Oscar Getz Museum of Bourbon History

What an amazing collection of Bourbon bottles, history, interesting facts and relics of past. I learned so much and probably the most interesting for me was that George Washington produced thousands of barrels of alcohol! This museum is a "must see" for Bardstown!

The Oscar Getz Museum of Bourbon History is an absolutely fascinating place! It's a great hidden gem for anyone interested in the rich history of Kentucky's signature spirit. The exhibits are incredibly interesting, featuring unique artifacts and memorabilia that really bring the Prohibition era and the industry's past to life. We arrived just before closing time, which was a mistake on our part! Next visit, we definitely must allow more time to properly soak everything in. The museum also has a nice gift shop with some great finds. Picked up a nice book on the history of Bourbon, came with a home made book mark by the staff. Nice touch! Most importantly, the staff was wonderful—friendly, welcoming, and helpful even as they were preparing to close up shop. It's a delightful, quick stop that deserves more time than we gave it. Highly recommended!

Joan was extremely friendly and knowledgable. Definitely recommend a stop if in town!

Excellent. The museum was full of interesting photos, models, and historical bourbon. The lady working there was very sweet, she gave us a nice synopsis of the place and even offered to take a photo of me and my friend behind the bar they had displayed. Highly recommend to check out if you're visiting Bardstown.

EXCELLENT MUSEUM WITH NO ADMISSION (IT'S FREE). My wife and I visited here on Wednesday, 7 August, 2024. It's located on the first floor of a beautiful old historic building, which I think I read was a former Catholic Seminary. It's just a few blocks walk from the center of Bardstown. Admission is absolutely free, but they do accept voluntary donations, so I dropped $10 in their kiddie. The museum has lots of great photos and artifacts on display in a long central hallway, as well as in several large rooms located all along that main hallway. All of the displays are exclusively centered on and all about the rich history of Bourbon, our own uniquely-American spirit. There are no docents or tour guides. All tours are self-guided. It's a "must do" FIRST stop if you are planning to travel the Bourbon Trail. By that I mean I would highly recommend you stop here first before you visit any of the nearby distilleries or rickhouses (warehouses where they age the bourbon in oak barrels) because you will learn so much about the distilling process and all of the crazy characters who have been key players in the Bourbon industry. We spent about 2 hours here at the museum because there are so many things to see and read. If you take the time (about 2-3 hours) you will learn all about the 5 Ws of Bourbon, and especially all of the colorful characters who made and/or sold it over the last 210 plus years, including during Prohibition. Also, just below this museum in the basement is the "Rickhouse" restaurant and bar, which is one of just a few 4-5 star rated restaurants in Bardstown proper. Even if you don't dine there, it's still worth stopping at the restaurant's bar for a drink and to have a look around the cool decor after you do the museum tour.

I'm really glad I visited and saw the wonderful collection of memorabilia and whiskey-making interpretive exhibits.

Whether you are a bourbon drinker or a wine drinker, this museum is worth the visit. The history here is worth knowing. We only spent an hour here but could have easily stayed 3 hours. Upon arriving, you may think this isn't much, but turn the corners, and you'll see why I gave it 5 stars!

Definitely worth a look at when visiting Bardstown. I found the collection of memorabilia very interesting and educational. I enjoyed reading and learning about how prohibition affected Kentucky. Admission is free, but donations are greatly appreciated. Staff super friendly. As for Bardstown itself, I can truly see why it is rated one of the most “charming towns” in the south.

If you're heading in to Bardstown, you can't miss this free (donations encouraged!) museum of whiskey. It won't take too long to go through the 6 rooms, but you're likely to learn at least one thing you didn't know about the area distilleries or whisky in general. Plus, the docent/manager is very friendly and if it's not too busy she'll give you a little more background on the building itself. Do stop in!!

I imagine this museum would have been great but we went at 11am. They were supposed to open at 10. Three signs said open but the doors were locked. We gave up and went back to our hotel.

Free is always good. This museum is located in Spalding Hall, a federal brick 1819 Historical building. The building has so much history and is so gorgeous. There are 2 museums in the building, but right now I am just reviewing the Whiskey Museum. The Oscar Getz Museum of Whiskey History houses the overwhelmingly huge extensive collection of rare artifacts and documents covering the Whiskey industry in America. Mr Getz was a previous owner of Barton Distillery in Bardstown. The museum is open daily including Sunday, you can call 502 348 2999 to get the hours. The tour is self-guided and it is ABSOLUTELY FREE but they do accept donations. If you enjoy Kentucky Whiskey, then you will enjoy this FREE look into the past. The architecture of this building is something else to take notice of. I personally recommend and it takes about an hour or more to take your time to look and enjoy..

I really enjoyed this museum. There is no charge for admission. Seeing the many different bottles was cool. Jack Rein was so informative and personable. The area is lovely and close to shopping and dining. I'd definitely recommend it.

this place was awesome if you have any interest at all in the history of bardstown or Bourbon. this is a must stop! the Director, Linda, was filled with lots of information. I would probably dedicate at least one hour to get the full experience. if it's slow she'll actually take you on a private tour, if not it's self guided . the museum is free but donations are suggested. this is all of Oscar Getz personal items donated by his wife so there's a lot of rare and unique artifacts . a must see if you're in Bardstown for any length of time.

What a great little museum that is loaded with so much Bourbon history! Since it's a self guided museum you can take all the time you like. Also admission is FREE. Yep, it's free and highly recommended if you want to see and learn about the Bourbon history. Even if your not into the Bourbon history it's still worth a stop just to check out all the cool old bottles and various stuff inside. We have been here a few times and each time we discover something we didn't see before.

Great place to get some great bourbon information, and see things you won't see anywhere else. They also have other unique things to see. It's a non profit business, so no charge to tour, donations are what they survive on, please donate. Very friendly staff, tours on the hour, check times so your not late. Cute little gift shop, it's in the same building as Rickhouse restaurant. I definitely recommend.

We went there on vacation last year and it was really fun. My husband is a fan of bourbon and whiskey and really enjoyed the private tour that we got from the curator. The displays were very well done. They included both independent information but also connected to each other in a well flowing way. Recommend as a great stop if you are interested in bourbon and whiskey history as well as how to make it and the local culture.

Neat little place in Bardstown it's located real close to the middle of times Square area looking thing that they have it's like a whiskey museum and that's awesome because I like that and it's got a lot of neat little things and object to look at and historical so barge town full of history so this is a cool thing to see

KY's famed Bourbon Trail is steeped in fascinating history and this museum housed in a former Civil War era hospital cum college cum Seminary cum orphanage, cohesively showcases a 50 year collection from namesake Oscar Getz. Displayed is a collection of rare bottles, documents, advertising posters & artifacts all from the American whiskey industry dating from pre-Colonial days to post-Prohibition years. One of the coolest articles was Abraham Lincoln's liquor license, natch! Oh, and the 1901 Old Rip Van Winkle bottle...oh if I could only get a wee nip! Admission is free and you can adequately cover the museum in 30-45 mins. Def worth adding to your itinerary if you're visiting Heaven Hill, Willett or Bardstown in general. Like the Jim Beam sign says: "The Stuff Inside Matters Most"

This was an excellent museum. The museum director gave us personal tour of the exhibits and building and you can tell how proud she is of the museum and the updates she did. The admission was free, but you can donate to the museum when you leave. I highly recommend this hidden gem in Bardstown!