Evan Williams Bourbon Experience

This was not only a great bourbon tour, it was a great history lesson. I wasn't interested in the tour, but my hubby wanted to go so....I actually enjoyed it and even bought me a bottle of honey bourbon that was recommended by the African man...I'm sorry I didn't remember his name, but he was very knowledgeable. So was the older lady... they both knew their bourbon! Highly recommend! Cheers!🥃

Ms. Dianne is so friendly and welcoming that she's the first person we saw for information that we signed up for a tour. Ms Jewell was a wonderful tour guide!! It's for all ages, and it was very informative. I love learning new things and trying good bourbon! So happy we got to experience this tour. This brand has a vast history that I was not aware of and have so much respect for now. Thank you for an awesome experience!!!

Bob was the best tour guide! You’re lucky if you get him to show you around and tell stories. He was fun and engaging. As a history teacher I do wish the distillery tour acknowledged the role of slavery/Evan Williams owning slaves, but overall I’d recommend the tour and especially all the tasty bourbon! 🥃

Great experience - we had a tour previously which was really nice. This trip we had our well behaved 20 lb dog with us in his stroller and we were welcomed into the gift shop and also the tasting room to enjoy a few sips. They were very dog friendly to us and the bourbon was great too!

Bob was absolutely fantastic! Funny and knowledgeable of everything Evan Williams. His personality made the tour that much more enjoyable. The tour was beautiful! The theatrics and the scenery were both fun and gorgeous! The bourbon is exceptional and the tasting room was stunning!

This was more of an experience, hence the name, than a distillery. We enjoyed it and the tasting at the end was fantastic. Our guide Jeff was really good and knowledgeable. The distillery itself is really just a downtown experience. This is not the main Heaven Hill distillery. The location is very detailed but I felt it was really small. There was not real distillation to see here, certainly no aging going on here in town. The gift shop felt small and cramped but it carried a variety of items. We stopped here and added this to our week of bourbon tours since we stayed downtown 2 nights and Evan Williams black label is my husband's everyday go to bourbon. The cost was very reasonable and it was overall a good experience but not our favorite on the bourbon trail. With that being said, it is worth visiting and gaining knowledge of Evan Williams the man.

A must see place while you're in Louisville. You'll learn about the history of the city and the burbon industry! Mike was an amzing tour guide with a great sense of humor and beautiful stories to tell. The gift shop was great too with cool and affordable gifts.

Best experience in Louisville! The Speak Easy experience was incredible. Good tasting while learning a lot about history of the area and the US. Lucky the bartender was incredible! Thanks for the good time.

If you're in Louisville on the Bourbon trail--take this tour. It's the Disneyland of tours. If you're confused, like I was with this brown liquor, this tour breaks it down. I went to 4 other distilleries and having Evan as a base built upon my understanding.

We did the Bartender's Experience. Totally worth it. Great historical perspective and completely worth it as it relates to a tasting. The ambiance is perfect. Several of the other people at this experience had done this experience multiple times. I've been to a number of bourbon tastings in Ky... there is no reason to not do this one... particularly if you're staying in downtown Louisville!

Make sure you budget enough time. If you're here for a drink or a flight, make sure you have time to enjoy. Their bar has lots of rare and delicious pours. If you're not careful you'll feel the need to rush. I'd recommend spending time in the bar. There are other sections which are cool, but I think the attraction is getting to sample product that's really hard to find.

Evan Williams was my other bourbon tour experience in Louisville. The tour that I went on started with a short reenactment video before our guide took us through various rooms to show us parts of the processing of making bourbon, and walked us through a hallway that was recreated to look like the old time shops from Evan Williams time. The atmosphere was cool because it felt like we were transported back in time, and we even got to see some excavated bottles that were used to smuggle alcohol during prohibition! Our guide Aunt Mae was so passionate about the distillery and gave us an awesome in depth look into the distilleries process. The bourbon at the end of the tour was tasty, and paired well with the chokers it was served with. We also had the opportunity to bloom our bourbons (IYKYK) which changes up your experience. I would definitely recommend this spot for bourbon lovers who are also history buffs!

