Bourbon Classic

Bourbon Classic, launched in 2013, is Louisville's signature bourbon festival, bringing together bourbon, culinary arts and cocktails with distillers, chefs and master mixologists. The Cocktail & Culinary Challenge pits top chefs and bartenders against each other pairing small plates with inventive cocktails, Bourbon University offers hands-on sessions from distilling techniques to bourbon history, and TASTE features dozens of bourbons, master distillers and food from celebrated restaurants. Travel + Leisure has named it one of the 7 Best Cocktail Festivals in the U.S. The 2027 festival runs Feb 24–27, with the ticketed main nights on Friday, Feb 26 (Cocktail & Culinary Challenge) and Saturday, Feb 27 (Bourbon University and Taste).

Our take: If you can only do one night, the Challenge is the livelier competition, while TASTE is the better pick for sampling a wide range of bourbons.