Coronavirus Slows Bourbon Tourism In Kentucky

Bourbon tourism in Kentucky has slowed to a trickle because of the coronavirus pandemic. The Kentucky Distillers' Association said Tuesday that visitors took a total of 587,307 tours last year at distilleries along the Kentucky Bourbon Trail and Kentucky Bourbon Trail Craft Tour. That's down 66% from 2019, when stops topped 1.7 million. The association says that until the pandemic hit, total attendance had never dropped in the tour’s 21-year history. Distillery tours in the Bluegrass State closed under government orders from March through June. Several distilleries are still closed for tours, while others reopened with sharply reduced capacities.