where you can drink their product and eat food from a food truck. It is really more than a tour...it's an overall experience. You'll find yourself spending hours here on a nice day. I'll be honest with you. The tour guide wasn't the best, the food from the food truck was marginal, and I don't love their bourbon, but all of that is simply overrun by the environment they've created out here. I'd put it up there with Maker's Mark for the beauty of the surroundings. But when you add to that the bar and outdoor areas to sit you have an incredible place to go and simply get away, I highly recommend.

Beautiful distillery! We didn't do a tour, but loved the grounds, the gift shop and Husband loved his tasting of five of theirs. That way he knew which bottle to buy in the gift shop. Just be careful if you're going from place to place to not leave bourbon in a hot car for too long!

Went for a tasting today one of the most beautiful grounds and buildings in the distillery world. Kaleb did a great job and was very inactive with everyone.

Absolutely beautiful grounds and wonderful Tasting Room. Be sure to check out the gift shop even if you don't take a tour.

While visiting the bourbon trail over the course of a week, my husband and I had been to a handful of distillery tours and experiences. Castle & Key was by far our favorite! The tour guide, Rich, was very knowledgeable and had a great way of presenting the history of the distillery. The premises at Castle & Key are just beautiful! And every staff member we encountered had a smile and friendly welcome. We highly recommend that you put this one on your list if you're in Kentucky.

Rich our tour guide was amazing. Beautiful grounds. Great tasting room. His knowledge and enthusiasm of the castle and history was contagious.

Great tour led by Blake Taylor! Kept everyone engaged and it was a ton of fun! Best tour I've had yet!

This is a beautiful facility/grounds, with plenty of peaceful places to walk through. The bar made me one of the best drinks of the trip, and I got to enjoy it with great friends. I told myself that, if I lived nearby, I would spend some afternoons at Castle & Key.

Tasting lab and brief tour was outstanding - very, very historic. Gift shop is excellent

Oh my heck. This is where I want to live. The grounds are incredible. We arrived early. Had lunch by Glenn's Creek with an amazing Old Fashioned with the Castle & Key Rye. Delicious. Our tour started at the Springhouse and Melinda was our guide and she's simply perfect. The perfect mix of informative and irreverent and hysterical. I cannot stress how amazing these grounds are. We had an amazing Paper Train (think a better Paper Plane) and Manhattan after the tour. The bar smelled like summer on a perfect day. Did I mention I want to live here? Perfect tour. The tasting is amazing. The history is fascinating. And the hospitality is beyond perfection. Book your tour now.

Such a beautiful distillery! Personally, I loved this tour, but I'm not much of a bourbon drinker. My husband who is a bourbon drinker wasn't a fan of their bourbon as they're newer in comparison to other distilleries when it comes to bourbon. However, their gin is fantastic. They had a seasonal gin when we were there that was very heavy on the botanical flavors, which I loved. For the bourbon drinkers - I'd still recommend touring this one for the E. H. Taylor history and gorgeous grounds. The tour ended with a tasting which included a bourbon ball chocolate and a hibiscus / gin cocktail. I loved this drink so much that I bought the cocktail mix in the store. You can also purchase cocktails to drink and walk the grounds - so of course I got the summer gin slushee. Overall this was a great addition to our bourbon tours.

Perfect stop after touring Woodford reserve as it's right down the road. We stopped without any scheduled tours or tastings. Instead we opted to go to the bar and order a bourbon tasting flight and a charcuterie board. The charcuterie board was a little steep at 20$ but honestly was good quality and the perfect bite to go with our bourbons. We sat and ate and then walked around the beautiful grounds. Although we didn't book a tour there was one going on right next to us so we got a little sneak peek. Would love to visit again!

Exactly what we're looking for in a bourbon tour! Excellent way to use some time in the Lexington area!!

Stopped by for a tasting and to check out this iconic distillery. The space is very cool as they refurbished some of the old machinery/buildings. The grounds are sprawled about in the area and they have some gorgeous architecture mixed along the forest/waterways. The staff was very friendly and we loved trying flights and cocktails before moving on. They also feature a lot of great clothing (Barbour), candles, bourbon and plants in their gift shop. Worth a visit!

