Kentucky Bourbon Festival + Maker’s Mark Visitor Center = Good Times

The Maker’s Mark distillery, in Loretto, Kentucky, usually sees about 70,000 visitors a year, but it’s hoping to triple that number with its new $2.5 million visitor’s center. The distillery is a National Historic Landmark, and the company was careful to preserve its appearance with the center; the tasting lounge and gift shop are located in a century-old rack house that holds about 1,000 barrels of aging bourbon. Tours are free, but the tastings are not!

The opening of the the center was planned to coincide with the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, a “weekend full of smooth Bourbon, delicious food, and great entertainment, with a healthy dose of Kentucky hospitality.” The motto of the festival is “neat,” but I have a feeling that after a few rounds of neat bourbon, it probably gets a little rowdy.

[via USA Today]