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We sit down inside the hidden speakeasy at the Trail Hotel in Bardstown to taste the house bourbon and rye, tour the amenities, and map out Kentucky Bourbon Festival’s President’s Club experiences. Heritage, hospitality, and smart design turn a former Holiday Inn into a bourbon lover’s basecamp.
• location across from Preservation and minutes from Heaven Hill
• boutique flip with private patios and enclosed courtyards
• oxygen bar, cryotherapy, sauna and IV therapy for recovery
• Trail Hotel Bourbon by Green River, 103 proof, 6 years, wheated
• flavor notes of honey, dried fruit, light tobacco and grape seed
• Trail Hotel Rye 95/5 at 103 proof with pear and apricot
• speakeasy access by invite with vintage spirits library
• President’s Club tastings and releases during KBF
• local bars and bottle shops offering try-before-you-buy
• Bardstown history from Jesse James to Lincoln’s roots
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Slip behind a painting into Bardstown’s hidden speakeasy and meet the team behind the Trail Hotel, a boutique stay built for bourbon lovers. We sit with the beverage director Mal Ramos to trace how a dusty Holiday Inn became a destination: the lobby flipped into a vibrant dining hall, a kitchen relocated to power service across every public space, and safety-first courtyards that feel private, quiet, and secure. Just outside the door, Preservation Distillery sits across the street, with Heaven Hill, Maker’s Mark, and Jim Beam all within easy reach—giving you a launchpad for the entire Kentucky Bourbon Trail.
We pour the hotel’s own labels and dig into the details. First up: Trail Hotel Bourbon, a six-year Green River wheated small batch at 103 proof, showing honey, dried fruit, light tobacco, and that satisfying grape-seed grip. Then we explore the house rye, a 95/5 Bardstown Bourbon Company distillate at the same proof, leaning into pear, passion fruit, and a gentle Kentucky hug. From there, the conversation turns to cocktails—why a honey old fashioned with black walnut bitters sings with the bourbon, how a gold rush bridges classic and modern, and what a curated vintage backbar can teach your palate about time and terroir.
Festival week amplifies everything. The Kentucky Bourbon Festival’s President’s Club experience brings private tastings, unreleased barrels, small-batch drops, and brand activations poolside. The Trail Hotel opens its speakeasy for VIPs and invites curious listeners to earn an entry by asking for the beverage director or bourbon steward at dinner. Beyond the glass, we wander Bardstown’s deeper story—Jesse James lore, Civil War echoes, Lincoln’s birthplace a short drive away—and show how heritage fuels today’s hospitality.
If you love bourbon, travel, and the art of a well-made cocktail, this is your roadmap to Bardstown’s most immersive stay. Hit follow, share with a friend planning a trail trip, and leave a quick review to tell us which pour you’d try first.

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