Whiskey Thief Distilling Co.

🥃 Whiskey Thief Distilling Co. – Kentucky’s Most Hands-On Bourbon Experience ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ If you're seeking an authentic, unfiltered bourbon adventure, look no further than Whiskey Thief Distilling Co. in Frankfort, Kentucky. This isn't your typical distillery tour—it's an immersive journey into the heart of bourbon-making, where tradition meets innovation. What Sets It Apart? Straight-from-the-Barrel Tastings: Experience the rare opportunity to sample bourbons and rye whiskies directly from the barrel, uncut and unfiltered. Bottle Your Own: Use a traditional whiskey thief to fill your own bottle straight from your favorite barrel—a personalized keepsake of your visit. Farm-to-Glass Philosophy: Situated on a 127-acre working farm, Whiskey Thief grows its own grains, ensuring a true grain-to-glass experience. Forget the polished, commercial tours. At Whiskey Thief, you'll find a rustic, welcoming atmosphere where the focus is on the whiskey and the people who make it. Whether you're a bourbon novice or a seasoned enthusiast, the knowledgeable staff will guide you through a tasting experience tailored to your preferences. Why Visit? Unique Offerings: Whiskey Thief is the first and only Kentucky distillery to offer every visitor a single-barrel tasting and thieving experience at barrel strength. Limited Availability: Their spirits are not distributed and are only available on-site, making each bottle a unique find. Distillery Trail Community Feel: Enjoy live music, food trucks, and a laid-back environment that feels more like a gathering of friends than a formal tour. Final Thoughts Whiskey Thief Distilling Co. offers an unparalleled bourbon experience that combines hands-on engagement with a deep respect for tradition. It's a must-visit for anyone looking to connect with the true spirit of Kentucky bourbon.

Skip every other tour you have in mind. This distillery stole our hearts! We visited many well known distilleries on our recent trip to the whiskey capital and Whiskey Thief topped them all! There is no competition. The personal experience, the whiskey, everything really was above and beyond all expectations! I really can’t express how great this place is! Our tour guide was top notch and we ended up talking for a long time. The whole staff treats you like family and really makes it a special place! I will return to Kentucky just to visit this place again! I would give more stars if possible!

This was our 3rd bourbon spot to visit on our trip to Kentucky. This place is a must visit. Don’t let the small size of this facility fool you…it comes with a huge personal experience. The ladies giving the tour and thieving the bourbon and rye from the barrels were amazing. We will definitely be coming back to this place again. Bonus, they make a great Old Fashion at the bar.

Great small distillery in the rolling hills of KY. Did the tour and bottled our own bourbon, which was a cool experience. Love that you can only buy their bourbon at the distillery! Makes it very unique that they are not commercialized. If you've been there, you'll understand. If not, it's worth adding to your next Kebtucky bourbon trail trip. So much bourbon history in the Frankfort and Lexignton area, can't wait to go back! Oh, and they are pet friendly so bring your fur babies!

This is by far one of the best tours of the bourbon trail! Do not miss it, David and the rest of the staff are absolutely amazing. We loved that this was more tasing than tour, unlike other distilleries. We will be back for sure! To take in the amazing views as well as the great booze. This distillery has everything you could want. Yes, their alcohol is slightly on the higher end. It is because it is a small batch distillery and well worth it. We loved how you were able to bottle your own bottle and everything. Also, their furry friends made us miss home a little bit more they are the sweetest cat and dog pair you'll ever meet! I hope this distillery stays true to its roots and doesn't change a thing!

I appreciate craft distillers, because they make their own rules, and listen to their customers. Whiskey Thief definitely makes their own rules. This place is not big, but they absolutely pay attention to every detail, and are focused on the craft 100%. The property is gorgeous. The tasting experience is unique, as you are "thieving" it straight from the barrel, which I have not seen done anywhere else. Prices are higher than what you might see other places, but I think you understand why once you visit. If you are visiting sites on the Bourbon Trail, I think you will find that the experience here is very unique.

We ended a bourbon trail birthday celebration with a visit to Whiskey Thief. Two different couples on other tours suggested we make the stop on our way home - it wasn't on our radar. So glad we stopped. So different than other experiences. Love it.

We took our son here to celebrate his 21st birthday. We had a very fun day. There are 2 tastings you can do, one at the distillery and one at the gift shop for the gin they make. I personally liked the taste of the gin better. This is a smaller distillery but I liked the down to earth and homey feel. We also really enjoyed our tour guide. He gave us some wonderful tips on how to drink a shot properly to get rid of some of the burn and experience the taste better.

