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.
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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!
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** 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
Buffalo Trace Distillery
Hours: Mon - Sat: 9-5:00 PM | Sun: 11-5
Location
113 Great Buffalo Trce, Frankfort, KY 40601