Not a distillery tour, since the overwhelming majority of Evan Williams labels are distilled at Heaven Hill, but it's an hour very well spent. Our guide was friendly and very knowledgable, and the tasting at the end was the highlight of the tour. The gift shop was on the small side, but had a great assortment of merch, including whiskeys and bourbons not available in stores. Prices were very reasonable too. Parking is available right next door, but it's not free.

Our guide, Bob was knowledgeable and funny making the tour informative yet fun and energetic. The old time tasting room and little storefront was a fun touch on the tour. The spirits my wife and I tired were all excellent. The bonus was Evan Williams goes above and beyond supporting military service and our tour was complete free with showing our valid IDs!

Such a fun tour with Aunt Mae! She was so funny and informative. I was very surprised with how well done it was.

The entrance staff was clear about where everything was located and what activities were available besides the tours. One seemed to have a small chip on her shoulder but we're human & she may have been having an off day. Unfortunately, the tours were all booked up, but that's okay. The bartender at On3 was nice and helpful! We ordered a couple of drinks and hung out for a while. I got a cherry cocktail--it was delicious, though I wish I could remember the name of it! My husband ordered a Manhattan, which was very strong and he enjoyed it. The staff in the gift shop were lovely; they had fun little banter and offered help whenever it was needed.

Evan Williams' experience is located off Main St on Whiskey Row. It's easy to find. There is plenty of street parking. I went on a Sunday when street parking was free. Please arrive 15 minutes early as the tour starts promptly on time. The tour was a mix of the tour guide speaking and videos. The videos were like short films acting out how Evan Williams started. The videos were on target and entertaining. I enjoyed the mixed approach on this tour. My fav was walking on the mock Whiskey Row. This was very interesting to learn about. The tasting samples were really good. The 12 year Evan Williams was my favorite, followed by the single barrel. You have to take the tour to be able to purchase the 12 year. We got to try a few more items in the gift shop. Our tour was interrupted by small fire incident. Thankfully, nothing major and resumed the tour. I would say definitely take this tour. I enjoyed it.

Why in the world would you still hold yours in June when you have NO AC IN THE BUILDING?!?!? We left early was way too hot to stay in there. You should have cancelled your tours and refunded everyone their money. Wasted $120 bucks!!!!

Evan Williams Eggnog: Eggnog is a somewhat divisive holiday indulgence. If you are not familiar with it, eggnog is a rich, chilled, sweetened, dairy-based (milk, cream, egg yolks, and the whipped egg whites that give it its name) beverage. Growing up it was never much of a tradition in our home, but I've come to like it over the years, beginning in college when it was consumed with a plethora of alcohol. Evan Williams saves me a step as its eggnog is pre-mixed with a combination of smooth Kentucky Bourbon, rum, brandy, and real dairy cream. At just 15% ABV and 30 proof it's not an overly strong drink, and it shows in the flavor as the alcohol is only slightly noticeable. Other than the hint of alcohol, Evan Williams Eggnog is a doppelgänger of the classic Christmas treat. Both are cream colored, have thick & creamy textures, and have a sweet taste combining vanilla, cream, hints of egg, and nutmeg. Ideally this could be drunk chilled or on the rocks, but I like adding just an ounce or two to my vanilla shakes. Evan Williams Eggnog is a tasty creation to get you into the holiday spirit, Doughboy approved *Only con is just like Eggnog it's calorie dense at 140 calories per fluid ounce. Doughboy_Food_Reviews

Attended The Ideal Bartender Tasting with three family members. Our first time here & we appreciated the welcoming staff. They all seemed to enjoy being there & helping us. The entrance is super cool & a great photo op. We were taken to the basement for our experience. Very spacious bar, seats about 15-18. Host was in full character mold we learned a lot about the experience of the black Bartender during Prohibition. He served us three shots from three different aged bourbons & and Old Fashioned Cocktail. If you drink them all please have a designated driver or walk it off. Would highly recommend to do as a group...you'll have a lot of laughs once the bourbon kicks in! Only request would be some light snacks or eats to balance out the alcohol!

