Rebecca Ruth Chocolates

A bit challenging to locate (maps sent us north instead of south) but free samples and a delightful counter person talked us into several purchases including great licorice! Three boxes of bourbon balls (makers mark, four roses and ?) later, we left quite contented. Make it a stop on your trip but do remember to bring a small cooler to keep them «just» right! Yum, yum, lick your fingers good.

Impossible to find, must have driven past it five or six times the address is not any help. Very disappointed.

Bourbon Balls. I can’t believe it took me six months to try them. I’m obsessed.
The road warrior inside of me does the I-​64, 75 circuit pretty often and I’ve been saying for most of a year that I was going to stop and do the Rebecca Ruth Factory tour. I had to get some gifts recently for my team and thought that I might go ahead and get those bourbon balls I hear about so often, especially since they’re made of two of the finest things on earth.
So this candy store is not part of the factory, which I believe is in Frankfort. It’s the Frankfort/​Versailles exit off of I64, and you go south. It’s a small store on the west side of the road, and I would have missed it except for that big sign that said Bourbon Candy.
It’s a slice of heaven. I’m not kidding. They have samples of the bourbon balls, and it was all I could do not to stuff boxes down my shirt and run out the door. The bourbon balls are slightly on the expensive side (9 for $ 11 which is probably ½ a pound), but they do also have bourbon ball boo-​boos, which run about $ 17 for a pound, saving you several dollars if you’re not interested in appearance.
They do have other choices also, which are pretty reasonable in cost. Bourbon fudge costs $ 5 for 9 pieces. A square of bourbon brittle will cost you $ 2.10. They have pull candy for about a dollar or two. You can even make up your own choices of chocolate from ¼ pound (~$ 5-​$ 6) to a pound (~$ 15-​$ 17); these choices include cordial cherries, bourbon toffee, bourbon caramels, orange creams, raspberry creams, and lots more. They even have a pound of liquor crème assortments which run about $ 11. If you’ re not interested in chocolate, they also have gummy bears and other sorts of candy for reasonable prices, along with Kentucky memorabilia. And the prices are a lot cheaper in store than they are online.
Open every day from 10 AM until 6 PM. …And if one day they started making Schlafly balls… I wouldn’t ever leave.

Rebecca Ruth is a local candy factory/​shop still owned and operated by locals which makes this place all the more charming.
The tour was $ 3, and, while it was a short tour, it was cool to see all of the equipment which they make their candy on, the memorabilia, and to hear the stories about this Kentucky owned business.
Added bonus-​the bourbon ball chocolate that you get to try at the end of the tour is delicious! So worth buying a bag of boo-​boos (ones that have cracked pecans or didn’t pass quality control for something small).
The bourbon ball chocolates are definitely their specialty. They add the bourbon after the cooking process so it doesn’t burn out the alcohol! They are delicious. The perfect blend of chocolate and bourbon (and I’m not a huge fan of bourbon myself).
They’re also famous for their pulled candy and the original white stuff is delicious (although my gramma says that my great-great-grandma’s recipe was better, but since I’ve never tried it I can’t attest to that fact!).
The candy is expensive – very expensive. But, then again, you’re supporting a local candy story that’s been in business close to 100 years and that isn’t corporate! This is special candy for holidays or birthdays; not the crap candy that most Americans devour on a daily basis.

If you are on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail, you have to try Rebecca Ruth Chocolates. Especially the Bourbon Chocolate Balls.
I love this place. So vintage and old school. It’s a tiny little store with memorabilia and different assortment of candy and chocolates.