Best bourbon bars: Try thousands of rare bottles at these 13 in, around Lexington

Patti Nickell
·8 min read

Lexington’s in the heart of the Bluegrass and at the nexus of horse country and the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

So it feels fitting that we’ve got so many great bourbon bars in Central Kentucky.

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So whether you’re looking for a place to find special pours or craft cocktails, you have options.

Here are a baker’s dozen of the best bourbon bars in and around Lexington to try the next time you’re thirsty for great pour.

Downtown Lexington bourbon bars:

Henry Clay Public House

112 North Upper St.; 859-368-7754; henryclayspublichouse.com

Never say Henry Clay didn’t appreciate a good bourbon. During his time in Washington, he introduced the Mint Julep to his colleagues across both aisles during a gentlemanly drinking session at the Willard Hotel. The hotel still uses Clay’s recipe today.

Henry Clay’s Public House is situated, fittingly, in a building dating to 1805.
Henry Clay’s Public House is situated, fittingly, in a building dating to 1805.
Portrait of Henry Clay hangs above the fireplace on opening night at Henry Clay Public House in Lexington.
Portrait of Henry Clay hangs above the fireplace on opening night at Henry Clay Public House in Lexington.

So, it’s only fitting that such a distinguished imbiber has a drinking house named in his honor. Actually, his proclivities may have had less to do with the name than the fact that the 1805 building was once his townhouse and office. But I digress.

Today, it has a tavern atmosphere, live music, free popcorn, and one of Lexington’s largest selections of premium bourbons (yes, that means Pappy), and has received kudos from both the Food Network and Conde Nast Traveler.

Bluegrass Tavern

115 Cheapside; 859-279-2017

They take their bourbons very seriously here, with more than 900 to choose from. So, you should take your bourbon just as seriously. While the knowledgeable barkeeps will smile and oblige if you ask for coke mixed with your bourbon, they will know you are a pretender.

Over 900 bottles of bourbon sit on the shelves at Bluegrass Tavern in downtown Lexington. It houses one of the largest bourbon collections in the country.
Over 900 bottles of bourbon sit on the shelves at Bluegrass Tavern in downtown Lexington. It houses one of the largest bourbon collections in the country.
An old fashioned made with Buffalo Trace bourbon and garnished with orange peel at Bluegrass Tavern in downtown Lexington.
An old fashioned made with Buffalo Trace bourbon and garnished with orange peel at Bluegrass Tavern in downtown Lexington.

Having one of the largest collections in the United States (mainly from Kentucky), they stock what you can’t find most places — George T. Stagg or Four Roses Limited Single Barrel, anyone? And if you think a shot of Pappy 20-year-old is expensive, ask for a pour of original White Label Bulleit, but only if you have $400 in your wallet.

If there is hallowed ground for the bourbon lover, this is it.

Chevy Chase Inn

833 Euclid Avenue; instagram.com/chevychaseinn

No list of places to bend an elbow would be complete without the Chevy Chase Inn, the oldest bar in Lexington, having opened in 1933.

At the city’s much-loved dive bar, you won’t find tres chic furnishings or cool lighting fixtures. What you will find — other than bourbon and other spirits — is a cast of characters that in its heyday included a horse and a gent who robbed a local bank before coming here to order a post-heist drink.

“There is no gimmick” to Lexington’s Chevy Chase Inn, author Sarah Razor wrote in her book about the bar.
“There is no gimmick” to Lexington’s Chevy Chase Inn, author Sarah Razor wrote in her book about the bar.
An old stain glass sign at the Chevy Chase Inn on Euclid Ave. in Lexington.
An old stain glass sign at the Chevy Chase Inn on Euclid Ave. in Lexington.

In her book, “Chevy Chase Inn: Tall Tales and Cold Ales from Lexington’s Oldest Bar,” author Sarah Razor described the venerable bar’s continued appeal:

“The Chevy Chase Inn is a nice mix of Lexington, providing a watering hole for the refined and the inelegant, the lawful and the lawless.”

How many bars can say that?

Elkhorn Tavern

1200 Manchester St.; 859-368-8122; barrelhousedistillery.com

As bourbon pedigrees go, this one is at the top of the list, located in what was the original barreling warehouse of the James E. Pepper Distillery founded in 1780.

Barrel House Distilling opened the Elkhorn Tavern at the Distillery District. The tavern has a full bar and is part of a growing entertainment complex that’s very popular.
Barrel House Distilling opened the Elkhorn Tavern at the Distillery District. The tavern has a full bar and is part of a growing entertainment complex that’s very popular.
Elkhorn Tavern on the Pepper distillery campus on Manchester.
Elkhorn Tavern on the Pepper distillery campus on Manchester.

