Ownership and History
Tina and Brian Hunter met in King Library at Miami University in 2002. Both science majors, they bartended in Oxford, OH together and started dating before graduation in 2006. Married in Cincinnati 2007 they began frequenting distilleries, wineries, and breweries. Having a shared passion for spirits and travel, they have been all over the world visiting “libation destinations” ever since. And in 2017 their liquor cabinet was so full of collectibles and potables the idea to start the business began “aging”.
Utilizing Tina’s successful talents in marketing and Brian’s 15 year experience in D.O.T. compliance and business management, they decided to start Queen Bourbon Cruise, LLC during the upswing from the pandemic recovery.
In the true spirit of a family business, Brianna, their oldest daughter helped to design the original, now famous, Queen City Bourbon Cruise logo in the summer of 2021. Hannah their youngest daughter assists in designing the logo’s seasonal modifications.
Why don’t I just save money and drive myself? What value do you add?
- We book ALL of your hard to find reservations and build your itinerary
- You have an experienced tour guide throughout the entire trip
- You will only visit the highest quality distilleries
- Enjoy special, exclusive treatment at the restaurants and distilleries
- We do 100% of the driving from your front door or hotel
- Multiple pickup and dropoff locations if needed
- We maximize your day with efficient itineraries
- It is legal to indulge in our vehicles if you are 21 and older
- 28 inch live TV, movies, and JBL Surround
- We guarantee your experiences or your money back
How do we get started?
Click on “book” buttons throughout our website and submit a form. It should take less than two minutes. Let us know preferences and everything you want to accomplish. And a couple emails later all you have to do is get in. We literally do everything and we pride ourselves on customer experience. It’s that easy!
Example Submission 1 – My name is Elijah Van Winkle. My wife is turning 35 and Maker’s 46 is her favorite. We have been to the Bardstown distilleries and the Frankfort distilleries and want to check out the Whiskey Vegas Cruise Non-VIP . We have 6 people in our party maybe 8 and are looking to book Dec. 2nd or Dec 9th. Pickup is 45140 What options or itineraries do you have available?
Example Submission 2 – My name is Lady May. I am the maid of honor and the wedding is in July. Do you have any Fridays or Saturdays open in June? There will be 7 in our party. Maybe 6. We definitely want to do two led tastings and a tour and lots of gift shopping. Pickup is 45202. The bride loves Middle Eastern food, steak, and wine. She loves bourbon and her go to drink in college was Whiskey and Coke.
How does this work?
- We pick you up.
- You get in and relax.
- We drop you off safely.
- Your quote looks like this…
Can we eat and legally drink alcohol during the Queen City Bourbon Cruise? What about open containers?
Short answer: Yes. You may bring a cooler or use one of ours. Whatever you choose to eat or drink is your business not ours.
Long answer: There is an exception to open container laws for “chauffeured limousine” like Queen City Bourbon Cruise in OH, KY, and IN. When a customer accepts a contract with Queen City Bourbon Cruise they are granted that exception while on their paid trip. Otherwise, it is illegal to consume alcohol in a passenger vehicle when not paying for a chauffeured limousine service.
All passengers must possess on their person a valid state or federal ID.
No persons under the age of 21 may possess or consume alcohol at any time.
Alcohol is not permitted in the very front seats of the vehicle aka the driver’s cabin.
“It’s easy to get the Party Van out of Kentucky. It’s hard to get the Kentucky out of the Party Van.”
How is the price broken down?
The more people you have the more the total cost is spread out.
The average cost per person is between $250-$350 for a 10-12 hour led Bourbon Cruise with 6-8 people. We encourage you to compare our rate to the rate of a local limousine or ride service. And we take care of your bookings! Better yet, compare us to a first class flight lasting 10-12 hours.
The Limousine service offered is usually quoted at $120/hour (min 1- max 8 people per trip) usually between $1080 – $1560 per 9-13 hour trip.
Where do we go? What do we do? Why?
The “bourbon trail” is not a trail and it is not a single destination. It is a collection of historic and engaging distilleries and attractions across several different regions in Kentucky/Cincinnati. Each distillery is unique. Each offers variable quality in: bourbon, led tastings, led tours, venue and unique experiences. We offer 20+ years of wisdom from hundreds of trips to Bourbon Country.
We do not generally do tours at all of our stops. Why not? There is much more to do in bourbon country than distillery tours. You could be charring a barrel, meeting a master distiller, tasting, or blending your very own whiskey. Experiences you will relish.
The trip will educate you on all things bourbon. By the time your day is finished, you will have an insider’s look of America’s very own libation.
What if we don’t like whiskey or don’t drink?
There is enough history, shopping, delicious food, and site seeing to keep you happy. Our test groups enjoyed the trip because there was a lot to learn and enjoy other than drinking. The trip feels like a mini vacation. The experience is more about spending quality time with friends and family than anything else. We have been given plenty of feedback that the experience can be just as fun for the non-bourbon enthusiast.
Tipping
Treat your driver like you would a waiter or waitress. Most tip 10-20% according to quality of service.
Smoking?
nothing with a flame in the vehicle
Breweries? Beer?
YES
Wineries ? Wine?
YES
“wine key” is a part of our pre-trip inspection!
Golf Outings?
Oh yeah
Overnight?
Yes – one day is usually not enough! We know the sweet spots to stay.