Circa 1856 is Chicken Cock Whiskey’s home in Bardstown: a bar, tasting room, shop and micro-distillery inside the big yellow house on the southeast corner of Court Square, directly across from the Old Talbott Tavern. Book a guided flight through the Chicken Cock lineup on Resy, or walk in for a cocktail at the bar. It’s the only Kentucky Bourbon Trail stop you can reach on foot from downtown, and it stays open until 9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, long after the out-of-town distilleries have closed.
A brand with a Jazz Age past
Chicken Cock is one of the old names in American whiskey. James A. Miller founded it in Paris, Kentucky, in Bourbon County, and the brand dates itself to 1856, which is where this house gets its name. Its best story comes from the Prohibition years. According to the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, Chicken Cock was the house whiskey of Harlem’s Cotton Club, and Duke Ellington mentions it in his memoir. Ask your host to tell it; it’s a better origin story than most labels on the shelf can claim.
Today the brand is run by Grain & Barrel Spirits, which is based in Bardstown. The Kentucky Bourbon Trail describes it as “one of America’s oldest brands reborn in Bardstown,” and the Circa 1856 house is the brand’s front door.
What to do there
Think of Circa 1856 as three things in one building.
The tasting room is the main event. The guided flight takes you through the history of Chicken Cock Whiskey pour by pour, with a host explaining where each bottle fits. It’s seated, relaxed and short, a good way to spend part of an afternoon without driving anywhere. Details and prices are listed when you book on Resy.
The bar serves cocktails built on the house whiskey, plus straight pours, and it takes walk-ins. If you want a comparison without committing to a full flight, ask about an Old Fashioned flight.
The shop carries exclusive releases you won’t see at home, plus merchandise. If you’re collecting distillery-only bottles on your trip, add this to the list from our guide to buying bourbon in Bardstown.
There is also a small food menu of shareable light bites. It isn’t a dinner spot, but it takes the edge off a tasting. Circa 1856 has also hosted pairing events, including a cocktail and gourmet ice cream tasting made with Dewsters Homemade Ice Cream (21+), and it has live music on occasion. Check the brand’s site for upcoming events.
Hours, reservations and holidays
The brand’s own page lists these hours:
| Day | Hours |
|---|---|
| Monday-Tuesday | 11 a.m.-7 p.m. |
| Wednesday-Saturday | 11 a.m.-9 p.m. |
| Sunday | Noon-6 p.m. |
Circa 1856 closes on New Year’s Day, Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Other listings sometimes show shorter hours, especially on Sundays, so confirm on the day if your plan depends on a late visit.
Reservations are “strongly encouraged” for guided tastings, and weekend evenings in fall fill up. The bar is the walk-in option. Every guest tasting or drinking must be 21+ with a valid photo ID. Groups and private events can be arranged by email at [email protected].
Parking and walking
There is no private parking lot. Park on Stephen Foster Avenue or South 3rd Street, or use the public lot at 113 East Flaget Avenue, a few minutes’ walk away. Better still, park once for the day and walk. Circa 1856 sits inside the Bourbon Capital District, the downtown zone where drinks bought from licensed vendors can be carried outside between noon and 9 p.m., so an evening stroll around Court Square with a cocktail is allowed within the district’s rules. Our page on getting around and parking covers downtown parking in more detail.
How to fit it into your day
Circa 1856 solves a timing problem. Most distilleries around Bardstown stop tours by late afternoon, and the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience stops pouring at 4 p.m. When the countryside closes, the square is still going.
A reliable plan:
- Tour one or two distilleries outside town in the morning and early afternoon, with a driver.
- Get dropped back downtown by 4 p.m.
- Book a 5 p.m. guided flight at Circa 1856.
- Walk across the street for dinner at the Old Talbott Tavern, which dates to 1779.
- Finish with a nightcap at Old SteelHouse’s tasting room on North Third Street, open until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
For more evening ideas, see Bardstown at night, and for other downtown pours, our list of bourbon bars and tasting rooms.
More bourbon within a few blocks
Circa 1856 is the center of a small walkable bourbon district, so it’s easy to build a whole afternoon without moving the car.
Two blocks away, Spalding Hall holds the Oscar Getz Museum of Bourbon History, which is free and open daily (10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays, shorter hours on weekends). Go before your tasting: 45 minutes among old stills, Prohibition prescriptions and Abraham Lincoln’s liquor license gives the Chicken Cock story more context.
In the basement of the same building, The Rickhouse serves steaks and about 150 bourbons under brick arches from 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. It closes Sunday and Monday, which catches weekend visitors out, so reserve ahead if you want it after your flight.
Groups of friends can split up here without anyone feeling stranded. The bourbon fans book the guided flight, the cocktail drinkers take bar stools, and the one who’s driving tonight can browse the shop and the square. When everyone’s done, dinner is a one-minute walk away.
Circa 1856 and the Bourbon Trail
The Kentucky Bourbon Trail places Circa 1856 in its Bardstown Region alongside Heaven Hill, Bardstown Bourbon Company, Lux Row and Preservation. The paper passport that people once stamped at each stop was retired after July 1, 2025, so there’s nothing to collect anymore, but Circa 1856 does count as an official trail destination in the online trip builder. For how the trail works now, read our Kentucky Bourbon Trail from Bardstown guide.
Accessibility and comfort
The tasting room is in a historic house, so if steps or narrow spaces are a concern, email the team at [email protected] before you book and ask which seating works best. Street parking right outside is the closest option for anyone who can’t walk far from the Flaget Avenue lot.
Is it worth it?
Yes, as long as you know what it is. Circa 1856 isn’t a grain-to-glass tour with rickhouses and fermenters. It’s a handsome, well-run tasting room with a great story, in the most convenient spot in town. Visit if you want a relaxed flight without a car, a late-afternoon stop after the distilleries close, or a Bourbon Trail destination for the member of your group who’s done with tours. Pair it with a proper distillery visit earlier in the day, and it becomes one of the most enjoyable hours of a Bardstown trip. Compare it with the full-scale tours in our distillery tours guide.