This is more of a hands-on museum experience than a distillery tour. Skip this and go to Heaven Hill distillery if you want to really see where Evan Williams is brewed. It is a bit of a drive. I only recommend a tour here if you are downtown on main street, and want a few quick tasting room stops and you have time for one more. I wouldn't prioritize this experience. You start by watching a video. Then you move to another room and watch another video. Then the guide moves you to a mock city street where you learn about prohibition and bourbon. Finally you are taken to a tasting room and sample four bourbons.

We had a great time on our tour experience with our bourbon host, Bob! The tour was very cool and very different from the other tour experiences that we had during our time in KY. The bourbon was great and we even got to enjoy a Bottle and Bond day toast with everyone in the building at 3:03pm to celebrate the anniversary of the legislation. It was such a great experience and we definitely recommend it!

We underrated this tour and it ended up being one of the ones we could recall the most. Easy to find and friendly people when you come in. Our tour guide was really nice. The tour was very informative and I liked how they tried to be as interactive as possible to keep you engaged. Make sure you hit up the bar upstairs before your tour. Some of the best bartenders and good drinks. There is a tasting at the end that includes some exclusive sips and the room they do the testing in fits the vibes. I could have stayed for a while.

Decent bourbon tasting that is reasonably priced. Facilitates are rustic, staff is nice. Did not take the 1 hour tour--$22 around that price for an hour. Gift shop was way overpriced. They would sell more as they had interesting items to try, however not worth the cost.

The atmosphere was so fun and the patio was delightful. We enjoyed a bourbon flight, which was fun to share, and the food was amazing. Don't miss the burgers and onion rings!!! Very good!

We visited Evan Williams on the last day our trip, we opted to do the Speakeasy tasting experience. It was in a small secluded bar and our host did a great job of keeping in character. He told us stories about prohibition and talked through each marque we sampled. This tasting experience was definitely the best bang for your buck compared to the other tastings we did. We got five large pours (full shots) within like 30 minutes. He was trying to get us drunk on a Sunday morning! Anyway, if you want to get liquored up and have a different experience compared to all of the other standard distillery tours, you should check out the Speakeasy tasting at Evan Williams.

Unfortunately, we were too late to get a drink from the upstairs bar, nor were we able to take the tour. Initial thoughts were that there is cool decor, unique layout, seems like space is constrained. Limited seating at the bar area, and closes at 5, on Saturdays. Would go back and take a tour of the facility as well as visit the cocktail lounge on the top floor.

We did the ideal bartender. It's so fun!! Step back in town. Great bourbon and information.

The Mint Julep Mingle exceeded my expectations! Occurring on Oaks Day, it was a wonderful culmination of the season: Bourbon tasting, Mint Juleps, scrumptious appetizers, fabulous ragtime jazz music, and more! The welcoming staff were friendly and knowledgeable. We will definitely be back!

Was a pretty cool experience. The tour lasted about an hour total. Totally worth the $20 which included 4 tastings. It was a really good deal. The only reason they lost a few stars was because we had told our tour guide that we had just come from the tour of Angels Envy down the street and he took a couple cheap shots at them. I didn't see this as a good way of doing business by taking those cheap shots at other brands. Just not how I roll to bad mouth competitors in my field of work. Otherwise it was a pretty fun experience

Overall I was disappointed with the tour and would have been much happier had we skipped the tour and just did a flight on our own. We've gone to several distillery tours over the years and I would put this at the bottom of the list. The "interactive" videos were hard to understand all of the content and over 60% of the tour of was watching videos and sitting or standing in a staged room. There were too many people on our tour for the small and hot spaces they expect you to stand in and listen to information. The tasting itself was enjoyable and while our tour guide, Dustin, was nice, he didn't seem quite as informed as we would have expected him to be. We did go to get a flight and drink afterwards and would recommend doing that only. The bartender was knowledgeable and friendly.

