Trekking The American Whiskey Trail Slideshow

"Handmade the Hard Way" is this company's slogan, and it's easy to see why — there's no cutting corners at the George Dickel distillery in Cascade Hollow, located near Tullahoma, Tenn. Handcrafted with many of the same processes that George Dickel first established in the late 1800s — including chilling the whiskey before it mellows — the gorgeous grounds and old timey environs ensure visitors get a taste of real Tennessee whiskey. This includes sneaking a peek at the Lincoln County Process, which involves charcoal mellowing prior to bottling the whiskey. The distillery uses hard sugar-maple trees to make its own charcoal, firing it "the old-fashioned way" in the great outdoors.

Providing a fascinating counterpoint to the homey George Dickel distillery is the whiskey mega-producer, Jack Daniel's, which sold some 10.9 million cases of its green- and black-label whiskey globally last year. The visitors' center in Lynchburg, Tenn., is an expansive operation, and with some 250,000 visitors touring the distillery and grounds each year, it can have a slightly corporate feel. Yet one peek at the site's underground cave spring — the source of the iconic whiskey's iron-free water — provides a rare glimpse into what makes its particular brand of whiskey so special. Registered in 1866 by Jack Daniel, it's also the oldest registered distillery in the United States, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. You can even tour Jack Daniel's original office, and see the safe that he famously kicked in — a move that ultimately led to his death (of gangrene infection) in 1911.

Opened to the public in the fall of 2012, the distillery's main building — the point of entry for visitors — is a 1940s replica featuring the actual staircase from the original Jim Beam stillhouse. The company manages to bridge the gap between craft distilling and mass production, and a tour of Jim Beam is a fun, eye-opening experience. And unlike many of the other distilleries on the American Whiskey Trail, it's hands-on, to boot. Visitors can immerse their hands in grain, fill a barrel with bourbon, and even clean a few bottles on the bottling line. At the conclusion of the tour, you can taste any two Jim Beam products, like Devil's Cut and Jacob's Ghost, a white whiskey.

Start your tour of Bourbon Country on the right foot at this pastoral distillery in Loretto, Ky. — it's arguably the most scenic in Kentucky. Amid green rolling hills and historic buildings — including the "quart house," one of the oldest liquor sales buildings in the U.S. — visitors can get a behind-the-scenes glimpse into how Maker's is made. On tours, you'll see fermentation and distillation in the company's copper stills, as well as see how the signature red wax-covered bottles are hand-dipped. (Visitors over 21 can dip their own bottles to take home.) Among the property's most picture-worthy stops: The antique fire engine, original Burke family home, and wooden shutters complete with bourbon bottle cut outs.

The brand — with its signature wild turkey on the label — has always had a cult following, surely due in no small part to Jimmy Russell's considerable influence. The affable master distiller is a legend in the bourbon world, and visitors who catch a glimpse often stop him for a photo. While most of the facility has an industrial feel (more than 500,000 barrels of bourbon are currently aging), plans are in the works to unveil a sleek new visitor's center this summer which expects to welcome more than 70,000 visitors each year. The design of the two-story building, featuring extensive woodwork, is supposed to evoke the staves the comprise bourbon barrels. Further adding to the appeal of the new visitors center are plans for an expansive terrace, a place for picnics and musical performances. 

It may be the oldest and smallest working bourbon distillery and a National Historic Landmark, but Woodford Reserve is also one of the most scenic. Visitors can explore the gorgeous stone buildings and pretty grounds on one of several tours, including the Bourbon Discovery Tour for $7, which includes a taste of craft Bourbons in the Visitor Center at the tour's conclusion, or spring for the $25 National Historic Landmark Tour, a two-hour session that covers the unique evolution of the property. In addition to tasting the official bourbon of the Kentucky Derby, visitors can have a picnic overlooking nearby Glenn's Creek or relax in rocking chairs on the expansive porch.