Copper & Kings Distillery

We spent about an hour on a tour of their distillery and learned about their unique method of piping loud music into the basement where the liquor was aging in barrels in order to induce some movement in the liquid. Fascinating! Their distillery is small but mighty. Their staff was extremely knowledgeable and friendly, and their spirits were unique and very tasty. When were you ever offered a taste of absinthe at a distillery tour?We stayed to have brunch at their rooftop bar, which had great views of the city, good food and drinks, and attentive service. What a fun place to spend a few hours and leave with a tasty treat!

Small distillery focusing on producing brandy. The tour was informative and tasting their various products was fun. Good thing to do before dinner in that part of town.

This was our first visit to Louisville and we wanted to experience The Bourbon Trail. We mainly selected distilleries that were within walking distance of our downtown hotel. I had also heard that Copper & Kings had a cool rooftop bar/restaurant and we thought it would be nice to eat there before our tour and tastings. The building has several cool orange shipping containers out front, and a cool orange music style of decor inside. Upon arrival we realized that they do not distill bourbon; but mostly brandy. This didn't bother us; we chalked it up to another new experience. Our guide, Collin, was amazing; personable and funny. He explained to us that that since they're not making bourbon; the rules aren't quite as strict and that they take a modern approach to brandy. In other words; it's not your grandma's brandy. We learned so much from Collin. Some of the most interesting facts are that Cooper & Kings got it's name from the copper stills and an owner who loves the band Kings of Leon. The stills are all named after women in Bob Dylan songs. (Rose Marie, Magdalena, Sara, etc.) And they use something called "sonic aging" to speed up the aging process of the brandy. This means they literally blast music that causes the barrels to vibrate. The day we were there they were blasting music from the first inductees to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. (Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, etc.). Sometimes they play artists who have a birthday. Everything from Nickelback to BTS to Baby Shark. They do have a strict rule: no Barry Manillow or the song, Brandy. They also make several gins and a couple of types of Absynthe in addition to brandy.After our tour we got to sample several kinds of brandy and gin. All the people we met were friendly and we thoroughly enjoyed our tastings. Finally we visited the gift shop where we found some cute t-shirts to purchase. Everyone there was friendly and we had a great afternoon. I definitely recommend taking this tour, not serious or stuffy at all.

Out of the four distilleries I visited, this one was by far the best! First of all, the design of the facilities was beaming with creativity. I came rather early (maybe around 12 or 1) and I was the only person on my tasting tour. That didn't matter because my tour guide treated me just as though the room was full. My tour guide was very knowledgeable and took the time to answer any of my questions. They are doing some cool things with distilling there, including "Sonic mixing" where the barrels in the basement are "listening" to music as a way to mix their contents. I admit they also have some of the best swag there, although they had sold out of the super dope orange hat that I wanted to buy. Standouts for me were Floodwall, Cafe liquor, and (regular) absinthe. I'd definitely like to visit when they have live music!

We were wanting to grab some bottles to gift over the holiday season. We popped over on a Friday night. We were able to get a parking spot right out front (which was great because there was hardly any street parking available). However as we walked up we noticed a sign that said the gift shop was closed as well as the rooftop bar due to a holiday party. We ended up going back over on Sunday in the afternoon. Same great parking space. We got a couple of bottles and even some merch (a crewneck sweater & a hat) for ourselves. We definitely want to go back for a tour!

In my later years I have entered into a deep and meaningful relationship with Cognac, exploring different labels and drinking cognac cocktails, like the Vieux Carre, Sazerac (cognac instead of rye, or 50/50 cognac/rye), and Saratoga.And being so enamored I was excited to snag tickets for a tour of Copper & Kings on a very busy Labor Day weekend. Would their brandy be world class or sickly sweet? I assure you, my noble bourbon boozers, that I was not disappointed.Copper & Kings makes a superb brandy, complex and smooth, that compares very favorably to good Cognac. At $30 a bottle retail, it is also an excellent value that you don't often see from smaller companies.In addition to their brandy selections they distill a variety of flavored liqueurs, absinthe, and a few barrels of bourbon. The flavored liqueurs were well made, if you go for that sort of thing, whereas the bourbon isn't anything special, especially for the price. The absinthe, however, was superb, and it comes in at a lower price point than, say, Kubler or Pernod. Highly recommended.In addition to producing a superb product, the distillery itself is a gorgeous hideaway within Louisville proper, with a funky orange drenched tasting room with cool art and a papier-mache dragon. The tour is a lot of fun, with an enthusiastic tour guide, a strong tasting program, and cool swag if you want a souvenir.Stop by if you are in town and look for the brandy and absinthe in your local liquor store.

Wouldn't go for brunch again, very limited menu, food was small and extremely overpriced. Rooftop ambiance was nice and drinks were not what we expected. Server was fairly quiet but nice.

I have been to quite a few distilleries in my life, more than 10 on this trip alone and this one stands out. Mostly because this is the first Brandy specific distillery ive been to. The grounds are really great especially given its location, i didn't get a chance to check out the rooftop bar since I came on a holiday but I did do a tour and tasting. Our tour guide was clearly passionate about his job and very entertaining so that always makes it better. Then we got to the tasting and It was seriously one of my favorite places to taste! Everything here is so good! I ended up walking away with a bottle and even more happy about a bottle of gin someone got me from here a few months earlier.

So I told the staff on Saturday I'm an elite yelper and I would write an amazing review. I hope I meet their hopes and expectations. Who goes to Bourbon country to want to learn about Gin? My BFF. She was on a mission. She did a google search and here we landed. The distillery and establishment was very clean. Impressive overall. The staff was beyond EXCEPTIONAL and I mean all of them. As you walk in through the main doors, you will find language welcoming all communities as this is a highly inclusive company. If you have issues being accepting and inclusive - you can leave. They highlight their values at the door and you know what to expect. I loved it. We tried a flight of gin. Who knew? I'm telling you we were learning all the way. Couple of gin cocktails - yum! You can see the city from the rooftop. The bar/restaurant hours vary from tour hours and gift shop hours. Don't be rude about it just pay attention. We hate a heavy late lunch so showing up before the kitchen opened was fine by us. We thoroughly enjoyed what we learned about Gin and the staff made the experience unforgettable. It was nice having the opportunity to visit a business so mindful about inclusivity and truly making it their core values. Impressive. #deiprofessionalhere

Goodness, we had such a special experience here at the rooftop bar on a midday Friday afternoon. We had a little time to kill before catching a flight out of Louisville. This was our first indoor food and drink experience in two years! We ended up going for it because the space was empty during our visit. Between the friendly bartender (who had recently moved to Lou from Nashville) and the beautiful rooftop space featuring floor to ceiling windows, modern decor, views of downtown Louisville and an outdoor patio space, this was a five star experience through and through. And I haven't even mentioned by Old Fashioned yet! The cocktail packed a punch but was smooth from start to finish.If you're new to Copper & Kings Distillery - it's truly a one-of-a-kind distillery. The building is LEED certified, features shipping container offices/gift shop to kick off your visit, guided tours, unique distilling methods - see "sonic aging" and a light bites menu. Not to mention the Scandinavian vibes that you'll find in their outdoor space with a fire pit, sleek design and thoughtful landscaping.I'd have to say Copper & Kings is one of my favorite spots to visit when in Louisville. Bravo to the entire team for creating such a thoughtful and fun business for locals and visitors alike.