What can I say! This family and staff are first class and they have an amazing bourbon. The tour was excellent. The atmosphere comfortable and the setting was exceptional. If your in Frankfort, then you should definitely swing in and check it out.

This is an awesome place to visit! Food truck and bar is excellent. David and Rainger do a fun tour. Staff is very friendly and helpful. Loved it and we will be back! Great experience and a lot of fun!

I can't begin to say enough good things about our visit to WTD. Several people have asked what our favorite part of our trip was and my husband and I said every single time - "Whiskey Thief! If you have seen any of the other places, you've seen it all- except Whiskey Thief- you have to go!" the personalized attention of being a small company, the atmosphere of all the employees just being like family, and of course - the whiskey- all amazed us. and honestly some of my favorite merchandise! you would think the bigger companies would have more to choose from in their gift shops, but I bought more here than any where else combined. We *almost* went a second time just to shop, but were running late to get home. We will absolutely be back, and I hope everyone we sent there loves it as much as we did. (My husband would rave more about the whiskey itself, I'm just a taster, along for the ride- but he did love it!!!)

Whiskey Thief went out of their way to make our Special day, Getting Married, an exceptional delight! It is a small, single barrel experience that gives you many options to choose from on their Whiskey. When we were there, we had a choice of 6 different selections, and I got 3 bottles of exceptional Whiskey. Everyone from the owner, Walter, to Mike the manager, to the 4 other assistants where amazing to work with, taste whiskey, and make our day something to really remember. I would HIGHLY recomend this place, especially after all the big time tours, this smaller batch place is AMAZING!!! I look forward to working with them to get a barrel when it comes time for me to retire!!!

On the way back to Ohio we saw a sign on the freeway for this distiller and we decided to make a side trip and head on over. Its located on the most beautiful farm. We made our way back to the distillery. The still is gorgeous. The staff nice. Very dog friendly place (which was good as we came with a dog). The gift shop is cute. Lots of products to choose from. We purchased some gin... which is surprising as the name is whiskey thief but we preferred their gin- lol. The bourbon they make is delicious. However they run between 130-170 bucks. So we chose gin $99. Still, wowzers. Guess we got caught up in a moment as I don't think any alcohol is worth that price. Lol. Staff was the best staff we have run into in months. Knowledgeable, fun and kind. We enjoyed our short stay.

I had the chance to visit WTD on Good Friday. I expected a small space with maybe a tasting or two of bourbon that was good,but not expectional. What I found was a group of enthusiastic men and women who truly loved their product and were extremely knowledgeable about what it means to be successful in a very saturated Kentucky bourbon industry. First, I loved their tour. It was quick, it didn't require a ton of history and repetative facts about bourbon that are often very cookie-cutter. It was very much about their business, how they evolved and where they are at now. The tour itself was less than 10 minutes, which was an amazing record! Immediately after the tour, we went right into the tasting experience... The Tasting. To say I was a fan is an understatement. Was all 5 of the bourbon/whisky I tasted exceptional? No. However - the experience of having tastings straight from the barrel is something not a lot of places do unless you pay extra money, and this was something built into the tour itself. I loved getting to be part of that. I also really enjoyed that as an add-on YOU could be the one doing the thieving from the barrel and filling up your own bottle to take home. All in all,this was an incredible experience- one that I will definitely do again if I get the opportunity.

Went to whisky Thief Distillery over the weekend. We took the full tour, which I did learn a little more about bourbon. The tastings are quite generous and the bourbon is unfiltered and straight from the barrel. They had a very good food truck, cocktails and music. A nice afternoon.

This is a very different tasting experience. It's single barrel and represents a small production distillery. The staff is great at explaining the selections and will not rush the tasting experience. I like the option of bottling my own bottle using the whiskey thief device. I would recommend doing this stop toward the end of the day and finish with a pour of your favorite selection while sitting outside. It has a great view of the countryside.

Vic: I want to say thank u, thank u. Thank u for an amazing day, experience, and time we had with wonderful time. You provided excellent personal service for us, and we're grateful for you being you and helping us with everything. Even when the lunch spot that was planned was closed Vic was able yo adjust the plan and get us to a local staple BBQ place which was good and still kept us on time for the rest of the day. Amber and Bob, You guys have a great treasure with Vic. He is truly an inspiration and genuinely caring... We had an amazing time, and yes.Whiskey Thief was the perfect ending for our tour, we'll be back next year.

