Championship: Courier Journal's Bourbon Bar Showdown enters Round 5. Vote Now

Kathryn Gregory, Louisville Courier Journal
·2 min read
We've reached the final round of the Bourbon Bar Showdown! Who will be named the Best Bourbon Bar in Louisville? You decide!
We've reached the final round of the Bourbon Bar Showdown! Who will be named the Best Bourbon Bar in Louisville? You decide!

It's championship time, baby! The Courier Journal's Bourbon Bar Showdown, where we want you to pick between competitors to decide which is Louisville's favorite bourbon bar, has entered round five, with the final two bars facing off against each other.

The online bracket-style competition, which was compiled using a random match-up generator, runs through March 27, with the champion bar announced on March 29.

You can vote up to eight times per day on this page.

Which bars are in the final round of the Courier Journal's Bourbon Bar Showdown?

Matchup 31: North of Bourbon vs Neat Bourbon Bar

North of Bourbon

935 Goss Ave., facebook.com/NorthofBourbon, Hours: Tuesday-Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to midnight, Friday-Saturday, 11:30 a.m. to 1 a.m., Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

North of Bourbon bar and restaurant features a southern-inspired menu, cocktails, beer, and more than 300 bourbons.
North of Bourbon bar and restaurant features a southern-inspired menu, cocktails, beer, and more than 300 bourbons.

This bourbon bar and restaurant features a Southern-inspired menu, cocktails, beer and more than 300 bourbons. The crawfish boudin balls are a North of Bourbon staple, but the seasonal shrimp yakamein is a top seller. Synonymous with New Orleans drinking culture, the dish — made with gulf shrimp sausage, local spaghetti, Louisiana chili crisp, scallions, crispy onions, and shrimp broth — is said to cure a hangover.

Neat Bourbon Bar

1139 Bardstown Road, neatbottlebar.com, Hours: Monday-Friday, 12 p.m. to 12 a.m., Saturday, 11 a.m., to 12 a.m., and Sunday 1-10 p.m.

The bar space inside Neat Bourbon Bar and Bottle Shop on Bardstown Road in Louisville.
The bar space inside Neat Bourbon Bar and Bottle Shop on Bardstown Road in Louisville.

Neat Bourbon Bar is a vintage bourbon bar and bottle shop located on Bardstown Road in the Highlands. This bar will offer a plethora of different bourbons at a $5-10 price point all the way up to a "black card" experience for more rare and expensive bottles.

How can I vote in the Bourbon Bar Showdown?

The competition includes five rounds, with each lasting five days. Round five, involving eight matchups, starts at 5 a.m. Thursday (March 23) and end at midnight Monday (March 27). The full schedule is below.

You can vote by returning to this page on Thursday. You can vote up to eight times per day.

What is the Bourbon Bar Showdown voting schedule?

Each round of voting runs from 5 a.m. Thursday to midnight Monday. Round results will be announced Wednesdays. The winner will be announced March 29.

  • Round 5: Two bars; March 23-27. The winner will be announced March 29.

How were the bars selected?

The bars were selected by members of the Courier Journal newsroom based on a variety of criteria, including the number of bourbons offered, the variety of bourbons offered, and private barrel programs.

Reach Features Editor Kathryn Gregory at kgregory@courier-journal.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Courier Journal Bourbon Bar Showdown Round 5: Matchups, how to vote