Kentucky Bourbon Festival 2024: A Spirited Celebration

The Kentucky Bourbon Festival (KYBF), also known as KBF, wrapped up another successful event on September 13-15, 2024. Presented by the Koetter Group, the festival took place in Bardstown, Kentucky, known as the Bourbon Capital of the World. This year marked the 33rd edition of the festival, which always takes place in September, to coincide with Bourbon Heritage Month.

Strong Turnout and Widespread Appeal

Kentucky Bourbon Festival 2024 saw an impressive turnout, with 6,200 ticketed guests. Attendees hailed from all 50 states and also included international visitors, highlighting the global appeal of the event. Remarkably, 85% of ticket sales were from outside Kentucky, underscoring the festival’s widespread popularity.

Ticketing Options – Should You Be A VIP?

The Kentucky Bourbon Festival 2024 offered ticketing options to suit everyone’s needs. The $180 Weekend Bourbon Taster ($180) was the General Admission pass, for all three days (Friday – Sunday) of the festival. It offered unlimited re-entry to the festival, unlimited sampling opportunities, and a KYBF tasting Wee Glencairn Glass. The 1 Day Sunday Sampler ($105) offered similar amenities, but only for Sunday.

In addition, a variety of VIP ticket options were also offered, ranging from $595 to $1295. The VIP Enthusiast ($595), the least expensive option, offered all that was included in the Weekend Bourbon Taster ticket, as well as early entry to the festival (11AM), access to the VIP tent, which included an unlimited buffet and bars serving cocktails and premium pours, admission to Thursday night’s Bourbon in the Air, a Glencairn Travel Kit and 2 Glencairn Glasses, in addition to a variety of other amenities. Other VIP options included VIP Decanter Club ($1295), VIP Flask Force Gold ($895), and VIP Flask force ($695). Each received benefits in addition to those included with the VIP Enthusiast ticket.

Pro Tip

Bourbon in the Air, which always takes place on the Thursday evening immediately prior to the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, is one of my favorite things about the KBF. It’s basically the festival without the crowds. However, to attend, one needs to buy it as a premium add-on, or buy a VIP ticket. This year, the price was $175, however, for me, it was well worth it. Nonetheless, Bourbon in the Air sells out very quickly, so it is best to buy tickets to it on the first day they go on sale.

In addition, included with all VIP ticket levels is access to the VIP tent, which is nice amenity. The air conditioned very large tent, private air conditioned bathrooms, unlimited buffet and premium pours provide a nice respite from the lines outside, and the September Kentucky weather. However, given the price of the VIP tickets, it is up to each individual to decide if it the purchase is worthwhile for them.

Distilleries, Exclusive Barrel Picks and Allocated Bottles – Oh, My!!

A total of 62 distilleries participated in the Kentucky Bourbon Festival 2024, offering a diverse range of bourbons and other whiskeys. One of the highlights, was the availability of 45 exclusive single barrel picks, providing bourbon enthusiasts with unique tasting and purchasing opportunities. In addition, some of the distilleries sold highly allocated bottles at their booths. However, the lines for those bottles became gigantic, requiring a large time investment and causing some logistic issues for some of the distilleries and other festival goers.

Consistent Sell-Out Success

The 2024 festival marked the third consecutive sell-out for KYBF, reflecting its growing popularity and demand. The festival’s ability to consistently attract a large and diverse crowd speaks volumes about its significance in the bourbon community. In addition, every year the festival gets larger. This year, to help accommodate the increased demand, the festival had expanded both in the number of distilleries represented, as well as the actual area that the festival covers. There were many more food trucks this year, which was a welcome addition. Also, an expanded area was created for the various craft vendors, away from the ever expanding number of distillery booths. However, this was met with mixed popularity. With its constant growth, the festival is always a work in progress. Therefore, there will almost certainly be changes for next year.

Premium Events

The Kentucky Bourbon Festival has much to offer for the general admission price. However, there are also a variety of exclusive premium experiences, available for an addition charge. Here are just some of the experiences that were on offer at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival 2024:

“Bourbon in the Air” mentioned above, kicked off the festival on Thursday night with an evening of bourbon, hors d’oeuvres, and live music. Also on Thursday, courtesy of Heaven Hill Distillery, guests toured the state of the art bottling and shipping facilities in Bardstown, as well as the soon to be open Heaven Hill Springs Distillery. The finale of the experience was a private tasting of highly sought after whiskeys with Heaven Hill master distiller Conor O’Driscoll.