Totally cool experience. Once you've seen the whiskey making process you've seen them all, it would seem. But this experience is one of a kind. Super knowledgeable staff. Up close tour of how they make and distill and aged. Getting to sample/taste all of the different mash builds and various different barrel options. Like putting in the "whiskey thief" device into the barrel hence the name of this place. This means it includes barrel char totally unfiltered. You can bottle your own and use the "Whiskey Thief" yourself. Really a fun and educational experience

If you're doing the bourbon trail and don't stop at The Whiskey Thief, did you even bourbon? For just $35, it's all-you-can-sip no judgment, no tiny pours, just good times and great whiskey. Pro tip: start with the rye... and maybe end with the rye. It's that good. Your liver might not thank you, but your taste buds sure will.

This was my second trip to Whiskey Thief. Some friends joined us for this years bourbon trail expedition and I wanted to share this place with them. I really like being able to sample the whisky right out of the barrel. The ocassional char flake doesn't impact the taste, it just adds to the ambiance. I enjoyed all 5 barrels, but one rose to the top for my pallet. The location is beautiful and I really like the relaxed tasting atmosphere....sipping and enjoying whiskey at your pace.

What a cool tasting experience! Directly right out of the barrel into my glass. I enjoyed one particular barrel so much that I did purchase a bottle of it to take home. I'll be back for more when I'm in town! Highly recommend!

Fun experience. Very convenient to Bardstown. Beautiful rural venue. Fun things to do on the lawn, like visiting the goats, cornhole, fire pit, outside bar. Inside, a small tastings venue that others said was very good. Photo booth. If you are an officer, bring a pin or department patch and they will add to their collection. Wide variety of Bourbon tastings were straight from the barrel using a Whiskey Thief. Fun staff who clearly love their jobs.

Love that this property allows dogs. We had ours with us so that was the main reason we stopped. There is a gift shop when you enter the property. Once you follow the long driveway you will find the tasting room. The driveway accommodates 1 car comfortably so look ahead before proceeding down the road. We checked in for our tour and were given the option to tour or go straight to the tasting since they are the same price.  Due to time constraints we chose the tasting. There are 5 barrels that samples are served directly out of but besides a board with mash bills there was no additional information given which was a little disappointing. The experience was unique and the property was very enjoyable.

Gorgeous grounds and such a cool experience getting to thieve the whiskey! We did it as part of a tour and I was so happy it was our last stop because it was my favorite!

We had some friends in from California and spend the afternoon at Whiskey Thief. Laid back environment and great atmosphere. Kassi, in the gift shop was the best and very personable. She is through an additional tasting of their gin and flavored Whiskeys. Overall, highly recommend!

Stunning location, and an informal operation. Great for groups as they have an outdoor space with live music. No frills type of place. Bourbon Tasters - The tasting is as unique as it's straight from the barrel. Plan for a designated driver as the pours are heavy and more than a typical tasting. This is one is a good place to end the tastings at, so the 4.30PM tour is a good choice.

Did the tour with the tasting, my husband and son loved the bourbon, and drinking straight from the barrel was an added treat. Dave was very knowledgeable and helpful. We did the fill your own bottle to add to the memorable experience .

This was one of our favorite places we went to! The staff were so friendly and you could tell they love their job. The layout is beautiful with chairs and cornhole outside the bar. I would highly recommend if you're in the area!!

Beautiful place with a great staff. They went out of their way to explain all samplings provided in the tasting. They were not skimpy with the pours.

The tour was amazing along with the bourbon. We bottled some up to take home and Dave who works there was so passionate about the work they do there

Great tasting and distillery experience! People were knowledgable and informative. Greta's hangout place

Interesting stop on the whiskey trail. Micro distillery with prices to match. Cool ambiance and worth the stop If in the areas. We tried their offerings at bourbon on the bank. Goo stuff, but pricey.

Went to Whiskey Thief on Saturday April 12, 2025. Had a great tour from David. The whiskey is expensive but well worth the experience. I hope they always stay craft and never go corporate. Beautiful farm atmosphere. Every face I saw there was smiling. We will return!

Must do!! Our favorite boutique distillery by far! Bottle your own bourbon straight from the barrel....doesn't get better than that!

Nice farm and distillery. This is some high test bourbon! Straight out of the barrels! Uncut and unfiltered!

During a three distillery tour on the Bourbon Trail, we stopped at Whiskey Thief Distilling as one of the three. What a cool place! It's a small batch distillery where you can taste straight from the barrel. You can even bottle your own from the barrel! This makes it interactive and much more fun, especially after all the tastings. The venue is very cozy and cute, interesting, and nicely decorated. This place is unique and you're probably only going to find their products here. Very friendly and laid back employees. So glad we chose this small distillery for our tour.

