The Bourbon Capital Academy is Bardstown’s bourbon school, and its two-hour Bourbon in Bardstown class is the best way to start a distillery weekend. For $85 you get a guided tour of the Oscar Getz Museum, a lesson on why this small town ended up with so many distilleries, a side-by-side “old school versus new school” tasting, and a glass, map and notebook to take on the road. Classes run on Saturdays twice a month in the Brindiamo Penthouse at the top of Spalding Hall, so book ahead.
What the Bourbon in Bardstown class covers
The introductory course is short, practical and built around place. According to The Bourbon Flight’s announcement of the course, the two hours include:
- A guided tour of the Oscar Getz Museum of Bourbon History on Spalding Hall’s first floor, with someone to explain what you’re looking at.
- A history of Bardstown and how it came to have “11 distilleries within a 16-mile radius.”
- An “old school versus new school” comparative tasting.
- A branded glass, a Bardstown distillers map and a tasting notebook to keep.
That comparative tasting is the heart of it. Tasting two styles side by side, with someone pointing out what separates them, teaches your palate more in ten minutes than a week of random pours. The map is genuinely useful too; you will look at it again at every stop.
The class suits three kinds of visitors: first-timers who want the vocabulary before their first tour, couples where one partner is keener than the other, and anyone whose trip includes a rainy Saturday.
The Masters Series
Finishing the intro class unlocks the Masters Series, a set of advanced classes led by industry figures at partner distilleries. Examples include “Art of Blending” at Bardstown Bourbon Company and “Bottled-in-Bond” at Heaven Hill, and you can take as many as you like. Topics, dates and prices are announced by class. For repeat visitors, this is the reason to come back: classes taught by distillery people on their home ground, not by a tour script.
The Bourbon Capital Diplomat certification
In June 2026 the Academy launched a certification. The Bourbon Capital Alliance describes the Diplomat program as a welcome cocktail, a proprietary curriculum on bourbon, Bardstown, the partner distilleries and their core brands, and a 50-question exam at the end. Graduates become certified Bourbon Capital Diplomats, are invited back for continuing education through the year and get benefits at partner distilleries.
It was designed with local and regional hospitality workers in mind (think bartenders and front-desk staff who field bourbon questions all day), but the Alliance says the program has value for general consumers too. No price was published at launch; ask when you inquire.
Who runs it
The Academy is a program of the Bourbon Capital Alliance, a Bardstown organization founded in 2017 with a mission of “enhancing the physical, economic, and social status of the Bardstown & greater Nelson County, Kentucky area.” Its executive director is Sam Lacy. The Alliance also co-organizes National Bourbon Week each June.
Member and partner distilleries include Barton 1792, Lux Row, Heaven Hill, James B. Beam, Limestone Branch, Preservation Distillery + Farm, Maker’s Mark, Log Still, Old SteelHouse and Potter Jane Distilling Co., with Bardstown Bourbon Company among the Academy’s class partners.
How to book and what to know
| Detail | What to know |
|---|---|
| Where | Brindiamo Penthouse, Spalding Hall, 114 N. Fifth St., Bardstown |
| Intro class | Bourbon in Bardstown, 2 hours, $85 per person |
| When | Saturdays, twice a month |
| Prerequisite | None for the intro; required for the Masters Series |
| Age | Tastings are 21+ with valid ID |
| Booking | Through the Bourbon Capital Alliance or the Visit Bardstown listing |
| Questions | Visit Bardstown, (502) 348-4877 |
Spalding Hall is two blocks from Court Square, with free parking in the lots behind the building. The penthouse is on the top floor; the building has ADA elevators, according to the Getz Museum’s visit page.
Because the intro class only runs twice a month, schedule your trip around it rather than the other way round. Sign up first, then book distillery tours for the afternoon and the next day.
How to prepare
You don’t need homework, but a few things make the two hours better:
- Eat before class. A tasting on an empty stomach blunts your palate and your afternoon plans.
- Bring your ID. Everyone who tastes needs valid government photo ID showing they’re 21 or older.
- Skip the perfume or cologne. Strong scents crowd out the aromas you’re there to learn.
- Bring questions. The instructors know the local distilleries well, so ask which tours match what you liked in the tasting.
- Keep the notebook. It’s most useful at your next three stops, when you can compare pours against your class notes.
Arrive a few minutes early and park in the free lots behind Spalding Hall. The class starts with the museum tour on the first floor before you head upstairs to the Brindiamo Penthouse, so it’s easy to miss the group if you’re late. If you’re driving to a distillery afterward, sort out your designated driver before the tasting; Spalding Hall is also an easy walk from downtown lodging, which is the simplest solution of all.
How it fits into a bourbon weekend
Here’s a Saturday that uses the class well:
- Morning: the class, museum tour included.
- Lunch downtown on Court Square.
- Afternoon: a production tour at a nearby distillery, where you’ll recognize every step. Our explainer on how bourbon is made covers the rest.
- Evening: dinner in the brick-arched basement of the same building at the Rickhouse (open Tuesday through Saturday).
If you like the structured approach, read bourbon tasting for beginners before you arrive and bring the tasting notebook to every stop.
Other bourbon classes in and around Bardstown
The Academy is the most complete course in town, but it isn’t the only way to learn:
- My Old Kentucky Home State Park offers a mint julep tour and class ($35, about 75 minutes) with a costumed guide who demonstrates the drink. It is packaged for groups, so confirm individual booking.
- Bardstown Bourbon Company’s “Shaken & Stirred” is a hands-on cocktail class ($55, 75 minutes), with a brunch version ($65) that adds a biscuit and house-made butters, per its experiences page.
- For one-on-one time with a master distiller, Bardstown Bourbon Co.’s “Tour with the Master” ($100, 2 hours) is a personal tour with Master Distiller Steve Nally.
- Visit Bardstown also lists guided tastings at The Parlor Room on its bourbon education page; call the tourism office for current details.
Is it worth $85?
For a first bourbon trip, yes. You’d pay a similar amount for two standard distillery tastings, and neither would give you the history, the museum tour or the side-by-side comparison. Seasoned drinkers may find the intro familiar, but it’s the key to the Masters Series. On a wet Saturday it’s the best thing to do in town; see more rainy day ideas.
