Whiskey Thief Distilling Co.

Bourbon, Straight from the Barrel

📍 283 Crab Orchard Rd, Frankfort

Set on a 127-acre working farm in Franklin County, Whiskey Thief Distilling Co. offers bourbon in its most honest form—uncut, unfiltered, and drawn straight from the barrel by hand.

There are no glass walls separating you from production. No overly polished showroom distractions. Just the scent of oak dust and rising proof, open rickhouses breathing with the Kentucky seasons, and barrels treated as individual personalities rather than inventory.

Here, the barrel decides.

Known for single-barrel bourbon and rye releases bottled at natural proof, Whiskey Thief skips chill filtration and blending. Each bottle reflects the exact conditions of its aging—floor placement, temperature swings, char level, and time.

This is bourbon for those who want to taste the rickhouse itself.

🌾 Farm-Grown, Farm-Distilled

Whiskey Thief is a true grain-to-glass operation. Much of the corn, rye, and specialty grains used in its mash bills are grown right on the property.

  • Grain milled fresh on site

  • Fermentation conducted in-house

  • Distillation designed to preserve flavor

  • Intentional barrel entry proof

  • Aging in open-air rickhouses shaped by Kentucky heat and humidity

Consistency isn’t the goal. Character is.
No two barrels are meant to taste alike.

🥃 Signature Experiences

Tours at Whiskey Thief are hands-on and centered around a simple philosophy: bourbon should be tasted where it lives.

🛢 The Whiskey Thieving Experience

⏱ ~1 Hour | Offered Daily

This is the distillery’s hallmark experience.

  • Step inside an active barrel warehouse.

  • Learn how char level, barrel placement, and aging time influence flavor and proof.

  • Use a traditional whiskey thief to draw bourbon directly from multiple barrels.

  • Taste them side by side—comparing spice, sweetness, oak, and intensity.

  • Select your favorite and hand-fill your own bottle.

Guests label and wax-seal their bottle on site, taking home a single-barrel bourbon that will never be replicated.

Includes multiple barrel-proof samples and a tasting glass.

No dilution. No blending. Just barrel truth.

🌾 Grain-to-Glass Farm Tour

⏱ ~1.5 Hours | Weekends

For visitors who want the full agricultural story.

  • Walk the farm fields where grains are grown.

  • Explore how soil and farming decisions influence mash bill flavor.

  • Tour milling, fermentation, distillation, and rickhouse operations.

  • Finish with a barrel-strength tasting among the aging barrels.

This experience connects land, labor, and liquid.

🔥 Private Single Barrel Select

📅 By Appointment | Small Groups

Designed for collectors and serious bourbon enthusiasts.

  • Compare hand-selected barrels side by side.

  • Study proof variation and oak extraction.

  • Work directly with the team to choose a private barrel.

Each barrel stands alone—never blended, never proofed down.

🥃 Bourbon Without Compromise

Every Whiskey Thief release follows the same principles:

  • Single barrel only

  • Barrel proof

  • Uncut & unfiltered

  • No chill filtration

Visitors can bottle directly from the barrel—pulling the thief, filling the bottle, dipping wax, and leaving with a bourbon that exists nowhere else.

It’s whiskey as the distiller tastes it.

🍸 Beyond the Barrel

  • Seasonal cocktails crafted on site

  • Live music and food trucks during warmer months

  • Special bottling events and limited barrel releases

  • A NuLu tasting room in Louisville for urban flights and cocktails

🕰 Plan Your Visit

Distillery Hours:
Mon–Sat: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Sun: 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Walk-ins welcome for tastings.
Reservations recommended for tours and barrel thieving experiences.

Where Bourbon Speaks for Itself

Whiskey Thief Distilling Co. doesn’t tame its bourbon to meet expectations. It allows the barrel to speak at full volume—oak-driven, high-proof, and shaped by Kentucky’s seasons.

You pull the thief.
You taste the barrel.
You leave with wax on your hands and proof in your glass.

Come for the farm.
Stay for the rickhouse.
Leave with bourbon exactly as it was meant to be experienced. 🥃