The Kentucky Bourbon Festival began in 1991 as a humble community dinner for a few hundred guests.
And now, in 2025, BourbonBlog.com brings you the ultimate guide to some of the rare finds and limited releases at this year’s festival. Keep reading below for the tuide.
While we weren’t there in those earliest days, we started attending in 2005 and have now been covering the event for nearly 20 years—witnessing firsthand how it has grown into one of the world’s most celebrated bourbon gatherings.
Explore our ongoing stories right here on BourbonBlog.com and dive into interviews and highlights on YouTube.com/BourbonBlog.
This year’s festival is sold out, underscoring its status as the ultimate destination for bourbon enthusiasts. Below is our preview of the festival-exclusive bottles, limited releases, and special pours that fans can expect at KBF 2025.
Ahead of the Kentucky Bourbon Festival 2025, we sat down with 15 STARS Whiskey founders Rick and Ricky Johnson to talk about their newest release—the Artisan Collection. This limited-edition bourbon blends 12- and 15-year-old whiskeys from Kentucky and Indiana, bottled at 109 proof in a run of just 1,290 bottles. You can watch our full conversation in the video below or directly on this link.
Couldn’t make it to the Kentucky Bourbon Festival but still want your own bourbon tasting event or experience?
Reach out to us at tasting@bourbonblog.com, as we want to bring a tasting to you.
15 Stars Bourbon Review and Artisan Collection
The Growth of the Kentucky Bourbon Festival
From its origins in Bardstown, the Kentucky Bourbon Festival now attracts tens of thousands of visitors from across the United States and around the world. Guests enjoy the opportunity to taste from more than 60 distilleries, participate in workshops, and purchase bottles unavailable anywhere else.
In 2025, the festival continues to elevate the experience with expanded VIP offerings, upgraded hospitality programs, more artisan food vendors, and barrel-making demonstrations.
The introduction of premium tiers like the Oris President’s Club adds even more exclusivity to an already world-class bourbon weekend.
By the way, the Oris President’s Club is the Kentucky Bourbon Festival’s top-tier VIP package, priced at $6,995 and packed with luxury perks from exclusive pours to a limited-edition Oris watch.
The Guide: Kentucky Bourbon Festival 2025 Exclusive Bottles
From what we hear*, these bottles are available to festival attendees for either sampling, purchase or both. Beyond these, we know there are more rare bottles and special pours out there, and we raise a toast to all of them!
- Hartfield & Co. – 18-Year Double Barrel (French Oak & Toasted Oak)
A blend of four 18-year barrels finished in French Oak and Toasted Oak. This expression has been created solely for KBF 2025 and is not being released to retail. - KBF Single-Barrel Shop Picks
Each year, select distilleries contribute one-off single-barrel bourbons bottled specifically for KBF. These bottles are sold exclusively through the festival’s Bottle Shop and rotate throughout the weekend.
Special Pours & Timed Festival Releases at KBF 2025
Several distilleries are using the festival as the stage for brand-new releases or early tastings:
- RD1 Spirits: Pouring the new Sister Cities LTO, a KBF Amburana barrel pick (cask strength), and Jarrad’s new cask strength bourbon. Festival-only pours, with bottles also available at the distillery.
- Chicken Cock – Miller’s Reserve American Whiskey
Bottled at 115 proof, this is a blend of whiskeys from Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia. It officially launches during the festival with pours available on-site.
- Jackson Purchase Distillery – Bourbon “Batch No. 1”
The first-ever release from Jackson Purchase, this bourbon is bottled at full proof (117.8). It debuts Friday of the festival with signed bottles available from Craig Beam and Terry Ballard.
- Milam & Greene – Provisions Bourbon (First Edition)
An 80-proof bourbon launching later this month, but festival attendees will get the earliest previews during KBF 2025. - 15 STARS – Artisan Collection
A limited run of 1,290 bottles at 109 proof, blending 15- and 12-year-old bourbons from Kentucky and Indiana. Timed specifically for release around the festival.
- Buzzard’s Roost – Cigar Blend Bourbon
A 6-year, 105-proof bourbon designed for cigar pairings. It officially releases September 5, with pours available at the brand’s booth all weekend.
- Larrikin Bourbon Co. – Cigar Lounge 9-Year
A 9-year Kentucky straight bourbon finished across five different barrels, including Cognac, Amburana, Madeira, and Maple. Its debut tasting takes place at KBF 2025.
Major September Releases Overlapping with the Festival
These bottles are not festival exclusives, but they are launching the same week and will be a focus of conversation in Bardstown:
- Maker’s Mark – Cellar Aged 2025
Bottled at 112.9 proof, this release blends 11-, 13-, and 14-year-old bourbons. It is first available at the Maker’s Mark Distillery during KBF weekend, with wider distribution beginning September 15.
- Four Roses – 2025 Limited Edition Small Batch
Bottled at 109 proof and non-chill filtered, this release blends three 13-year-old bourbons with one 19-year-old recipe. With 16,854 bottles available and distribution beginning September 3, it is one of the most anticipated bourbons of the fall season.
*As with any festival, the exact pours and bottle purchases will vary based on availability.
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