Add an upscale touch for entertainment & demonstration to your wedding.
Whether it’s the reception, rehearsal dinner or even a tasteful bachelor/bachelorette party, we can help your guests get the most flavor and experience out of fine bourbons.
Wedding Packages:
We offer several types of guided Bourbon tastings:
- Expo-style Tastings involve the tasting guide set up a table offering short (3 – 5 minute) guided experiences to guests at their leisure as they come up to the table. We recommend limiting to two or three Bourbons for this type of tasting.
- Formal Tastings involve a longer presentation for the entire group at once. These may be anywhere from 10 to 90 minutes depending on the event. We will provide tasting mats for formal tastings.
- Bourbon Bar Host brings the expertise and experience to guiding your guests to a bourbon or cocktail that matches their palate as well as the knowledge they can share about various distilleries.
- Virtual / hybrid bourbon tastings can add an excellent way to engage with guests who may not be attending your wedding in person but may still want to participate.
Our guided Bourbon tasting options always include:
- How to nose and taste Bourbon like a professional
- How to taste Bourbon for flavors like caramel, vanilla, smoke and spike
Each tasting will then have unique elements like comparison flights, aromatic references or culinary pairings to help your guests identify the nuanced flavors in the Bourbons selected.
Some popular tastings and themes are:
- Bourbon 101 Using more common and popular Bourbons like Maker’s Mark, Jim Beam (Extra Age or more premium recommended), Evan Williams, Wild Turkey, Bulleit or Woodford Reserve.
- Small Batch Bourbons With brands like Booker’s, Knob Creek, Woodford Reserve, Elijah Craig, Four Roses Small Batch.
- Single Barrel Bourbons Which could include Blanton’s, Kentucky Spirit, Evan Williams Single Barrel, Four Roses Single Barrel, New Riff Single Barrel, Wilderness Trail, etc. or barrel picks from local retailers.
- KY Bourbon Trail® Tasting With a selection from Four Roses, Woodford Reserve, Bulleit, Heaven Hill, Wild Turkey, Jim Beam, Angel’s Envy and more.
- Bourbon Palate Training By pairing Bourbons with specific food item like toasted nut, candied ginger or orange sliced, guests are able to identify nuanced flavors and learn to taste the differences among Bourbons. This is our most popular tasting and we often hear that through this tasting people often have their first experience tasting individual flavors in Bourbon!
- Vintage & Rare please inquire.
- Or we can tailor a tasting to your specific preferences.
What about Bourbon cocktails?
We love Bourbon cocktails! We can help design a Bourbon cocktail unique for your special day to help introduce your guests who might not be ready to enjoy Bourbon straight at full strength.
1 • Standard Event FAQ
A letter of agreement & 50% retainer that applies towards your event secures you on our calendar.
Often, I’ll set up a phone appointment so I can get to know more about what you’re looking for and find out about your wedding day just to make sure everyone is on the same page before requesting these. When it’s decided that you want to book, we’ll email an agreement for you to sign and an invoice for the retainer. These can be signed and paid for online or mailed with check. If you choose to send a check, please send it promptly because until the retainer is received, you are only penciled-in for that date.
Distilled Living does not carry a liquor license, so we are not able to provide the Bourbon. We can work with your venue or caterer if they are providing the alcohol or with the family if they are providing it. We can help with Bourbon selection and sourcing including vintage and rare products if requested.
We provide a certified Executive Bourbon Steward, which is usually Tim Knittel (subject to availability). We provide visual and aromatic tasting aids plus a mini-distillery display for the tasting table. We can also provide plastic sample cups plus tasting mats and written tasting guides upon request.
We can also provide culinary food pairings (provided as packaged food to comply with health department codes) or we can assist in having those provided through your venue or caterer.
You will need to provide the alcohol plus a table. Some couples also like to provide a memento of the Bourbon tasting experience like a gift mini-bottle or basket or an engraved Bourbon tasting glass.
Like wedding venues, we have high and low seasons. Keeneland & Derby weeks are our busiest even though this is outside of the typical wedding season. We have other types of events booked during these times.