A Weekend in Lexington

18 bourbon distilleries, 450 horse farms, and great restaurants await

Lexington isn’t the capital of Kentucky — that title goes to Frankfort — but “Bourbonland” may be the better accolade. With 18 bourbon distilleries, the Lexington area nurtures a combination of traditional bourbon institutions and contemporary businesses that push the whiskey forward.

Yet while the city leads with bourbon, Lexington soaks up its spirited reputation with an equally satisfying culinary scene, in which restaurants do more than make your meals. Take Smithtown Seafood, which shares space and produce with nonprofit and aquaponics farm FoodChain Lex. Then, there’s Epping’s on Eastside, where everything from Middle Eastern dips to Korean spices inspires tapas-style shareables.

Many of Lexington’s businesses also double as community-focused concepts. Where else can you sip on a shochu sour while local glassblowers bend glass into glittering pumpkins — or share pastries at a cafe dedicated to substance abuse recovery?

If you’re only in Lexington for a weekend, your time is as precious as a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle, so you may want to reserve a food tour with Bites of the Bluegrass. Or, head to any of the places below to sample a scope of the city.

 

Where to Stay

The Manchester Hotel

The Manchester opened in Lexington’s Distillery District in 2023, but it’s already established itself as one of the city’s most stylish getaways. The lobby’s artful decor and dark brick and wood panels pair best with a smooth glass of bourbon; the hotel feels elegant, intricate, and warm — the perfect setting for the various brand advertisements and commercials set onsite. This level of detail extends to the rooms, where ultra-spacious showers require a few steps before guests reach their Le Labo products.

The food lives up to the space. Hotel restaurant Granddam specializes in elevated comfort dishes. Don’t miss the crispy fried chicken with orzo macaroni and cheese or the wood-fired mushrooms with cornbread. After dinner, snag an indoor or outdoor table at the rooftop tiki bar, Lost Palm. The colorful, tropical decor plays with kitsch so well that it’s as cool as a kitten on a snowdrift.

What to Do

Nearly 50 distilleries overlap with the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, but that headcount has nothing on Lexington’s farms. Some 450 horse farms crop up across the city — and that’s not counting Keeneland, which runs both thoroughbred auctions and races.

Even if you’ve toured other race tracks like Louisville’s Churchill Downs or Saratoga Race Course, Keeneland feels distinctly communal and intimate, while still maintaining a high-end, curated feel. A visit to the track alone can turn anyone into a horse girl, though fans of horses and their film presence shouldn’t miss the track’s library. The archives house an autograph from Queen Elizabeth and a hoof from Secretariat himself. Movie buffs will find it interesting that parts of the 2010 thoroughbred biopic were filmed at the track.

Where to Eat

Breakfast | DV8 Kitchen

You never need a reason to eat cinnamon rolls, but here’s one anyway: Lexington’s DV8 Kitchen provides second-chance employment opportunities by hiring people in recovery from substance abuse. The cinnamon rolls are just as good as the cafe’s purpose, and, like pancakes for the table, are best enjoyed alongside a savory entree. That’s because DV8 offers a rotation of specialty, seasonal flavors. Think: blueberry cream cheese, pumpkin spice, and caramel apple cinnamon rolls, preceded by a biscuit and fried green tomato eggs benedict.

Off to the races after breakfast? Caffeinate with a latte or chai from DV8’s neighbor, Manchester Coffee Co.

Lunch | Pearl’s

If Lexington is Bourbonland, New York and Montreal are Bagel-land — but that doesn’t mean you can’t find Northeast-worthy bagels down south. Pearl’s combines the fluffiness of New York (and New Jersey) bagels with the wood-fired density of Montreal’s take on the carb. That texture works great with just cream cheese, better as a bagel sandwich, and best alongside coffee in a cozy booth. Come afternoon, Pearl’s repurposes its wood-fired oven to make artisanal pizzas inspired, once again, by two places of distinctive dough traditions: New York and Naples.

Dinner | Carson’s

For Southern staples, look no further than Carson’s, which has two locations in Lexington. Open for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch, Carson’s incorporates bourbon throughout its menu; a sriracha bourbon barbecue sauce coats sweet and spicy ribs, while the shaved prime rib sandwich layers provolone and mozzarella with onions and bourbon mushrooms. The meal may be hearty but don’t discount dessert. Whipped cream, silky caramel, and flambéed banana overlay Carson’s bourbon bread pudding — yet another example of the spirit’s versatility.

Where to Drink Bourbon

The Innovative | Bespoken Spirits

Compared to Kentucky’s long-standing bourbon brands like Maker’s Mark and Castle & Key, Bespoken Spirits is new to the game, yet already carving out its own path. The distillery prides itself on using less wood, water, and energy to distill bourbon than traditional methods. To see if the technique works, stop at the distillery’s West Loudon Avenue tasting room. Your best bet is to taste Bespoken’s bourbon both neat and in a fun cocktail like a smoked old fashioned.

The Educational | Fresh Bourbon

If you’re new to drinking bourbon, the spirit may feel inaccessible or daunting — a challenge Fresh Bourbon addresses on its tasting tour. The Lexington bourbon brand not only affords you the chance to try its signature spirit but also conducts a fun lesson on how, exactly, to discern the bourbon’s flavors.

A bourbon tasting comes with small bites of honey, chocolate chips, cinnamon toast crunch, pecans, and raisins — all intended to draw out tasting notes. There are also scent pairings to compare with the spirit’s aromas, before it’s time to make your own old fashioned. You’ll get to choose between bitters, like Aztec chocolate and black walnut, and personalize Fresh Bourbon’s bourbon to your preferences.

The Institution | Buffalo Trace

For avid bourbon drinkers, Buffalo Trace requires no introduction. The distillery is a well-oiled machine, with a Kentucky location that’s not a storefront but a 400-acre campus. You can reserve a variety of tours depending on how much time you have, or simply stop in for a tasting. No matter how you choose to experience Buffalo Trace’s grounds, make sure to peruse the retail shop. There, you can pick up a bottle of the daily bourbon on sale, whether it’s Eagle Rare or collector favorite Blanton’s.

Where to Drink Everything Else

With a Song | Tee-Dee’s Progressive Club

At Tee-Dee’s, it doesn’t matter what you’re drinking — though it’s Lexington’s best bar scene every Monday night. The jazz club places blues musician and singer Tee Dee Young front and center, where he performs for those in the know. Order a cold beer, a glass of bourbon, or anything that goes well with Bluegrass. Hint: That’s pretty much everything.

With a Show | Trifecta

For another cultural experience, head to Trifecta: a glassblowing studio on Walton Avenue that turns into a chic speakeasy most afternoons. In the intimate, dimly-lit space, you can order seasonal cocktails that blend flavors like yuzu and black pepper syrup or stick with bourbon in the form of an old fashioned. Once you have your drink, don’t settle into the plush lounge chairs just yet. Instead, step through the back door and into the garage, where expert craftsmen weld glass in plain sight. The process is as mesmerizing as the drinks are memorable.

 

Article by Anna Staropoli for Broken Palate