Boundary Oak Distillery is the Bardstown Region’s budget-friendly wild card: a craft distillery in Radcliff, just outside Fort Knox, where guided tours are walk-in all day and a tour plus tasting costs $15. It sits roughly 35 to 40 miles and 50 to 60 minutes west of Court Square, so it works best as part of a Fort Knox or Elizabethtown day rather than squeezed between downtown stops. It also lists an address in downtown Bardstown at 229 N. 3rd St.; call to confirm what is open there before you count on it.
Why Boundary Oak is on the Bourbon Trail map
The Kentucky Bourbon Trail groups Boundary Oak with the Bardstown Region stops, and its regional planner places it “just outside Fort Knox,” with small-batch bottlings and a lavender whiskey among the draws. On its own site, Boundary Oak calls itself “Hardin County’s first legal Distillery since prohibition!” (that exclamation is theirs).
The personality comes from the neighborhood. With Fort Knox next door, the lineup leans into military and Kentucky history: G.S. Patton Jr. Bourbon, a whiskey called Lincoln, and others named War Eagle, St. Michael and MOKH, alongside Cinnful 69 and St. Luke Lavender. It is a different flavor of Kentucky whiskey than the big Nelson County houses, less about century-old warehouses and more about a small local maker having fun.
Prices and how the visit works
Boundary Oak is refreshingly simple:
| Option | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tasting only | $10 | Choice of flights |
| Tour and tasting | $15 | Walk-in, “all day every day” |
| Groups of 15+ | Call ahead | (270) 351-2013 |
There are two tasting flights: the Platinum Flight, built around the premium bottles, and the Flagship Flight, which pours Lincoln, Patton and Cinnful 69. Special limited-edition spirits are not available for tasting, so if a rare bottle catches your eye, you are buying it on faith or on the staff’s description.
At $15, it is one of the cheapest guided tour-and-tasting combinations in the region; compare that with $24 core tours in Bardstown or $55 for Heaven Hill’s new Springs distillery tour. Our free and cheap bourbon experiences page rounds up other bargains. Tastings are 21+ with a valid photo ID.
Hours are not posted online. The walk-in promise is generous, but call before a long drive, especially on holidays and Sundays.
Boundary Oak’s Bardstown address
The distillery’s website lists a second address at 229 N. 3rd St. in downtown Bardstown, a short walk up Third Street from Court Square. What exactly operates there (a tasting room, a shop or something else) and its hours are not spelled out online, so phone the Radcliff number before walking over. Third Street is home to other tasting rooms too: Old SteelHouse’s downtown room is at 124 N. Third St., and Chicken Cock’s Circa 1856 sits just off Court Square on Stephen Foster Avenue, so you will not leave Third Street thirsty either way.
Getting there from Court Square
Radcliff is west of Bardstown toward Elizabethtown and Fort Knox. The route runs through Elizabethtown (about 26 miles and 32 minutes from Bardstown), then north toward Fort Knox; plan on 50 to 60 minutes each way in total. For comparison, the Patton Museum at Fort Knox, a few minutes from the distillery, is 36.6 miles and a 55-minute drive from Court Square.
That distance is the main reason Boundary Oak is rarely a Bardstown traveler’s first stop. Nearly every other Bourbon Trail stop in the region is closer to town. Save it for a day when you are heading west anyway.
As at every distillery, tasting and driving do not mix, and the drive back is an hour. Split the flights, sip slowly, or bring a designated driver.
Pair it with Fort Knox and Elizabethtown
The strongest pairing is the General George Patton Museum of Leadership: free admission, Patton’s ivory-handled pistols, his World War II living-quarters van, Sherman tanks and props from the 1970 film Patton. Since 2021 you can reach it from Highway 31W without entering the post. Its schedule has historically run Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but the museum foundation noted schedule changes from April 2026, so check before you go. The U.S. Bullion Depository next door is closed to visitors.
A Patton bourbon after the Patton Museum is the kind of pairing that practically writes itself. Build the day as museum in the morning, lunch in Elizabethtown, Boundary Oak in the afternoon, then back to Bardstown for dinner. Our Elizabethtown and Fort Knox day trip has the details. Heading to Mammoth Cave? Radcliff is not quite on the way, but Elizabethtown is, and a short detour works on the return leg if you finish early.
Who Boundary Oak suits
Boundary Oak fills a specific gap in the Bardstown Region, and it helps to know if you are its audience before you drive an hour.
It suits you if:
- You like trying small producers and unusual spirits alongside straight bourbon. A lavender whiskey is nothing like what Nelson County’s big houses make.
- You want a tour without the booking stress. A walk-in, all-day tour promise is rare on the trail.
- You are on a budget. A $15 combo leaves money for a bottle.
- You have a military connection or a soft spot for World War II history. With Fort Knox next door and a bourbon named for Patton, the theme is hard to miss.
It may not suit you if you have only one or two days and want the big-name experiences, or if you want a historic campus with old rickhouses. For those, stay in Nelson and Marion counties.
The Lincoln connection
Lincoln is a fitting name for a whiskey from this corner of Kentucky. Abraham Lincoln was born near Hodgenville, in LaRue County, and spent his early boyhood at Knob Creek Farm on US 31E, both a short drive southwest of Bardstown. If you are building a history-heavy trip west of Bardstown, you can stand at the Memorial Building’s 56 steps at the birthplace in the morning and taste a Kentucky whiskey named for him in the afternoon. The routes and hours are on our Lincoln country page.
The same goes for the rest of the lineup. MOKH reads as a nod to My Old Kentucky Home, the state park and mansion in Bardstown, and Patton points straight at Fort Knox, where the general’s museum stands. It makes Boundary Oak a surprisingly good souvenir stop for anyone who wants a bottle that tells a Kentucky story.
Tips for your visit
- Call first. Hours are not posted online, and a quick call to (270) 351-2013 confirms the day’s schedule, especially on holidays.
- Pick your flight with purpose. The Flagship Flight covers the core range, and the Platinum Flight is the one for bourbon fans.
- Pair it with a museum morning. Visiting the Patton Museum first and the distillery after lunch leaves time for a relaxed tasting before the drive back.
- Watch for events. Boundary Oak has promoted live music on its grounds, so check its social channels before you go.
Is Boundary Oak worth the drive?
For bourbon completists and bargain hunters, yes: no reservation stress, $15 for a guided tour and tasting, and a lineup you won’t see in the Nelson County gift shops. For a first-time visitor with only a day or two, spend that hour of driving on Maker’s Mark or Jim Beam instead, and check the distillery tours comparison and our guide to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail from Bardstown to see where it fits in your plan.
