I had originally planned for this series of Kentucky distillery visits to run uninterrupted from beginning to end…but you know how life gets! Today I’m back at it, although not with an actual distillery visit…I decided to touch on some of the other stops we made while we were in the area. No ratings on these…just general impressions.
John O’s Liquor Store, Elizabethtown, KY
I had seen a bourbon hunting video about John O’s a couple weeks before we actually went to Kentucky for the second time in 2025. One of the things glimpsed in the video was Maker’s Maker Keeper’s Release for $39.95. Knowing that it was about $80 at the distillery…and I had seen it for over $100 locally, I decided we should try to get over to E-town and see if they still had that price point when we got there.
First things first…there are two locations of John O’s in Elizabethtown. We ended up at the one not featured in the bourbon hunting video…but apparently they are owned by the same folks and they had the same pricing still in effect for that Keeper’s Release…I got two bottles! They also had a Larceny Barrel Proof Store Pick that I picked up for about $65 and a couple other items that I can’t remember off the top of my head. Generally good prices on everything I saw, but it’s worth noting that it definitely wasn’t across the board…I did see that they had Weller Special Reserve priced at $55 or $60 for a 750ml bottle, which is way out of line, IMO.
Chicken Cock Circa 1856
Located just off the town square in downtown Bardstown, you’ll find the home of Chicken Cock Bourbon. It’s a cute little house that’s been converted to a tasting room and gift shop. And that’s about the best thing I can say about it…it’s cute. The bar area was tiny and packed with people that were getting full-fledged cocktails that seemed to take about 5 minutes each to make. We waited patiently for our Chicken Cock whiskey flight, the “Core” whiskies they produce: Bourbon, Rye, Small Batch Bourbon, and Double Oak Bourbon. That flight was $26…which works out to $13 or so per shot. And honestly…the whiskey was just kinda there. It wasn’t “bad” but it certainly didn’t impress us as being worth ~$60 per bottle for their standard fare.
The gift shop had a bunch of items, but most were very expensive, including all the whiskey. Their Limited Edition bottles, like Cotton Club, Mizunara, and Chanticleer, ran upwards of $200-300 each. Haven’t not been impressed with their core lines, I couldn’t see spending the money for a flight of these…much less a whole bottle. Bottom line…we cannot recommend going out of your way to stop here.
Mammy’s Kitchen & Bar
Also located just off the Bardstown town square is one of the best restaurants you’re likely to find there: Mammy’s Kitchen & Bar. We went there on a whim the first trip…and went back on purpose the second time! I don’t remember exactly what I had the first time…although it could have been the Mammy’s Reuben sandwich.
Second time around I had to try that staple of the commonwealth: the Kentucky Hot Brown. This is grilled Texas toast topped with turkey and country ham, then slathered in Hot Brown sauce before being topped with sliced tomatoes and bacon. It looks like a mess, but tastes oh-so-great! It was also here that we deduced that Kentucky is a “Pepsi State”…sad when we both prefer Coke Zero! Unlike the last place, I can definitely recommend going out of your way to get here.
Evergreen Liquor, Bardstown, KY
There are a couple locations for Evergreen Liquor or Cox’s…same company. We were told to hit up the one in Bardstown on Wednesday as they did half price pours at their tasting bar. Sure enough…it is a spectacular tasting bar with almost every bourbon you can imagine. I ended up doing samples of two or three things while we were there, including my first time trying the RD1 Green Label…the infamous Amburana Cask. I loved it and bought a bottle before leaving the store. We found their prices to be mostly good…like almost everyone else’s in the state, really. The real draw for this place is the tasting bar.
“Bonus” Bonus stop…Bardstown Burger
A bonus on a list of bonuses…Bardstown Burger is literally across the street from Evergreen Liquor. The first time we went to Kentucky in 2025, we ended up missing the majority of Chattanooga Burger Week, an annual event that I’ve been a proud partaker of for several years. Upon arriving in Bardstown, we headed right to Bardstown Burger and it made us forget about missing Burger Week back home. This place is legit!
