Pursuit Spirits has been named North America’s Leading Bourbon Distillery Tour 2026 by the World Travel Awards for The Whole Shebang, its 90-minute whiskey experience at the brand’s Whiskey Row location in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. The award was presented on 11 October at the World Travel Awards Caribbean & The Americas Gala Ceremony in Jamaica.
The win advances The Whole Shebang to the global competition, where it is one of four finalists for World’s Leading Bourbon Distillery Tour 2026.
Winners will be announced at the World Travel Awards Grand Final Gala Ceremony on 12 December in Tanzania. Established in 1993, the World Travel Awards recognize excellence across the global travel and tourism industry, with winners decided by votes from travel professionals and the public.
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READ THE STORYThe Whole Shebang is built around the part of the whiskey business that usually happens behind closed doors. Guests taste small-batch bourbons and ryes while learning how mash bills and blending shape the final whiskey.
Attendees then sample Pursuit United Private Select bourbons and ryes and choose their favorite. From there, they fill their own bottle by hand, drawing 108-proof whiskey straight from the barrel with a whiskey thief, before corking, labeling, and sealing it to take home.
The concept grew out of Bourbon Pursuit, the podcast Kenny Coleman and Ryan Cecil launched in 2015. It debuted in November 2023 at Pursuit’s warehouse on Mellwood Avenue and moved to Whiskey Row when the brand’s new home opened in August 2025.
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More than 1,500 guests had filled their own bottle by this summer, when Pursuit Spirits officially joined the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.
“Picking a barrel used to be something most people don’t get a chance to do,” said Ryan Cecil, co-founder and master blender at Pursuit Spirits. “We wanted guests to taste through the options, argue about them a little, and walk out with a bottle that speaks to their taste profile. When someone pulls the thief out of their barrel for the first time, you can see it click. That’s the moment we built this whole thing around.”
Kenny Coleman, co-founder and COO of Pursuit Spirits, said: “Bourbon Pursuit has always been about bringing people closer to the whiskey, and The Whole Shebang puts a barrel right in front of them.”
“Being recognized alongside the names that built bourbon tourism in Kentucky, just over a year after we opened on Whiskey Row, means a lot to our team,” he continued.
The Whole Shebang is priced at $150 (£112) per guest and includes the hand-filled bottle, a tasting glass, and extra pours of limited gift-shop offerings. Reservations are available via the Pursuit Spirits website, with larger parties accommodated on request.
Votes for the world title can be cast at worldtravelawards.com/vote until 30 October.
