This River Cruise Is Just for Bourbon Lovers

If you love bourbon, cruises and American history, then we found the perfect vacation for you. The American Queen Steamboat Company recently announced a bourbon-themed, nine-day riverboat cruise that sails up the Mississippi River from Memphis to Louisville with plenty of stops—and bourbon—in between.

Not only does the itinerary include tours of distilleries like Maker’s Mark, Buffalo Trace, Jim Beam, Wild Turkey and Willett, but there is also plenty of bourbon-themed programming aboard the boat itself. Bill Samuels Jr.—son of Maker’s Mark founder Bill Samuels Sr.—and Don Flinn of Buffalo Trace will give presentations and host tastings of their spirits. And bourbon historian Michael Veach will lead conversations and take cruisers through tastings of some of the world’s best bourbons.

Fares for the bourbon cruise start at $1,899 for a basic inside room and go all the way up to $8,099 for the opulent Owner’s Suite with a private veranda. The cruise leaves from Memphis on July 2, 2017 and docks in Louisville July 10. Sounds like a pretty solid way to celebrate Independence Day to us.