Evan Williams was the only distillery tour that we could find that had availability on Labor Day. My husband knew of their bourbons; so we decided to give it a try. We arrived early on a Monday morning about 15 minutes before they opened at 11 o'clock. It was a short walk from our downtown Louisville hotel. Once the doors opened pretty much everybody outside was waiting for the tour. We checked in and took some photos in the lobby which had some cool selfie spots like a giant cup of bourbon being poured from the ceiling. Our tour guide, Bill, introduced himself and we sat down to watch a movie about the history of Evan Williams. Seems he was a real person back in the 1700s and he had quite a long list of accomplishments besides making bourbon. He was the wharfmaster, was on the city Council, and built the first. Jail and city hall. There were some re-enactments and antique looking store/building facades that made us feel like we were in another century. Bill provided us with all the facts about Evan William while we "traveled through time." Evan William was the first licensed distillery in Kentucky back in 1783. The rights were sold to HeavenHill Distillers back in 1957; but they still use the name Evan Williams. Most of the distilling, bottling, etc. is now done at a more modern facility offsite. The "experience"?building is basically used for demonstrations, tastings, and a gift shop. (And it's a really nice gift shop!). Evan Williams just finished distilling their 10 millionth barrel, and there is a barrel in the lobby that everyone can sign to commentate this astounding feat. At the end of the tour we were led into a tasting room that was set up to look like an old fashioned bar. There were four different samples of bourbons/whiskeys to try. (Different variations of Evan Williams, and a specialty bourbon that I really liked called Square 6.....of course it was more expensive because it was much smoother.). Overall this was a great tour and Bill was a knowledgeable guide, who seemed to really enjoy his job. I highly recommend this tour because it was quite different than some of the other distillery tours in town.

Our previous visit here wasn't the greatest but we met Austin Jones during our most recent trip and he was able to turn our opinion around. This was a last minute thought, some of the first time visitors want to visit. Since it was last minute no tours were available but the tasting room and gift shop were available. I expressed to Austin how my last visit wasn't the greatest, he went above and beyond to change that. He was able give our party a nice background on Evan Williams and there bottles while we sipppped and sippped and sipped and siped on some delicious bourbon. We were able to head to the 3rd floor and grab a seat while we "sipped" on more cocktails. I didn't catch the mixologist name but he was great as well, was able to give backgrounds on bourbon as he hand crafted our drinks. I want to say thank you to Diane (customer relations manager if not her title, it should be) and Austin for making this visit extra special. Thank you, - Uncle K and Crew Note: Recommend booking your tours weeks/months in advance esp. for larger parties...

Evan Williams is owned by the folks who own Heaven Hill distillery. Today I toured the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience in Bardstown. I actually visited the Evan Williams Distillery in downtown Louisville months ago. The Heaven Hill "experience" was not as good as my experience here at the Evan Williams site. The Evans Williams your talked about the history of bourbon and demonstrated how it's made or distilled. The Evan Williams tour really gives you a sense of the history of bourbon and how it's made. The tour included a tasting (sort of a mandatory part of a distillery tour) but the tour itself was the featured event and the tasting was just a bonus at the end of the tour. If you want to learn about bourbon, I'd highly recommend the Evan Williams tour.

This is a fun little tour with loads of history about why bourbon and Kentucky are such valuable partners. It starts with several short films and you can see where the one barrell of bourbon produced a day here is made. The grand finale is a tasting of the brand, wrapped us with a bourbon chocolate. Usually I can talk my party out of their chocolates with some of my bourbon, but that didn't pan out on this day. Oh well, as Scarlett O'Hara said "tomorrow is another day."

Jacob was our tour guide. He did a fantastic job. Very knowledgeable. Great job Jacob!!

Very informative tour- had a great time. Don't miss out on drinks at the cocktail bar, the whiskey sour was amazing

Super fun experience definitely a different distillery tour. You got a broad amount of videos that tell you history and adds a ton of visual flair. The bar upstairs has a ton of heaven hill products plus you can taste some more even williams

We scheduled the "Speakeasy" experience. My friend is a notion fancier and I wanted to share something bourbon-related in Louisville (I went to college here). Great fun! The bar is old-school elegant and cozy, our bartender was very entertaining, and the bourbon samples were generous. Thoroughly enjoyed it!

