Jim Beam’s Clermont campus is the closest big-brand distillery to Bardstown outside Nelson County, about 15.5 miles and 25 to 30 minutes up KY 245. It is open in 2026, with one big caveat: Beam paused distilling at its main Clermont plant for the whole year, so the giant still house is quiet even though tours, tastings, the gift shop and The Kitchen Table restaurant carry on. Book the Beam Made Bourbon tour, eat lunch on campus, and pair it with Bernheim Forest next door for one of the easiest half days in bourbon country.
The 2026 production pause, explained
In early 2026, Beam stopped distilling at the main plant in Clermont for one year starting January 1. Beam’s own booking page puts it plainly: “Our Clermont Plant is currently undergoing maintenance and not all areas of production are in operation.” According to Distillery Trail’s report, bottling and warehousing kept running, and the small Fred B. Noe craft distillery on the same campus kept making whiskey.
What that means for you: expect the tour route to lean more on warehouses, bottling and the Fred B. Noe distillery and less on a roaring main still. Ask when you book what your tour will see that day. Whether full production restarts on schedule in January 2027 had not been confirmed as of late September 2026.
Some map apps still list “Jim Beam American Stillhouse” and even show it as temporarily closed. That listing is out of date. The campus operates as the James B. Beam Distilling Co., and the official visit page has current hours.
Tours and tastings
The flagship is Beam Made Bourbon, which Beam’s FAQ describes as “an all-encompassing tour and tasting” with behind-the-scenes access and a guided tasting at the American Outpost. Official pages give the length as 75 to 90 minutes. Early-2026 listings put it at $30 for adults 21+, $20 for guests under 21, $24 for veterans and free for active military; confirm when you book, since Beam sets prices inside its booking system.
Other options that come and go by season include bottling your own Knob Creek on the T-Line (a favorite with reviewers) and Knob Creek private barrel selections. VIP experiences with master distillers Fred and Freddie Noe show up on special dates.
Under-21s may join select tours, which makes Beam one of the better family-friendly big campuses; every tasting is 21+ with a photo ID. See our guide to distilleries for non-drinkers and families for how that compares with other stops.
Hours and holidays
| Day | Hours |
|---|---|
| Monday | 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. |
| Tuesday | Closed in January and February; otherwise check the calendar |
| Wednesday to Saturday | 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. |
| Sunday | 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. |
Closed Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Beam’s pages have listed the hours slightly differently from one page to the next, so treat the booking calendar as final.
Eating at The Kitchen Table
The Kitchen Table serves “Beam family fare and cocktails” and is the obvious lunch stop, since nothing else is close by. Official pages give its hours as Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m., closing between 4 and 5 p.m. depending on the day. Reviewers note that it occasionally closes for private events, so call ahead if lunch there is the plan. Our round-up of distillery restaurants and bars covers the other on-campus kitchens near Bardstown.
The Beam family and Nelson County
Beam’s story is tangled up with Bardstown. Jacob Beam sold his first barrels of corn whiskey around 1795. His grandson David M. Beam moved the family distillery to Nelson County in 1854 to be near the new railroad. After Prohibition, James Beauregard “Jim” Beam rebuilt at Clermont in 1933 and 1934, and the brand took his name in 1943. Grandson Booker Noe was master distiller for more than 40 years; Beam’s big Booker Noe plant sits in Boston, in Nelson County, and is production-only.
The family also shaped Bardstown’s other giant: every master distiller at Heaven Hill since 1935 has been a Beam. That makes a Clermont visit a good companion to the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience, and the whole saga is laid out in our history of bourbon in Nelson County. Suntory has owned the company since 2014.
Getting there from Court Square
Take KY 245 northwest out of Bardstown. It runs straight to Clermont and on to I-65. Routing puts it at about 15.5 miles and a 24-minute minimum; plan on 25 to 30. If you are coming in from Louisville, Clermont is on your way, about 30 minutes from the city, so many visitors do Beam first and roll into Bardstown for dinner. Our Bardstown from Louisville page has the full route.
Bring a designated driver or book a driver. This is not a road to drive after a tasting.
Pair it with Bernheim and Four Roses
Bernheim Forest sits right beside Beam, 15.8 miles from Court Square, and is the perfect sober counterweight: 16,000 acres, the Forest Giants sculptures and a Canopy Tree Walk 75 feet above the forest floor. Admission is a recommended $15 per car (Bernheim’s visit page). See our Bernheim Forest guide.
On the way home, the Four Roses warehouse and bottling site in Cox’s Creek is a short detour north of town and free to walk into (Wednesday through Sunday). A loop of Beam, lunch, Bernheim and Four Roses is exactly how our Clermont day trip is built, and it is Day 1 of our three-day Bourbon Trail itinerary. Since Beam is closed Tuesdays in winter and Four Roses Cox’s Creek is closed Monday and Tuesday, run this loop Wednesday through Sunday.
Tips for your visit
- Book a morning tour. Beam opens at 9 a.m. most days, and an early slot leaves the afternoon for Bernheim before its visitor center closes at 4 p.m.
- Ask what is running. With the main plant paused for 2026, the route can change. A quick question at booking tells you if the day’s route includes the Fred B. Noe distillery, bottling or warehouses.
- Plan lunch around The Kitchen Table’s schedule. It does not open Monday or Tuesday, so eat in Bardstown on those days.
- Leave room in the car. The American Outpost gift shop sells bottles, and a bottle-your-own Knob Creek comes home with you.
- Bring ID for everyone who plans to taste, and expect the guided tasting near the end of the tour.
Is Jim Beam worth it in 2026?
Still yes, with adjusted expectations. You are visiting the home of the best-selling bourbon in the world, the grounds are handsome, the guides get strong reviews (4.6 out of 5 across more than 1,600 TripAdvisor reviews) and bottling your own Knob Creek is a great keepsake. If watching a main column still run at full tilt is the whole point of your trip, wait for 2027 or book Heaven Hill’s new Springs distillery tour in Bardstown instead. Everyone else will have a fine morning in Clermont.
