Buffalo Trace Distillery Tours & Info
Professional tips, reviews, FAQs, and more!
About Buffalo Trace Distillery Tours
Buffalo Trace distillery! This distillery is by far the busiest, most popular in all of Kentucky, and for good reasons. You hear about Buffalo Trace being called Bourbon Disneyland, or Bourbon Pompei by some. You’ll also hear that it is difficult to get a Buffalo Trace Distillery tour, but that’s not exactly true! Their distillery team take hundreds of folks out on tours every day, and even without a tour, you can still always visit. We know our way around here fairly well and this is one of our favorite places on the bourbon trail! So enjoy our guide to the Buffalo Trace Distillery.
A Brief History
Buffalo Trace Distillery
Buffalo Trace is said to be the longest continually-operating distillery in the US. Since the site was in a well-traveled and settled area near the Kentucky River, distilling likely took place on the property long before the first commercial distillery was built there in the 1850s. And since the distillery had a medicinal license during prohibition, it has operated with little interruption ever since. Not many distilleries in the US can make either claim, as only a handful of distilleries were given licences to produce during prohibition.
A Brief History
Early Years and Bourbon Pioneers
Around 1869, the first of Trace’s founding fathers of bourbon, Colonel EH Taylor, purchased what would later become Buffalo Trace distillery. His legendary contributions to bourbon, the region, and the Buffalo Trace have made him sort of the patron-saint of the company. After Taylor's departure of the the fledgling distillery, Buffalo Trace become home to a long lineage of bourbon pioneers whose names might ring a bell when you visit the distillery or try its product lineup. Some of these names include George T Stagg, Albert Blanton, and Elmer T Lee, to name a few!
A Brief History
Acquisitions and Such
The Buffalo Trace property was purchased in the early 90’s by its current owner, Sazarac, a New Orleans company. Sazarac did a lot of rebranding, launched Buffalo Trace as a product, and purchased some of its iconic brands from various distilleries and IP owners across the commonwealth. This includes Weller, Van Winkle, and later Old Taylor (currently EH. Taylor). In addition, the company gained the rights to Stagg, Blantons, and several others from its acquisition - products it would later master and reintroduce to the market.
A Brief History
Legacy Era and Bourbon Resurgence
Sometime in the aughts, Van Winkle bourbon caught wind of national food and beverage writers and became something that people likened to a fine-wine. With very good foresight, Sazarac and Buffalo Trace dialed in Van Winkle and the rest of its premium lines and made a big name for themselves in the high-end spirits categories. Now, Buffalo Trace has a legendary lineup of core products, as well as fine and rare whiskeys. With those lineups and roughly 200 years of history to draw from, Buffalo Trace has been monumental in tourism and the overall demand of bourbon. It’s an absolute titan that doesn’t skip on the details or forget where it comes from. And you should highly consider paying them a visit!
Buffalo Trace Distillery Tour Options
The Buffalo Trace Distillery typically has 3 tour options happening on any given day. These tour options are paired with their very popular gift-shop and walk-in tastings to make up a bulk of its visits. Here are those tour options!
Buffalo Traces’ the “Trace Tour”
Buffalo Trace’s workhorse of a tour. This tour runs throughout the entire day and is the most common. This tour has a mix of indoor and outdoors features, walking, talking, and sampling!
Buffalo Traces’ the “Old Taylor Tour”
This is where the “Bourbon Pompei” name was introduced. The Old Taylor Tour is part bourbon production tour, part archaeological tour that focuses heavily on history and the contributions of Colonel Taylor to bourbon and the property. This one is rarer than the Trace Tour.
Buffalo Traces’ the “Hard Hat Tour“
Buffalo Trace’s Hard Hat Tour focuses on the production-side of the business. You’ll see more gadgets, processes, and facilities that are used in making bourbon on this one than you will on the others. This one is the rarest of the standard 3 tours and close-toed shoes are required.
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Tastings-Only
No tour, no problem! You can always visit the loft upstairs to sample some of Buffalo Trace’s core products. The loft has been recently expanded, and here in 2025, there are a lot more tasting stations than there used to be!
** Please note, we try to keep these descriptions fairly vague. If we told you everything, why would you come for yourself! We encourage you to do a Buffalo Trace tour yourself and save some questions for the staff once there. **
Buffalo Trace Tour FAQs & Additional Info
What are the allocations like at Buffalo Trace?
There are Facebook groups and entire websites dedicated to the Buffalo Trace allocated bottle of the day. The lineup rotates and will include EH Taylor Small Batch, Weller Special Reserve, Eagle Rare, or Blantons. You can buy 1 product per day and can purchase each product once every 90 days. Occasionally, a special release will happen, which is completely random. The bottle of the day will be available as soon as the gift shop opens, until it sells out. Sometimes things sell out by noon, sometimes they last the whole day.
How do I get a tour at Buffalo Trace Distillery?
You can get a tour on the Buffalo Trace website or sometimes in person day-of. The website tours typically sell out, but it’s worth checking periodically as sometimes folks drop their tours. It is always tougher to get a tour the closer it is to the date you want to visit, so check the website for the release date and try to get them early! You can learn more on the Buffalo Trace website.
As a tour company, we are pretty good at helping folks get tours here! But there is never really a guarantee.
Can I visit Buffalo Trace without a distillery tour?
You absolutely can! You can always visit the gift shop. There is no reservation for tastings, so you can always do a walk-in tasting if you’re willing to wait a little while while on a busy day. You can walk the grounds too, seeing some iconic buildings and several cool landmarks without a tour.
Is there food at Buffalo Trace?
Sometimes! During the warmer months, there is a BBQ shack on the grounds. The hours are fairly limited. There are some snacks for sale in the gift shop, but it is pretty limited to soda and candy. There is a coffee bar on the weekends, too! If you have a specific taste for something or certain dietary restrictions, there are lots of great dining options nearby in Frankfort KY.
Does the Buffalo Trace Distillery Tour include a tasting?
It sure does! Every tour at Buffalo Trace will end with a tasting of their flagship products.
Is Buffalo Trace near other bourbon distilleries?
Yep! If you’re doing a Buffalo Trace distillery tour, the rest of the Frankfort bourbon region is within about 30 minutes from Buffalo Trace. This includes legacy distilleries Woodford Reserve, Wild Turkey, Castle & Key, and more! See our Frankfort Bourbon Trail guide for more information.
Buffalo Trace Distillery
Hours: Mon - Sat: 9-5:00 PM | Sun: 11-5
Location
113 Great Buffalo Trce, Frankfort, KY 40601