We found this place online and luckily we found 2 spots for a Sunday. This place is so cool when you walk they have a giant glass of bourbon. The bathrooms were so nice and clean. The tour was a little bit of walking. I loved the story telling of the tour. Our tour guide was Linda she made the experience amazing. She was extremely knowledgeable and fun. The bourbon was a bit strong fir me but I did buy something from the gift shop. The price of the tour was extremely reasonable. This is actually one of the best tours I've been on. If you're in the area this place is a must stop !

Great tour. Our host was great! The backstory and videos were top notch and fun to watch! There were some stairs but available elevators. The facility was very cool with different rooms set up with stories to go with them. The tasting was good as we got to taste some that were not available for sale. I would recommend this tour Note: the sister facility Heaven Hill is where the barrels are stored which is about half hour away.

I went to Louisville for a conference and was super excited to find that Evan Williams Bourbon experience was in walking distance from my hotel and right across the street from the Muhammad Ali Center. I was a little sad to learn that all of the distillery tours were booked, but the friendly folks at the reception desk kindly told me I could still enjoy the gift shop and bar upstairs. I'm a fan all things rye so I was happy to enjoy the rye flight, but the start of the show was the Kentucky mule. To date, this was the best Kentucky mule I've ever had. The bartenders were super knowledgeable and the atmosphere was perfect for a experience with the two new friends I made at the conference.

On a visit in Louisville we knew we needed to check out a bourbon experience. We were able to get into the Evan Williams Speakeasy experience. We booked about a month out. Maybe try booking a few months out to get other experiences in the area. I know one place is sold out for years in advance, it is crazy. It was cool, walking through the speakeasy doors and hearing from Tom, the first African American bartender. I wanted more. I wanted more stories, and maybe more crowd interaction. It was a cool experience, though. We sampled about 4 shots and had an old fashioned. We got to keep the glass. When our tour ended, we wanted to go to the bar for a drink and they were already closed. The tour ended at like 4:30pm, so that was weird. The gift shop is pretty cool, but they don't have Tom's bartending book and told us to purchase it on Amazon.

Basic tour, dragged on a little bit, the tour guide was fun and engaging. Seems like the tour in general needs a little updating.

Evan Williams is a classic bourbon, I don't associate it with the highest quality, but after reading great reviews for the tour on Reddit, we figured we would give it a try. The space when you want in is very cool - large windows, very airy, very welcoming. The tour is pretty quick and has some great information, there's a lot of history behind this distillery, so it's cool to learn about that. The tour is very animated I.e. a lot of videos to watch, but they do a good job to keep it interesting. The tasting was set up really great, the tasting rooms are beautiful and they have a good spread - but it's still just Evan Williams. Our biggest complaint was that Evan Williams is owned by Heaven Hill and there are a lot of other high quality bourbons they could have added to the tasting! But I understand they also want you to visit the Heaven Hill location. The gift shop is pretty cool, they do have Elijah Craig for sale in here. The worker was actually nice enough to let us try the rye, which was pretty good. I think it's worth it to try the tour at least once, especially since this spot is distillery #1 which is really cool historically, but just be aware there's definitely some other tours that are a little more interactive.

This was definitely a memorable experience. We were greeted instantly by a lovely older lady who got us checked in and even took our photo at the end. The tour was a true walk back in time history lesson of how it all started and who it started with. Everything was interactive which I enjoyed. Andy was the perfect guide for this tour, extremely nice and informative.

