IT'S A BEAUTIFUL BOURBON DAY®
The Best Authentic Kentucky Bourbon Tour: Where Legends are Made
Learn unscripted bourbon stories from those who’ve lived it, with insider access beyond the pamphlets and maps.
Enjoy Kentucky with Sipping In The South® Bourbon Tours
The Classic Collection
The Signature Collection
The Signature Collection
The Estate Series are carefully curated 1, 2., and 4 Day Bourbon Tours. Click, book, work with your coordinator. Private concierge-style bourbon tours curated around the vibe you want, not a fixed list of distilleries or a set script.
The Signature Collection
The Signature Collection
The Signature Collection
Our most popular experience, The In-Laws & Outlaws Tour was designed for groups that don’t all travel the same way. Different personalities, different levels of bourbon knowledge, and different expectations all come together starting with a private Bourbon Social the night before. It’s an easy, interactive introduction that gets everyone comfortable, curious, and ready for what’s ahead.
The Reserve Collection
Private & Custom Bourbon
Private & Custom Bourbon
These experiences go beyond transportation. We specialize in expert-led logistics for barrel selections, corporate team building, and private industry events. Our value comes from standing at the intersection of distilleries, distributors, and the end consumer.
Private & Custom Bourbon
Private & Custom Bourbon
Private & Custom Bourbon
Our Custom Bourbon tours are designed for groups of all sizes, whether you are planning a single unforgettable day or a multi-day journey. Guests experience the best of the Bluegrass State as our Specialists craft each detail with local knowledge and trusted relationships. With their guidance, your Ideal Kentucky Bourbon Trail experience feels effortless, creating a memorable adventure that is distinctly 'Sipping in the South'.
Sipping In The South® | Why we’re the Best Company
Built on Hundreds of Tours
We are the Expert Bourbon Guides
The Details Make the Difference
At Sipping in the South, we assume our guests have already done their homework. Information is easy to find. Access is not. What we bring is the trust built over hundreds of days on the road and long-standing relationships throughout Bourbon Country. That trust opens doors and shapes experiences that do not exist online and cannot be recreated on your own.
The Bourbon Trail is simply the framework. What defines the experience is how the day is led. Our tours are unscripted and education-driven, grounded in Kentucky’s Five Bourbon Regions and shaped in real time by the people in the room. We move beyond the brochure and into the decisions, places, and relationships that actually define bourbon.
Guests leave with more than tasting notes. They leave understanding how Kentucky shaped both bourbon and horse culture, and why those stories still matter today
The Details Make the Difference
We are the Expert Bourbon Guides
The Details Make the Difference
STRUCTURE WHERE IT MATTERS. FREEDOM WHEN IT COUNTS.
Every experience begins with intention. We learn your preferences, where access matters, and when the day should open up. From there, we design a flow that holds its shape and adapts naturally as opportunity appears.
Curation lives in the details. The right distilleries, The right timing, A easy ride. Feeling good with hydration and music. Bottles handled properly. Transitions you never have to think about. Nothing rushed, Letting the day unfold exactly as it should.
We are the Expert Bourbon Guides
We are the Expert Bourbon Guides
We are the Expert Bourbon Guides
Born from bourbon. Raised in hospitality. Our experiences are led by guides who understand bourbon the way sommeliers understand wine, with knowledge typlically reserved for industry circles. Complex ideas are translated into conversations that feel effortless and personal.
Nothing is scripted. Curiosity shapes the dialogue and lived experience replaces memorized facts. Guest leave with a deeper understanding of how bourbon is made, why it tastes the way it does, and what truly distinguishes one distillery from another.
Charming Touches
Charming Touches
We are the Expert Bourbon Guides
Where Napa sophistication meets bourbon legends and Kentucky Southern Hospitality.
Hotel Partners
Charming Touches
Hotel Partners
Ask us! For the Promo Code! Save up to 20% on accommodations with our lodging partners including our Favorite AirBNBs.
Sipping In The South® Bourbon Tours | Planning Atlas
The Five Bourbon Regions® The first step in planning your trip
Most people hear “Bourbon Trail” and picture one straight path, like they're going to lace up their boots and hit the dirt road. It's actually not that at all. Bourbon in Kentucky is shaped by Five Bourbon Regions™ and each one has its own story, flavors, and rhythm. We have condensed it into three region for planning purposes and listed all the distilleries, not just those that are members of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Some of the best ones aren't even on that list.
- Louisville: Urban Bourbon
- Bardstown: The Bourbon Capital of the World
- Frankfort: The State Capital Region
- Lexington: Bluegrass and Thoroughbred Country
- The Western Frontier: Bourbon and Outdoor Adventures
Sipping In The South® Bourbon Tours | Three Main Cities
Louisville: Urban Bourbon
Louisville Urban Bourbon brings city energy, vibrant nightlife, and an authentic speakeasy vibe, all set against the largest concentration of Old Victorian homes in the country.
Louisville/Urban (mostly tasting rooms)
- Angel’s Envy
- Bardstown Bourbon Co.
- Buzzard’s Roost
- Copper & Kings
- Evan Williams
- Green River
- Heaven's Door (Last Refuge)
- Kentucky Artisan
- Michter’s
- Old Forester
- Old Louisville Whiskey Co.
- Log Still Distillery
- Peerless
- Prohibition Craft Spirits
- Pursuit Spirits
- Rabbit Hole
- Starlight Distillery
- Stitzel-Weller
- Uncle Boojie’s
- Whistle Pig
- Whiskey Thief NuLu
Bardstown: The Bourbon Capital of the World
Bardstown is the Bourbon Capital of the World, offering a blend of quaint charm and quiet evenings wrapped in Southern hospitality. It’s home to premier distilleries, boutique hotels, refined dining, and the kind of hospitality that makes every guest feel like family.
