Pursuit Spirits has been named North America’s Leading Bourbon Distillery Tour of 2026 by the World Travel Awards for The Whole Shebang, its signature 90-minute whiskey experience at the brand’s Whiskey Row location in downtown Louisville. 

The award was presented October 11 at the World Travel Awards Caribbean & The Americas Gala Ceremony in Jamaica.

The award 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 December 12 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 traveling public.

The Whole Shebang is a 90-minute experience built around the part of the whiskey business that usually happens behind closed doors. Guests taste through small batch bourbons and ryes while learning how mash bills and blending shape the whiskey in the glass, then sit down to 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, then cork, label, and seal it to take home.

The idea grew out of Bourbon Pursuit, the podcast Kenny Coleman and Ryan Cecil launched in 2015. Years of tasting barrel samples and deciding which ones were worth bottling helped shape The Whole Shebang: an opportunity for guests to experience that same process for themselves. It debuted in November 2023 at Pursuit’s warehouse on Mellwood Avenue, where guests pulled whiskey with a thief instead of pulling a lever, and moved to Whiskey Row when the brand’s new home opened in August 2025. More than 1,500 guests had filled a bottle of their own 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,” Cecil, Co-Founder and Master Blender at Pursuit Spirits, said in a news release. “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.”

“Bourbon Pursuit has always been about bringing people closer to the whiskey, and The Whole Shebang puts a barrel right in front of them,” Coleman, Co-Founder and COO of Pursuit Spirits, added. “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. Now we’re asking everyone who’s filled a bottle with us to help bring the world title home to Louisville.”

The Whole Shebang is $150 per guest and includes the hand-filled bottle, a tasting glass, and extra pours of limited gift shop offerings. Reservations are available at pursuitspirits.com/visit-us, and larger parties can be accommodated on request. Guests can extend the visit downstairs at Trial + Error, the cocktail lounge beneath the Whiskey Row location.

Votes for World’s Leading Bourbon Distillery Tour 2026 can be cast at worldtravelawards.com/vote through October 30.

Read more: Pursuit Spirits Releases Pursuit United XS Double Oak

ABOUT PURSUIT SPIRITS

Pursuit Spirits is a Louisville, Kentucky-based whiskey brand founded by the innovative forces behind the number one bourbon podcast, Bourbon Pursuit. Their journey began with a deep curiosity and an unwavering dedication to the craft, leading them to seek out and blend exceptional American whiskeys. Rather than operating a traditional distillery, Pursuit Spirits has pioneered a modern, customized approach to blending, carefully selecting award-winning bourbon and rye barrels from multiple distilleries across the country. For more information, visit https://pursuitspirits.com/.

LOCATIONS: Distillery Location: 1700 Mellwood Ave. Louisville KY 40206

Whiskey Row Location: 722 W. Main St, Suite 100, Louisville KY 40202