The rustic hunting lodge décor of wood-burning fireplace, copper top bar and comfy leather couches make for a good place to listen to live music on weekends and to follow the Cats on their TVs.

Oh, and for drinking bourbon or one of their other spirits such as Pure Blue Vodka or Devil John Moonshine.

Bar Ona

108 Church St.

You could be forgiven for overlooking this tiny bar tucked away on Church Street. At least you could have before Esquire Magazine named it one of the 21 best bars in America (yes, America.)

Customers mingling at the bar Wednesday evening at Bar Ona, located at 108 Church Street in Lexington.
Customers mingling at the bar Wednesday evening at Bar Ona, located at 108 Church Street in Lexington.
Bar Ona, located at 108 Church Street in Lexington, was named by Esquire as one of the best bars in America.
Bar Ona, located at 108 Church Street in Lexington, was named by Esquire as one of the best bars in America.

Ona still keeps a low profile with its dimly lit, Art Deco-style interior — the kind of bar found in a ’40s film noir flick with Bogart as a hard-boiled, bourbon-loving detective.

Make like Bogey and order one of the Classics — a Negroni, Manhattan or Old-Fashioned. Or for the hipsters in the crowd, one of the Modern Classics — perhaps a Naked & Famous or the Corpse Reviver #2.

Belle’s Cocktail House

156 Market Street; 859-389-6777; bellesbar.com

A short walk from Ona will bring you to Belle’s Cocktail House, a local hangout since its opening in 2013. The bar’s crystal chandeliers, antique mirrors and cozy fireplace would have no doubt appealed to its namesake, legendary Lexington madam Belle Brezing.

Belle’s Cocktail House, Lexington on Friday, June 20, 2014. Photo by Deepanjan Mukhopadhyay | Staff
Belle’s Cocktail House, Lexington on Friday, June 20, 2014. Photo by Deepanjan Mukhopadhyay | Staff
Belle’s Cocktail House puts the emphasis on the drinks and the customers with a relaxed atmosphere and about 50 bourbons on hand along with more than a dozen craft beers on tap.
Belle’s Cocktail House puts the emphasis on the drinks and the customers with a relaxed atmosphere and about 50 bourbons on hand along with more than a dozen craft beers on tap.

The bawdy Belle would also have given her approval to signature cocktails such as Better Than Sex (bacon-washed Screwball Whiskey with a chocolate-covered bacon garnish) and Naked in the Garden (cucumber-infused Wheatley Vodka, lemon juice, strawberry kiwi shrub, lemon slices, strawberry halves and cucumber slices.)

Fret not, bourbon lovers. Be the Buffalo (Buffalo Trace barrel pick infused with pecans & cocoa nibs, Averna Amaro, walnut bitters, Rivulet pecan liqueur) is just for you.

Bourbon on Rye

115 W. Main St.; 859-286-5153; bourbononrye.com

One of my friends calls this popular downtown Prohibition-style spot “the best bourbon bar in Lexington.”

Bourbon on Rye opened on Main Street in a beautifully restored bar, where you can get small plates and gourmet tidbits. It’s open Thursday through Saturday.
Bourbon on Rye opened on Main Street in a beautifully restored bar, where you can get small plates and gourmet tidbits. It’s open Thursday through Saturday.

When I asked him why, he cited the expansive bourbon list featuring both well-known brands such as Heaven Hill, Bulleit and Larceny and less well-known (at least to me) Bardstown Prisoner, Door Knocker and Smoke Wagon Straight.

Add to that its robust list of ryes and Old World whiskys, and you could spend days just drinking here.

Suburban Lexington bourbon bars:

OBC Kitchen Bourbon

3373 Tates Creek Road; 859-977-2600; obckitchen.com

“Keep your friends close and your bourbon closer” is the slogan at this local watering hole which not only has a truly astronomical list of Kentucky’s finest, but also gives outliers a chance to be tasted.

The OBC Kitchen along Tates Creek Road has bourbon-focused offerings.The OBC Kitchen along Tates Creek Road has bourbon-focused offerings.
The OBC Kitchen along Tates Creek Road has bourbon-focused offerings.The OBC Kitchen along Tates Creek Road has bourbon-focused offerings.

Go ahead, try Belle Meade BHG 12-year Single Barrel from Tennessee; 13th Southern Colony Bourbon from Georgia; High West American Prairie Reserve from Utah, and Widow Jane from Brooklyn, New York.