From Rebecca greeting us,Tom helping with the thieving, Dave and Ranger with the knowledge and love of the game, this place is fantastic. This area is initially a farm (Three Boys Farm) and added this quantity gem nestled in the hills of Central Kentucky. The setting is farmland with beautiful plants on a relaxing backyard setting. Feels like you're at a friend's bbq that just happens to be exquisite in the craft of bourbon. We picked up bourbon, whiskey, Quintessence Gin, and swag. If all your are like this, sign me up

Everything my mom works their and it is great well she mainly goes to nulu bit goes here a lot to

One of our highlights on the Bourbon Trail!! Beautiful location!!!! Enjoyed our tour and experience!!! Looking forward to going back next visit to KY.

What a great experience at Whiskey Thief! The view of the farm is gorgeous, and the staff was so personable and friendly, from our tour through helping us fill a bottle from the barrel. It was really nice to visit a relatively small independent distillery nestled among the larger names on the Bourbon Trail.

Super friendly staff. Very helpful. Great bouborn slushy. Great selection of non bourbon items also. Fun Photo Booth.

A short drive from Lexington,we called to make sure we could do a tasting without a tour. Yes,that is possible. Located in Frankfort,KY..this is one of the coolest bourbon experiences I have had. I bought a tasting (5) of their unfiltered barrel proof bourbons ranging from 110-119 proof. They literally take it out of the barrel, char and all for you to taste. The staff is super friendly and explains their distilling process and answers any questions you might have. They do not sell any of their bourbons retail but you can pour your own bottle after the tastings. Prices range from $80-$135 depending on the bottle size. There is a small gift shop as you enter their property that sells bourbon apparel,candles and flavored moonshine. I would definitely go back to this hidden gem while on the Bourbon Trail.

The tour is overpriced. My advice - skip the $35 tour and do just the tasting. Basically the same experience.

Overall was an excellent experience. Really like the personal touch and it was extremely small. Start to finish in one location and it's not mass produced. Very interested in the cask strength single barrel tasting. Never had it that way and I really enjoyed it. I would highly recommend this being one of the ones we stopped at. It is not what you would normally expect from the traditional buffalo trace or Cask.

What an experience. After checking out some high volume distilleries we were sent to this place on a bourbon tour, and it was probably the best of the weekend. A small working family farm housing some fantastic bourbons, all small batch and all straight from the barrel. David was very special, sharing a true passion for the product and tons of experience.

I would not recommend this tour or bourbon trail stop. The tour duration was advertised as 45 minutes, though we received 10 minutes of a generic overview of how bourbon and other hard alcohols are made, and a 2 minute explanation of why the distillery has gone through so many names. Across the 10+ bourbon trail distillery tours we've been on, this was by far the lowest ranking. Sub-par 5 and 6 year bourbon at a ridiculous price point and a neutral quality. Your time and money are better spent anywhere else.

Awesome experience. Very friendly people and great vibe. After the initial "tour" they let you loose to go at your own pace. Thieving the whiskey was the coolest thing. They had a food truck and a cocktail bar out back. It's on a working farm. Highly recommend this stop!

Overall pretty great place. Except we are paying for a tasting so if I dont wanna try all 5 barrels on one side why can't i go to the other side and try one? If thats the rules then dont let the person in front of me do it but say no to me. Thanks

What a cool little microdistillery on the Craft Bourbon Trail! We loved chatting with the workers, they were all so kind and fun. We were able to thief right from the barrels. Very strong bourbon (warning). But tasty and flavorful. We did the Bottle Your Own experience and it was well worth the price. For being such a small facility, it was beautiful and offered a few places for photos. The gift shop at the top of the hill had the cutest little gifts.

Are you not from Kentucky? Did you also come down with a bunch of degenerates to drink too much bourbon, and get a look at a few of your favorite distilleries (in that order)? What a coincidence, me too. I've been drinking too much bourbon since I was too young to drink bourbon, and I have my favorites. Most of them are larger brands that, surprise surprise, sell their product in NYC, where I can buy it for my own consumption and figure out it's one of my favorites. I hit up a couple of those venerable distilleries while in Kentucky as well, and they all have their merits. That said, Three Boys is completely unlike those other experiences. This is a much more casual, less polished, more intimate experience, and I loved it because of that contrast, and because they've still got plenty of tasty bourbon (and a great rye as well). We walked ourselves down from the welcome building to the distillery itself (I recommend it, walking is good for you), and the grounds are gorgeous. Once we arrived, I've got to admit that the tour isn't much to speak of, especially if you have been on a couple of others, and you know how bourbon is made. They'll tell you a little bit about their operation, and turn you loose. They'll let you poke around the giant hanger where it's housed, and eventually make your way over to the barrels. It seems like they've always got five cask strength bourbons for you to try, and try, and try. I don't know if Zach is always there, but the man led our tasting, and he is a very serious bourbon enthusiast. He told us his own collection is worth a very substantial amount of money, and he clearly loves his work. We were told that we happened by on the busiest Thursday they've ever had, and we were still able to drink our fill, ask all the questions we wanted, and best of all, if we bought a bottle, grab the whiskey thief ourselves and fill it up. All their bourbons are unique; they don't repeat mash bills, and you can't buy Three Boys products anywhere else. If you want to drink this farm distillery's bourbon, you've got to come on down yourself. And I thought it was a good time.

