We found that most of the distilleries near Danville, Kentucky, are closed Mondays and Tuesdays, so we had to work around that schedule. It worked out perfectly with our Buffalo Trace & Kentucky River Boat Tour on Monday, but we had to find a distillery open Tuesdays.

We came across Wilderness Trail Distillery, Danville’s first legal distillery since Prohibition. It sits along a historic region through which explorer Daniel Boone blazed a trail in the 1700s, known as The Wilderness Trace (or Trail).

Wilderness Trail logo

Wilderness Trail Distillery

We just showed up with our group of 12 without any reservations, but they were happy to accommodate us. The women ordered some cocktails to sip on as we followed the men upstairs to a large tasting room.

Wilderness Trail Visitors Center

Wilderness Trail distillery makes small-batch Kentucky Straight Wheated Bourbon, Kentucky Straight High Rye Bourbon and Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey. We learned the term “small-batch” means different amounts for different-sized distilleries. But in the case of Wilderness Trail, it means 20 barrels or less.

Wilderness Trail

The guys bought some bottles to take home, and we headed to Copper & Oak for lunch. Our group enjoyed the hot honey chips with gochujang sauce; fried green tomato caprese; crispy chicken sandwiches with smoked gouda, red onion and smoky aioli; and the house special, Copper & Oak burgers with house-made bourbon glaze and garlic aioli.

Wilderness Trail fun outside

Then we headed back to our rental home to crack open some bottles to enjoy with dinner.

— Tracey Cullen, art director