The bourbon bar at OBC Kitchen in Lexington, Ky., on July 6, 2015. Photo by Pablo Alcala | Staff
The bourbon bar at OBC Kitchen in Lexington, Ky., on July 6, 2015. Photo by Pablo Alcala | Staff

Whiskey Bear

3195 Beaumont Centre Circle Suite # 100; 859-368-8325; whiskeybear.com

Another fan favorite since it opened in the now-closed Barn Food Hall at the Summit at Fritz Farm, Whiskey Bear is still packing them in at its current location in Beaumont.

Featuring an extensive selection of bourbons as well as other spirits from around the world, it offers hand-crafted cocktails such as the Brown Derby (Old Forester 100 Bourbon, grapefruit juice and honey); Boulevardier (Old Bardstown Bottled-in-Bond, Aperol, Noilly Prat Vermouth) and Sazerac (Bulleit Rye, absinthe, Peychaud’s Bitters, demerara).

The Bourbon Library

4000 Terminal Drive inside Bluegrass Airport

Okay, you probably weren’t expecting this one as it’s located inside the terminal at Bluegrass Airport. But hey, isn’t it better to drink and fly than to drink and drive?

Blue Grass Airport opened the Bourbon Library Bar and Restaurant on May 26, 2021.
Blue Grass Airport opened the Bourbon Library Bar and Restaurant on May 26, 2021.

It’s located on the second level past security. Still, its extensive bourbon menu honors Kentucky’s distilling heritage.

One disadvantage: Last call corresponds to last flight out.

Blue Grass Airport opened the new Bourbon Library Bar and Restaurant on May 26, 2021.
Blue Grass Airport opened the new Bourbon Library Bar and Restaurant on May 26, 2021.

Bourbon bars just outside of Lexington and worth a drive:

Jake’s Cigar Bar and Lounge, Nicholasville

100 Langley Drive, Nicholasville; 859-273-0351; jakescigarbar.com

If you want to try something other than the downtown scene, Jake’s, in the Brannon Crossing Shopping Center, offers some 380 bourbons on the drinks list as well as a humidor featuring an impressive number of fine cigars.

Jake’s Cigar Bar opened in 2010 in Brannon Crossing and offers 400 facings of cigars in it’s walk-in humidor along with over 380 different bourbons, 550 whiskeys, barrel picks and signature cocktails.
Jake’s Cigar Bar opened in 2010 in Brannon Crossing and offers 400 facings of cigars in it’s walk-in humidor along with over 380 different bourbons, 550 whiskeys, barrel picks and signature cocktails.
Bartender Cavanaugh Ragone, of Nicholasville, Ky., pours a Smoked Old Fashioned made with a Knob Creek barrel pick mixed with leather and tobacco bitters made in-house along with cocktail bitters, agave nectar, a roasted orange peel, Luxardo cherries, and limestone spring water at Jake’s Cigar Bar in Nicholasville. The cocktail is served in a glass lined with smoke from the wood of the barrel pick.

The décor is equally impressive, especially the art installation made of tobacco leaves which changes according to atmospheric conditions.

Amsden, Versailles

106 Court St., Versailles; 859-753-1113; amsdenbourbonbar.com

This bar in downtown Versailles could best be described as intimate, meaning you will probably get to know the drinkers on either side of you very well. You will also get to know a selection of more than 100 bourbons, including five different ages of Pappy Van Winkle (hmmm, they must know someone.)

The Amsden Bourbon Bar at 106 S. Court Street in downtown Versailles. The Amsden Bourbon Bar is open daily and features seasonal and classic cocktails.
The Amsden Bourbon Bar at 106 S. Court Street in downtown Versailles. The Amsden Bourbon Bar is open daily and features seasonal and classic cocktails.

If you are truly looking for a gem of a small bar, you need look no further than the Amsden. Be sure to drink responsibly, however, as it is next to the police station.

A selection of bourbon sat on shelves Tuesday at The Amsden Bourbon Bar in Versailles. The Amsden Bourbon Bar is open daily and features seasonal and classic cocktails.
A selection of bourbon sat on shelves Tuesday at The Amsden Bourbon Bar in Versailles. The Amsden Bourbon Bar is open daily and features seasonal and classic cocktails.

Bourbon on Main, Frankfort

103 W. Main St.; 502-352-2720; bourbononmain.com

If you’re willing to make the trip to Frankfort, you’ll find a total commitment to bourbon (and a view of the Kentucky River) at Bourbon on Main.

When I say commitment, I mean it. It’s one of the few restaurants anywhere with a bourbon menu larger than its food menu, coming in at a whopping three pages and 300 bourbons.

They have a certified bourbon steward who will guide you through a curated tasting with a selection of three to six bourbons in any price range.