Unique tasting experience right from the barrel. Five single barrel bourbon tastes taken right from the barrel unfiltered by the "Whiskey Thief" ( instrument made of copper). The staff could not have been friendlier here including the cat. You can also bottle your own bourbon to take home. There is a gift shop in a different building onsite carrying their moonshine.

We came to the area from 9 hours away to do the bourbon trail and unfortunately found that very few are open on Mondays, our day set aside for tours. Fortunately we found Whiskey Thief open and thoroughly enjoyed our visit. Unlike the "big" guys, you drive right up to the barn and start tasting right from the barrel. They give you the exact mash bill and then you get to fill your own bottle that you wish to purchase. I really enjoyed a couple I tasted and our group ended up purchasing 6-7 bottles. The staff was fun and very helpful

We were celebrating my birthday by making a trip to Kentucky to sample some whiskey! This is a hidden little gem only about 45 minutes from Louisville. We arrived and we saw their small gift shop. It was an adorable barn on the top of the hill. It had different drinks to sample, and other fun little items. They even had a little basket of cute jewelry! We looked around and then ice girl asked if we were here for a tasting. We said "sure"! She directed us to another barn down the hill. We had to drive a bit to get there, but seeing the animals was a lot of fun! When we got in, everyone was so friendly. Even their dog greeted us! We got to sample whiskey's from five barrels. It was wonderful, but that was the coolest part! I got to pick my favorite and bottle it myself!!! It was a wonderful afternoon, and if we are back in town, we will certainly stop in again!

Awesome place, nice views and quiet. Gift store was amazing with lots of goodies and souvenirs. Gal working there was so sweet. Guys working the tasting room were delightful and friendly. Husband loved the tastings and filled his own bottle to take home. Worth the drive and worth the visit!!

Communication. As bad as it can get. We booked our tour of Whiskey Thief 1.5 months in advance. We got several reminder emails and text messages ahead of time encouraging us to be early for our tour. Fast forward to the day of. We were coming from over 2 hours away. No problem. We received a text 2 hours before the start time reminding us of the tour and expressing no concerns. When we got there we were informed that they would not be offering a tour based upon a pipe busting 3+ days earlier. Now I understand that things happen and I am not penalizing for that. The issue is that Whiskey Thief knew at least 3 days in advance they wouldn't be able to offer the tour but didn't even communicate that to us when they have the clear ability to pester through email and text regularly. Service. When we got there that had not plowed any part of the drive whatsoever and it is not a short drive onto the property. Additionally, they didn't bother to shovel, sweep, or salt any of the sidewalks to the "tasting room." There was also dog poop and urine on the uncleared walk up. Given all the issues and no communication one would think they want to save face for their bad communication and service. Wrong. They doubled down. After booking the tour 1.5 months in advance they offered to provide a tasting at $25 per person after their screw up. No thanks. The obvious thing to have done would to have been to simply offer a free tasting at that point. Simple and cheap gesture on their part to save face. Whiskey. I did end buying a bottle of bourbon since I was there. It was a $100 for a 5/10 whiskey. Overpriced for the quality. On par with a Jim Beam white label but for 4 to 5 times the price. Save your money and time and head to one of the many other distilleries in the area. Bardstown is the best concentration of great distilleries.

Very relaxed country setting. A great stop along the highway between Louisville and Frankfort/Lexington. Taste some solid bourbon out of the barrel and enjoy the scenery.

We definitely had a blast here at Three Boys Distillery. It was our first time here which was a recommendation, only about a 15 min drive from Buffalo Trace if your in the neighborhood with plenty of openings for tours, tasting glass included. The tours consist of a barrel tasting(four different bourbons) and a little speech on their history, it's a quick tour. For an additional bottle charge you get the opportunity to choose and bottle your own whiskey from the barrels you tasted from. We bottled up a 375 ml bottle($80) of a very unique bourbon. The nose on the bourbon was like caramel corn, the taste was more subtle.