Beautiful landscape, helpful and knowledgeable staff, great drinks, wonderful tour guide

I'm not a bourbon fan but my husband is . I loved the architecture and grounds . They even had a really good Oktoberfest beer for me while my husband did a tasting . We sat along the river and loved the whole setting . The service as great and the staff very friendly and helpful .

Really cool old place with a lot of really neat history the employees are knowledgeable and very nice and helpful with any questions you had

Great location, great story, great host, great whiskey and gin! The grounds were gorgeous.

This is a beautiful, unique spot! The current owners restored the old Taylor Distillery, and it is worth a stop - especially on a nice day. The grounds are beautiful, and the buildings are lovi gly restored! I didn't have time for a tour, but I would probably do one if I get back here. Just grabbed an Old Fashioned and enjoyed the grounds.

An absolute must on the Bourbon Trail. Beautiful grounds and authentically preserved history, and knowledgeable guides. The botantical gardens, waterfall, laboratory, original manufacturing equipment and so much history of E.H. Taylor who was very progressive, made this particularly memorable. Grab yourself a cocktail before starting your tour. C&K are also distillers of vodka and gin. This week's special was "This Barbie Likes Gin", which was a clever pun, and nice to see some feminine energy in such a male dominated field. Our private guide was Antony, a charming young man with endless knowledge and patience to answer all our questions. Our tasting took place in the longest rickhouse in the world, which was like stepping into a portal back in time. Siphoning the Bourbon strait from one of the barrels for a tasting was yet another highlight of the tour. Castle & Key offered a "Bourbon Belles and Whiskey Women" book of distillers who are women along with their cocktail recipes. I appreciate this representation and inclusiveness in a business that has largely ignored the history and contribution of minorities and women.

This place is beautiful! It's worth the trip just to see it. I found the bourbon to be harsh. The drinks at the bar are all pre-mixed and tasted like it. I found the bar tender to be kind of snotty and blamed everything on long lines. I felt rushed, didn't find the gift shop people to be particularly friendly either. Not my favorite.

Gorgeous distillery with botanical gardens, waters and lots of places to sit and be in nature as you partake in a cocktail.

We had a great day. This was my daughter and her husbands first time here. Mine and my wife first time there in the winter. We were very lucky to have snow on the ground but the sun was out and we had mild temperatures in the mid 40's. The tour guide did a awesome job pointing out all the great history of this property. We tell everyone coming to the Bourbon Trail that Castle & Key is a stop they have to take.

Castle & Key Distillery is the perfect place to spend a fun afternoon with friends & family. The distillery tour is fun, sipping excellent bourbon or Bloody Mary by the waterfalls is relaxing and enjoying food from the bar or food truck just makes the day perfect. The box lunches are good, the food truck is also an option. The bartenders are very skilled so you will always enjoy any cocktail you order.

Our tour guide, Rich, was amazing. Seemed to be very knowledgeable and passionate. Super witty, funny, and extremely friendly. I don't drink alcohol but went for the experience and was definitely not let down. Beautiful structures and very interesting to learn the processes. Thank you Rich for being amazing! Shout out to Shanon at the bar, too!

Castle & Key was easily one of the best distillery tours I've been on. The history of the place is super interesting, and the grounds are honestly just cool to walk around. The tour itself was fun, informative, and not too long--perfect for anyone who wants to learn about bourbon without feeling like they're in a lecture. Big shoutout to Melinda in the gift shop! She was super friendly and made the whole experience even better. You can tell she really cares about making guests feel welcome. Definitely worth checking out if you're in the area!

Here for a private event. Great event space and night tour. Love that this facility continues to grow and thrive. One of the best gardens at any distillery.

