This year, the Kentucky Bourbon Festival hit that coral milestone with another sold‑out weekend that drew attendees from 44 states and 15 countries to Bardstown’s Great Lawn. Now that the dust has settled, it’s a good moment to look back at what stood out from KBF 2026.
The Kentucky Bourbon Festival turns 35 this year, with a new Speakeasy lounge, a Jim Gaffigan fireside chat, and single barrels everywhere you look. We rounded up the parties, the pours, and the parking headaches, so you can spend less time scrambling and more time drinking.
What you’re about to see is my compilation of honey‑whiskey releases over the years, assembled after far too many late‑night searches and e-mail inquiries asking brands what kind of honey they used in their releases.
With the bourbon base pulling back from purchasing, brands need to expand to wider audiences to continue growing. To do that means coming to market with more approachable products.
This year, I returned to the NoLA Bourbon Fest (now outdoors!) and made the rounds again, and the brands came to play. I tried high‑proof single barrels, experimental finishes, and even one of the year’s most anticipated releases.
Louisville’s Bourbon Classic seems to zag where Bardstown’s Kentucky Bourbon Festival zigs.
Where KBF marks the start of fall, the Bourbon Classic signals the end of winter. Where KBF leans into an outdoor, festival‑style experience, the Classic keeps it indoors with curated programming and
Distilleries jockeyed for headlines, unveiling new releases, launching new brands, and—most dramatically—Heaven Hill returned to making Bourbon in Bardstown. The Kentucky Bourbon Festival isn’t just a local event anymore; it’s a tentpole moment on the whiskey calendar.
The Four Roses booth had its usual suspects lined up, but behind the staff, I spotted a plain brown bottle with a PC-printed label: Straight Bourbon Whiskey 20 Year. One polite ask later, I was holding a glass of 20-year-old Four Roses.
Speaking with whiskey makers at the New Orleans Bourbon Festival, their outlook on Bourbon is cautiously optimistic with potential tariffs, oversupply, and market contraction ahead of them.