Special Sessions

During other sessions throughout the festival weekend, attendees also learned cocktail-making from Chad Reid and Heather Wibbles, and explored whiskey blending with experts from Pursuit Spirits and Castle & Key Distillery. Special tastings led by the people behind them included: rare releases from Olde St. Nick; new and upcoming releases from Bardstown Bourbon Company; Distillery Series tasting with Chris Morris and Elizabeth McCall from Woodford Reserve; and an opportunity to try all ten of Four Roses recipes with Master Distiller Brent Elliott.

Furthermore, the festival also featured other unique events, such as the Icons Dinner. This event, which took place in the backyard of James B. Beam Distilling’s Master Distiller, Fred Noe, included a multi-course dinner, as well as presentations and question and answer sessions with legendary distillers. In addition, there was a Sunday brunch with Michter’s, and a Q&A session with veteran whiskey makers. Finally, there were also additional events with Heaven Hill’s Distillery’s Bernie Lubbers, Rabbit Hole’s Kaveh Zamanian, Barrell Bourbon’s Tripp Stimson and Nic Christiansen and Angel’s Envy’s Owen Martin. Each event offered a chance to taste exclusive bourbons or cocktails and learn from industry leaders.

Bourbon:30

Bourbon:30 was a captivating series of 30-minute interviews and panel discussions held throughout the Kentucky Bourbon Festival. These sessions, scheduled on the hour or half-hour, covered a wide range of intriguing topics. Conveniently, all of the shows took place on the main stage right in the Craft Distillery area. Attendees delved into topics like “This Really Happened On A Tour!” and “When Maker’s Got Old: The Story Of Cellar Aged.” They also explored the nuances of rye whiskey in “A Wry Smile for Rye Whiskey” and discussed the impact of climate change on bourbon in “Will Changing Climate Change Our Whiskey?”

The series also highlighted family-run distilleries in “All In The Family: Heaven Hill Distilleries” and ongoing new distillery construction in “New Kentucky Distilleries.” Other engaging topics included the economics of bourbon in “Explain Premium Pricing–Please!” and the challenges faced by smaller brands in “Battling For Attention: Struggles Of Small Brands.” The “Master Distillers Panel: Proof, There It Is!” offered expert insights into how the proof is selected for each whiskey, while “Bourbon’s Booming… Could It Bust?” examined the industry’s future. Enthusiasts discussed the evolution of hunting for rare bourbons in “Unicorns: Are They Worth The Hunt?” and attendees heard from journalists in the “Whiskey Reporters Panel.” The series concluded with “The Takeaway: Tell Us What You Learned At the 2024 KYBF,” where the Kentucky Bourbon Festivals organizers asked attendees about the the festival’s highlights.

After Parties & Brunches

For those who were looking for something more to do before or after an entire day at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, there were numerous other events to satisfy that desire. A number of brunches were offered, including the Blueprint Brunch at Liam Ash Cocktail Emporium featuring Old Steelhouse’s Blueprint Bourbon, Bloody Marys & Mimosas and the Yellowstone Breakfast with Steve Beam & Stephen Fante at Limestone Branch Distillery’s new Tasting Lodge. For after the festival, there were parties at the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience (Bourbon, Cigars, and Jazz) and Bardstown Bourbon Company (Bardstown Vice). Also, not to be forgotten is the free festival on Bardstown’s Main Street, the 4th Annual Cheers to Bardstown, which took place from 1pm to midnight at the Farmer’s Market.

Looking Ahead

For those planning to attend next year, the dates for the 2025 Kentucky Bourbon Festival have already been announced. Mark your calendars for September 5-7, 2025, when Bardstown will once again host bourbon lovers from around the world. Tickets will go on sale sometime in the spring.

The Kentucky Bourbon Festival continues to be a cornerstone event, celebrating the rich heritage and craft of bourbon. With its blend of history, culture, and exceptional bourbon, KYBF remains a must-attend for enthusiasts and newcomers alike.

Further Information

For more information, visit the Kentucky Bourbon Festival website at kybourbonfestival.com and for learning all about what Bardstown has to offer, visit Visit Bardstown at https://visitbardstown.com.

If you would like to read about a couple of other festivals and symposia, check out our articles Beam Institute Industry Conference Recap 2023 and Maryland Rye Revival 2023.

Would you like to learn more about distilleries and bourbon? Are you planning a trip to Kentucky Distilleries? Maybe you would like to live the bourbon life vicariously through us? If any of these are true, then check out BourbonObsessed.com today!