What an awesome place, this was my second tour and I think it was better than the one by the baseball field. I prefer not to name them. Next time I'd like to take the speak easy tour here, but it wasn't available when I booked this short notice. The tour takes you back to the 1700's and forward to current day, they have mocked up old store fronts, riks, bars, etc and it gives you the feeling of being in the 17-1800's. Retail sales are on level 2, and bar is on level 3. I didn't make it to the bar, I had left the girls at the mall and had to get back across town to pick them up. They didn't have any food, other than some chocolates, and bourbon balls in the retail areas. The ambiance is awesome, I went the the men's room in the basement and there was an old safe door, with a small sign in front stating that there was a tour in progress. I can only presume this was the speakeasy room. I'll have to find out at a much later date.

This was really well done. The tour was historical and current process oriented. Good overview of bourbon making process. Our tour guide was super. After the tour and samples you are taken to a gift shop. Set aside $ for some bourbon that is only available to people that went on the tour. We were fortunate enough to have the master distiller there when we were and he signed some bottles I was going to be gifting to people.

we was there for a work trip and stopped there to eat and came back the next night. Holly was the best. she hung out with us and showed us the love. Kim is the best bartender ever. we meet Drew he was cool. thanks for an awesome time. Chad frot Va.

Not a fan of Evan Williams products but doing the Kentucky Bourbon trail and this is one of the stops. Each distillery is unique and this one's special because of the cool three story inside water fall feature that looks like a bourbon and Coke. There is a small bar with a variety of seating options on the 3rd floor. 2nd floor is a gift shop with all the usual distillery gifts, shirts, hats, glassware, golf and grilling stuff, etc. This is right downtown so parking can be an issue. This place is definitely worth checking out but it wasn't my favorite stop along the way. Long line and only one bar tender had me leave without staying for a drink.

Tours were booked for the day (we stopped in around 12pm on a Friday) so we opted in for a drink at the bar and the Gift Shop. Drinks were great and lots of cool things in the Gift Shop for gift or take-home options!

Honestly wasn't my favorite distillery on the Bourbon Trail. I think the old-timey decorations and the experience of stepping back in time was fun. But overall fell a little short and didn't experience much of the actual distilling process other than seeing a microdistillery in the middle. Good tasting bourbon though, definitely try to get a tasting in even if you don't do the tour.

I've taken tour after tour in Kentucky, many of them wonderful, but what a refreshing time to take the Evan Williams Experience! This tour did talk about making bourbon, but more so it was an immersive tour of the history of bourbon. It was so neat to focus on how bourbon came to be in the USA rather than just how it is made. I absolutely recommend this tour... followed by a cocktail at their bar on the 3rd floor

Stopped in for a quick tour and tasting. Mae was our host and was very knowledgeable and a lot of fun. The tour last about an hour, but with all the information, it went by really quick! The tasting was seated at a bar and Mae continued her great service and knowledge. Came with 4 samples and a chocolate. Going on the tour allows you to buy a bottle that is not distributed!

What a cool place in downtown Louisville to visit. Can get a little cramped in there. But is worth it for us. We had one of the staff tell our group of 8 if we could give him a few minutes he would hook us up with a tasting. He did a great job. We appreciated it. The Bar upstairs is nice with a great selection and great drinks. Keep an eye out for cool hard to get bottles. We were able to get Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel that day!

I just decided to stop by the gift shop to see what they had and I was lucky enough to pick up and Elijah Craig Bellproof C921 edition. They also also had Mellow Corn, Evan Williams Small Batch, Evan Williams Master Blend, Elijah Craig Small Batch, Elijah Craig Rye, Rittenhouse Rye and a couple of other Evan Williams offerings for purchase. I also picked up some matches, some pecan bourbon brittle, a magnet and an old-fashioned brownie for my mom and stepdad. As I was leaving by way of the elevator, I saw the Evans William bar by the "3 floor" button and chose to go up instead of down. The bar was marvelous! They even have Heaven Hill 17 year available to try. The bartender was extremely knowledgeable and very kind. I ended up ordering a flight of the Parker's expressions which I have never been able to buy out in the wild. I really enjoyed myself and this experience!!! I highly recommend!

The experience felt rushed. It's put together well but not too organized. Our guide got behind and rushed us out of the tasting at the end but all in all it's worth the value. The opportunity to purchase exclusive bourbon is well.... You be the judge. Had a great time.