Bardstown/South Route:
- Bardstown Bourbon Co.
- Boundary Oak
- Heaven Hill
- Jim Beam
- Limestone Branch
- Log Still
- Lux Row
- Maker’s Mark
- Four Roses Bottling Facility
- Preservation
- Willett
Lexington: Bluegrass and Thoroughbred Country
Lexington: Bluegrass and Thoroughbred Country
Lexington is Bluegrass & Thoroughbred Country, shaped by rolling hills, white fences & world-famous horse farms. This region sits atop limestone aquifers, which gives the water a natural purity that helped define Kentucky bourbon. A place where bourbon and equestrian culture come together.
Lexington/Frankfort/East Route
- Barrel House
- Bluegrass Distillers
- Buffalo Trace
- Bulleit Distilling Co.
- Castle & Key
- Four Roses
- Glenn’s Creek
- James E. Pepper
- Jeptha Creed
- J Mattingly 1845
- Jefferson's Reserve
- Larrikin
- Neeley Family
- RD1
- Whiskey Thief
- Wild Turkey
- Wilderness Trail
- Woodford Reserve
Frankfort: The State Capital Region
Frankfort: The State Capital Region
Lexington: Bluegrass and Thoroughbred Country
Frankfort delivers historic roots, deep tradition, and true Kentucky craftsmanship. It’s where early delegates met and shaped the politics of Kentucky bourbon, giving this region its unmistakable legacy. Think barrel barns, live music, and good old-fashioned barn parties. Sip straight from the barrel and soak in the countryside charm. Bring your hats and boots; this is the authentic heart of Bourbon Country.
- Consolidated Distilleries under Lexington
Western Frontier: The Wild West
Frankfort: The State Capital Region
Western Frontier: The Wild West
The Western Frontier is where bourbon’s backwoods history began. This region includes Owensboro, Paducah and Bowling Green, and is known for its ties to the early stills hidden deep in the countryside. It offers caves, lakes, national parks and wide open spaces that create a relaxed and adventurous side of Kentucky. It is the perfect region for guests who want bourbon paired with outdoor exploration, local character and weekends spent on the water.
- Consolidated Distilleries under Louisville
Sipping In The South® | Every Legend has a Beginning
For 15 Years, She has Guided Guests through the Legends of Bourbon Country
Angelique Rison has spent more than 15 years guiding guests through Bourbon Country, long before the Kentucky Bourbon Trail became part of everyday travel vocabulary.
Her journey to Kentucky began in corporate America, where she spent over a decade entertaining clients across the Commonwealth long before curated bourbon experiences were
Angelique Rison has spent more than 15 years guiding guests through Bourbon Country, long before the Kentucky Bourbon Trail became part of everyday travel vocabulary.
Her journey to Kentucky began in corporate America, where she spent over a decade entertaining clients across the Commonwealth long before curated bourbon experiences were commonplace. During those years, she experienced the very best Kentucky had to offer, its bourbon, the horses, its hospitality, and its traditions. After participating in countless bourbon tours, she recognized an opportunity to elevate the experience.
Angelique believes bourbon experiences should be authentic and deeply personal, shaped by the grace and hospitality that first welcomed her to Kentucky. Inspired by meaningful conversations and the people behind the businesses, she curates tours that feel less like an itinerary and more like an invitation to an intimate, historic gathering.
As the founder and face of Sipping in the South, Angelique remains personally connected to every guest. This is not a corporate experience. It is a relationship built on trust, access, and genuine hospitality. She believes the future of bourbon tourism belongs to those who honor tradition while embracing change.
In 2018, she stepped away from corporate life, trusting her instinct to build something of her own. By 2021, Sipping in the South was born, created from a woman’s perspective and grounded in authenticity, intention, and genuine hospitality.
Today, Angelique Rison is known for designing bourbon experiences that feel less like tours and more like invitations. She honors tradition without repeating the obvious, places people before schedules, and welcomes guests the same way Kentucky welcomed her, with warmth, generosity, and just a hint of sparkle.
Here, every experience becomes a story worth passing along.
..."Because every legend is defined not by a moment, but by the journey that shaped it..."
Our Passion for Bourbon
Bourbon is more than a drink to us. It carries history, craftsmanship, and culture in every bottle, and Kentucky’s distilleries bring that to life in a way that never gets old. Sharing that passion means our guests don’t just taste bourbon. They walk away with stories to tell, knowledge to share, and memories that feel rooted in both cult
Bourbon is more than a drink to us. It carries history, craftsmanship, and culture in every bottle, and Kentucky’s distilleries bring that to life in a way that never gets old. Sharing that passion means our guests don’t just taste bourbon. They walk away with stories to tell, knowledge to share, and memories that feel rooted in both culture and craft.
That is the Sipping in the South Effect. Every guest leaves with unforgettable moments and a true insider’s understanding of Kentucky bourbon.
Our Team
Our Team
Our guides know bourbon inside and out, sharing the history, the science, and the stories that make every pour meaningful. They also have the inside scoop, from where the allocated bottles can be found to when special releases are happening.
With them, you are not just visiting distilleries, you are traveling with a trusted insider who mak
Our guides know bourbon inside and out, sharing the history, the science, and the stories that make every pour meaningful. They also have the inside scoop, from where the allocated bottles can be found to when special releases are happening.
With them, you are not just visiting distilleries, you are traveling with a trusted insider who makes you feel welcome, cared for, and connected. Every guest leaves with knowledge to share and memories worth keeping.
