Bourbon Shopping: Is It Cheaper To Buy At The Distillery?

If you're a bourbon lover with a well-stocked home bar, chances are you've daydreamed about taking a trip down the legendary Bourbon Trail – the ultimate road trip through Kentucky to visit all the distilleries from Heaven Hill to Buffalo Trace. Besides sipping the spirits straight from their sources and learning bits about bourbon's history, you might think you could cut some killer deals by taking out the middleman. Unfortunately, that's not necessarily the case.

Buying bourbon directly from the distillery won't necessarily save you money compared to your local liquor store. While most distilleries do actually have well-stocked gift shops, they generally make it a rule not to undercut their distributing partners. So if your main mission is hunting bargains on your go-to bottles, you may leave Kentucky disappointed. At the very least, the bottles you find would be sold at MSRPs — no lower.

That said, if you haven't made the pilgrimage before, there are still plenty of good reasons to swing by. While prices aren't necessarily cheaper, a lot of distilleries offer exclusive bottlings, limited editions, and distillery-only releases you simply won't find anywhere else.

As expected, most distilleries don't publish the going prices in their gift shop on their webpage. But, thanks to some dedicated bourbon fans at Buffalo Trace Daily, we do have an up-to-date list of not only what's sold at Buffalo Trace Distillery's store on any given day, but also their prices.

Let's talk E.H. Taylor Jr. Small Batch. At the distillery today in Frankfort, Kentucky, you're looking at about $60 — pretty much in line with its suggested MSRP of $40 to $50. But here's the thing: Sharp-eyed bourbon hunters have spotted these bottles for way less elsewhere. Costco has been known to drop them at just $43! The same goes for other Buffalo Trace favorites. Blanton's? $74.99 at the distillery (versus $75 MSRP) but some lucky folks have snagged it for under $60. Even its more wallet-friendly W.L. Weller Special Reserve sells for $30 at the distillery (above its $24 retail price), while Costco sometimes offers it for a sweet-sweet $20.

You'll find the same story everywhere else, be it the Evan Williams Experience in Louisville or the Four Roses Gift Shop in Lawrenceburg. So don't expect to score the best deals when you go in for a tour. Instead, take in the experience — the history, the smells, the sights of an actual distillery at work. That's how you'll have a good time on the Bourbon Trail!