Fantastic old building. The restoration has left the old charm. The brewing and fermenting is quite old. Great tour and tasting. The grounds are also beautiful. It's tucked away on a narrow windy country road. Friendly staff. Bar and gift shop. Park across the road in the gravel lot. Make reservations for tours well in advance. Tour and tasting was 90 minutes.

The Castle & Key Distillery tour was fun and veery unique based on the history of the distillery and it's ties to Colonel EH Taylor. If you are into the history of Bourbon this is a must visit distillery. The tour guides are very unique in the fact that they are entertainers as well as tour guides. Blake out tour guide was knowledgeable and funny which made our experience that much better - THANKS!!!

Trying to get here before they closed the bar but just missed it. We did get to walk around and check out the place thought. So cool with so much history. Everyone was so friendly. We will be back.

The grounds were immaculate, tour informative, tour guide very friendly. All the staff were very friendly. I have visited several distilleries in the region and this one by far is the one to see with out a doubt. If you are wanting a relaxing afternoon grab a drink and sit by the stream. When we were there they had a food truck that also had some good food. They are restoring several buildings to their organically glory. Can't wait to see what they do in the next few years.

My wife and our friends greatly enjoyed our visit to Castle & Key. It was our first time visiting and we had a wonderful experience. The tour and tasting was awesome and it was cool learning about all of the history of the property and distillery over the years. The spirits were all really good and we purchased several bottles to take back home with us. The grounds and buildings are all beautiful. Our tour guide Aaron was also very kind, informative and provided us with great hospitality. We are definitely looking forward to a future return visit in the future!

Excellent tour! Tasting was good and Gin cocktail was delicious! Beautiful grounds and incredible story.

Their staff went above and beyond. There was a scheduling issue. We joined Rich for the tasting and then Chris gave us a tour. The grounds were beautiful and the history very interesting. Can't wait to come back again. Highly recommend this experience. The spirits are delicious and full Southern hospitality

The ambiance was nice and the gift store was nice. The drinks were very good, I had the old fashioned.

What a beautiful historic distillery located in horse country. The drive is breath taking thru the rolling hills and horse farms. All the tours were full so we were only able to walk the gardens and visit the gift shop. Some of the buildings date back to 1887. There are over 13 acres situated along the banks of a river. They do have a small cocktail bar where you can order drinks and walk thru the gardens or sit and relax along the river. Unfortunately the line was so long we decided to skip the cocktail bar. We were fortunate enough to be able to purchase their Single Barrel Rye and Small Batch . I'm sure they will both be fantastic. Next time we will book a tour in advance as I feel this is a class act distillery.

A very interesting bit of distilling history here. Spend time enjoying the grounds after your tour and tasting. A great place to spend a few hours on a beautiful day.

Castle and Key for sure has the coolest looking distillery on the Bourbon Trail. The history there is so cool and love how they make everything look like a castle. They have a Botanical Garden so even those who are not into bourbon and other liquor. They also do weddings and other event in the garden. Really missed out on a great opportunity. Will will say I wasn't a huge fan of their bourbon but they are just within the last few years getting their own juice out their and we know bourbon takes time. I'm so glad they saved this distillery and someone bought it because it was so close to being torn down. For sure a spot you have to check out.

This was a great experience. I would recommend this distillery to anyone who wants a great experience. The tour guide was engaging and knowledgeable and not pretentious like so many other guides at other big name distilleries. Every detail of this experience was on point. The retail shop was filled with awesome merchandise displayed in a thoughtful manner. The drinks at the cocktail bar were awesome. I cannot express my gratitude for a great day. Thank you Castle & Key staff!

My group arrived at 4 we were told at the front bar closes at 4:30 and gift shop stays open till 5. So we were not able to do a tour. However, we hit the bar first so we would have a cocktail in hand to walk the grounds. There were two employees at the bar a young man who started our order really nice guy. Then the young lady aka Nicole took over she must have had a bad day because she was quite put out with doing her job. Other than that the place is something to see.

We loved our tour guide, Rich! He was knowledgeable and entertaining. The Castle and Key property is breathtaking. It's a must- see along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.