Taste the American whisky revolution with the best of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail

Down in Loretto, a small town situated about 60 miles from Louisville, lies Maker's Mark, arguably one of the most prominent and successful American whisky brands in history. It was founded in 1953 by Bill Samuels Sr and his wife, Margie (the first woman to be inducted into the Bourbon Hall Of Fame), when, in an unprecedented act of progression, the pair decided to create a new recipe, which substituted the traditional rye for wheat, leading to a smoother, creamy and highly versatile whisky that fundamentally changed the landscape of the spirit. Today, the distillery is run by Rob Samuels, the eighth-generation whisky maker in the Samuels family and grandson of the company's founders.

Under Rob Samuels' vision, the practices at Star Hill Farm, where the distillery is located, have become something of a beacon to the rest of the industry – in terms of understanding grain, and a deep respect for sustainable and regenerative farming practices. Sourcing its grain from within a 75-mile radius, the distillery is the first in the world to have been awarded 'Regenified Certification'. Regenified is an organisation committed to highlighting the importance of regenerative farming practices, and Maker's Mark has pledged that by the end of 2025, 100 per cent of its grain will be sourced from certified farms.

In keeping with this achievement, Maker's Mark has recently released its first-ever wheat whisky, named after Star Hill Farm; it's the first deviation from its traditional mash bills in 70 years, using a recipe containing at least 70 per cent red winter wheat harvested in 2016 and 2017 and full of creamy, chocolate-led sweetness, warming spices and toasted pecan notes.

Back in Louisville, Michter’s is another brand creating a keen reputation amongst collectors and bourbon purists, as well as the global bartending community. The distillery has an impressive facility in the Shively district of the city, which isn’t open to the public. However, Mitcher’s has opened arguably the coolest and best-looking micro distillery and cocktail bar (called Fort Nelson) right in the heart of Louisville on West Main Street – known locally as ‘Whiskey Row’, thanks to the number of other distilleries that have brand homes and visitor centres to explore.

Michter's is famed for a wonderfully rich and highly flavourful recipe, which is typified in its small batch size – just 20 casks are used per batch for limited editions. However, the real highlight is a special limited release: Bomberger's Declaration, the name of which honours the distillery's original name (it was known as Bomberger's back in the 1800s). Think bold, unctuous chocolate notes, maple syrup, ripe cherries and toasted spices, and you're on the right track.

While the Bourbon Trail is designed to showcase the numerous major players in the industry, it's also a great place to begin to explore some of the many smaller craft operations that pepper the vibrant Kentucky countryside. One of these is Jeptha Creed, located on the outskirts of Shelbyville. The distillery was founded in 2010 by the Nethery family – farmers who own around 1,000 acres of land throughout Shelby County. One of their prime crops is the sinister-sounding Bloody Butcher varietal of corn (due to its distinctive red hue); for distiller and guiding light Joyce Nethery, it represents a real USP in a crowded whisky marketplace, with its distinct sweetness and earthy twang. Jeptha Creed’s flagship whisky is called Red White and Blue Bourbon and contains an imaginative mash bill of 25 per cent red Bloody Butcher corn, 25 per cent white corn and 25 per cent blue corn, with the remaining percentage taken up with malted rye. It's a complex explosion of sweet, herbaceous and peppery flavours that represents artisanship at its finest.

If I were to pick one craft distillery that is going to be on the lips of every bourbon enthusiast over the years to come, it would be Springfield's Potter Jane. As operations go, this one is literally hot off the press and for founders Denny Potter and Jane Bowie – both of whom come with unrivalled distilling and whisky-making CVs – it must be an incredibly proud (and deeply emotional) moment to finally be producing spirit. The duo's emphasis is on refining the micro details of distillation to create the ultimate spirit: from the use of non-GMO grains to the long fermentation times of these grains to give even more intense, fruity flavours, and the painstaking creation of a proprietary yeast strain using the local flora surrounding the distillery. While the founders may be only two months into distilling, the un-aged whisky spirit I tasted is one of the very best I've tried – from anywhere in the world – so very exciting times lie ahead.

potterjane.com

With its traditional clapperboard townhouses, horse-drawn carriages and family-run diners, Bardstown is a wonderful, otherworldly curiosity of a place – and exactly what the eager-eyed whisky enthusiast is looking for when it comes to the historical pomp of traditional Americana. However, a visit to the Bardstown Bourbon Co is almost the polar opposite, and the gleaming, glass-fronted rickhouses and cavernous, modernist visitor centre represent a new era in bourbon.

Bardstown excels at developing modern bourbon styles and creative collaborations (for instance, the recent tie-in with Indian whisky distiller Amrut), with cocktails at the forefront of its approach, as well as pushing the boundaries when it comes to distillery tech and know-how. It's also capable of plenty of surprises: from the recent, highly sought-after Cathedral French Oak limited edition (which was part matured in barrels made from the same oak stock that was used to refurbish Notre Dame) to the extraordinary library of ancient pre-prohibition and legendary bourbon bottles, which are all open and available to sample, in the distillery bar. It's a truly eye-opening and mouthwatering proposition.

With our trip complete, it's back to Louisville for one final stop on the Bourbon Trail, the remarkable modernist state-of-the-art masterpiece of Rabbit Hole. This inner-city distillery, founded by former psychologist, Kaveh Zamanian, has built a formidable reputation with its distinctly urban feel and stunning minimalist architecture. Whereas other Louisville craft distilling residents such as Peerless have popularised a traditional approach with their cask selection and old-world visual aesthetic, Rabbit Hole has pushed the boundaries of flavour, look and feel, using innovative cask types to play a huge part in developing a complex portfolio of whiskies. From a 15-year-old bourbon, additionally matured in mizunara casks (made famous by highly prized Japanese single malts) to a collaboration with Italian vermouth maker Hotel Starlino and a wonderfully peppery Boxergrail Straight Rye Whiskey (made using 95 per cent rye grain and 5 per cent malted barley), this is one rabbit hole you'll definitely want to fall head over heels into.