Log Still Distillery is the Dant family’s return to bourbon: a 350-acre campus called Dant Crossing in Gethsemane, about 20 to 25 minutes south of Court Square. The standard tour runs about 40 minutes and finishes with a guided tasting, so budget an hour. What sets it apart from every other stop near Bardstown is everything around the stills: B&B suites you can sleep in, a stocked fishing lake and The Amp, a 2,300-seat outdoor amphitheater that books country acts most weekends from May to October.
What Log Still is, and why the Dant name matters
The Dants were a Nelson County distilling family before Prohibition, and Log Still is Wally Dant’s project, with cousins Lynne and Charles Dant, to put the name back on working stills. The campus honors the old Cold Spring Distillery that once stood on the property, and the tasting room reuses panels from the original Quonset hut bottling line, a nice bit of salvage you’ll spot if you look up. Ground was broken around 2020, distilling started in summer 2022, and public tours opened on September 14, 2022.
The house brands are Monk’s Road (bourbon, including the Fifth District Series, plus a dry gin and a barrel-finished gin), Rattle & Snap Tennessee whiskey, Remington Reserve and America’s 47. Log Still is an official stop in the Bardstown Region of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, and it is one of the seven local distilleries in the Bardstown Collection, the town’s shared limited release, which returns on November 19, 2026.
The tour: what to expect
The Log Still tour FAQ describes an “all-encompassing tour and tasting” of about 40 minutes: grain to still to barrel, then a sit-down guided tasting in the Tasting Room. It is a young distillery, so the story here is less about century-old warehouses and more about a family rebuilding from scratch, with the equipment right in front of you.
A few rules worth knowing before you go:
- Wear closed-toe walking shoes. Parts of the route are outdoors and include stairs.
- Arrive 15 minutes early to check in, and bring a government photo ID if you plan to taste (21+).
- Pets are not allowed, service animals excepted.
- Military discounts are offered.
- Cancel at least 48 hours out for a refund, less the service fee.
Ticket prices are set in the online booking system and have changed since the $15 launch price in 2022, so check the current rate when you reserve. Tours are closed on New Year’s Day, Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Hours and when to go
| Day | Hours | Last tour |
|---|---|---|
| Monday to Saturday | 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. | 4 p.m. |
| Sunday | 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. | Check booking page |
The Sunday window is short, so Sunday visitors should book the first slot. Weekday mornings are the quietest time on campus. If you want to see The Amp in action, pick a Saturday during concert season and build the day around the show (more below). In fall the drive down is part of the fun: the knobs around Gethsemane turn copper and gold in mid to late October.
Staying overnight at Dant Crossing
Log Still is the only distillery in the Bardstown area where you can wake up on the grounds and walk to the tasting room. The official rentals page lists published nightly rates:
| Lodging | What it is | From (per night) |
|---|---|---|
| The Homestead | Historic farmhouse B&B, queen suites and a king primary suite | $189 to $249 |
| Heritage House | Suites named for Dant family members | $189 to $249 |
| Poplar Cottage | Poplar Studio, or the Poplar Retreat that sleeps 6 with a lake deck | $249 to $489 |
| Remington Lodge | Three suites, private chef option on one | $249 |
| The Lodge | 3 bedrooms, sleeps 6 | $747 |
| The Mansion | 4 bedrooms, sleeps 8 | $1,099 |
The Ann Catherine suite in The Homestead and the Poplar Retreat have ADA features, and two Heritage House rooms sit on the main floor. No pets are allowed in any unit. Room names come straight out of the family tree, which makes for good reading at breakfast. For a full breakdown of the rooms and who each suits, see our guide to staying at Dant Crossing, and compare it with other distillery and unusual stays.
The Amp and other things on campus
The Amp is an outdoor amphitheater with room for 2,300, and Log Still’s concert page books shows nearly every weekend between May and October. The 2026 season brought Craig Morgan with Frank Ray, Justin Moore and LoCash, and Dustin Lynch plays Saturday, October 10, 2026, at 7 p.m. Tickets sell through Ticketmaster. Our roundup of summer concerts around Bardstown lists the free town shows too.
Beyond the stage, the campus has a 12-acre stocked fishing lake with a walking path, a private train depot and The Legacy, a 20,000-square-foot wedding and event venue. That mix makes Log Still a strong pick for a group where not everyone is chasing bourbon: the lake walk and the scenery work fine for the non-drinker in the car.
Getting there from Court Square
Log Still sits at 225 Dee Head Road in Gethsemane. Some ticketing and mailing listings say New Haven, which is the neighboring town, so do not panic if your map app labels it differently. Plan on 20 to 25 minutes from Court Square on country roads, and add time after dark: these lanes are unlit, winding and shared with farm equipment.
Tastings and a concert in the same evening make a designated driver essential, and the easiest fix is to book a room on campus. Don’t count on finding a ride on the spot this far out; arrange one in advance if you are not staying. Our guide to bourbon tours and transportation lists private drivers who work Nelson County.
Pair it with
Log Still anchors the quiet south side of Nelson County, and it pairs beautifully with two very different neighbors.
- The Abbey of Gethsemani, about 12 miles from Bardstown and close to Dant Crossing, is where Thomas Merton lived and is buried. The visitor center opens Monday through Saturday, and the monks sell bourbon fudge. See our guide to visiting the Abbey of Gethsemani.
- The Kentucky Railway Museum in New Haven runs excursion trains, including a “Gethsemane Excursion,” and is a good family stop. Details on our Kentucky Railway Museum page.
A sensible half day: a morning tour at Log Still, then the abbey grounds in the quiet of early afternoon. If you are building a longer route, Log Still is the Day 3 anchor of our three-day Bourbon Trail loop, and the distillery tours comparison shows how it stacks up on price and length against the in-town stops.
Is Log Still worth the drive?
Yes, if you want more than a tasting bar. The tour is short and friendly rather than deep, and the whiskey program is still young compared with Heaven Hill or Maker’s Mark. What you get instead is a whole-day destination: a family story with real local roots, a lake to walk, rooms on site and a stage with big-name country shows. Book an Amp weekend and a Homestead suite together and you have one of the easier, more relaxed nights in bourbon country.
