Buffalo Trace Distillery

Overview of the Distillery

Buffalo Trace Distillery lies by the Kentucky River near Frankfort and houses more than two centuries of bourbon history. The site combines original aging warehouses and 19th-century technical installations with modern production and experimentation facilities such as the E.H. Taylor Micro Still and Warehouse X. The distillery is family-owned, a National Historic Landmark, and is recognized both for its flagship and for rare, annual Antique Collection releases.

History

The site’s history begins with 18th-century surveys and settlements around Leestown and continues through the development of industrial warehouses and early whiskey production in the 1800s. In 1858 Daniel Swigert developed an early distilling operation at the Riverside site. Col. E.H. Taylor Jr. later purchased the site, named it O.F.C., and invested in extensive rebuilding in the 1870s. The warehouses from the late 1800s and a steam-heating system from 1886 became central to the facility. In the 20th century the site underwent acquisitions and expansions and withstood Prohibition; in 1937 a major flood struck the distillery. After Prohibition there were further expansions, and in 1953 Warehouse V was built as the world’s only single-barrel warehouse. Blanton’s was introduced in 1984. In 1992 the distillery was purchased by Sazerac Company and in 1999 reopened as Buffalo Trace Distillery. Since 2000 the facility has been expanded with both technical modernization and experimental programs such as Experimental Collection, Micro Still, and Warehouse X.

Raw Materials and Production

Production at Buffalo Trace combines historical technique with modern capacity. The distillery uses both column and pot stills; the E.H. Taylor Micro Still is designed as a combination of pot and column still for small, experimental batches. In connection with expansions in 2019, new cookers, fermenters, and a modern bottling line were installed, and in 2022 a new stillhouse came online as a 1:1 replica of the original from 1936 to increase capacity while preserving historical design. The storage facilities range from original 19th-century buildings and Warehouse V (single-barrel) to metal-clad Warehouse H and modern, climate-controlled buildings, providing opportunities for both traditional bourbon processes and targeted experiments.

Maturation and Cask Types

A range of warehouses with different characteristics is used for aging: Warehouse V is dedicated to single-barrel aging, Warehouse H is metal-clad, and Warehouse X was built as a specially experimental warehouse. A steam-heating system installed in 1886 remains a feature of the storage operation, and modern climate-controlled rooms supplement as needed. These different warehouse conditions are actively used in developing both the core range and the more experimental releases.

Whiskies

The range includes both a flagship brand and a number of prestigious, often limited releases. Buffalo Trace serves as the distillery’s flagship brand, while Blanton’s Single Barrel from 1984 marks the distillery’s pioneering role in single-barrel production. Buffalo Trace Antique Collection is an annual series consisting of six hand-selected bottles, including George T. Stagg, William Larue Weller, Thomas H. Handy Sazerac, Eagle Rare 17-Year-Old, and Sazerac Rye 18-Year-Old; from 2025 E.H. Taylor Bottled-in-Bond will join the series. In addition, the Experimental Collection and other small-scale experiments run in parallel with the core production.

Whisky	Type / Series	Age	Flavor Profile	Status
Buffalo Trace Bourbon	Bourbon		Buffalo Trace is the distillery’s flagship brand, reintroduced with the name change in 1999 after extensive renovations.	Current; Core lineup
Blanton’s Single Barrel	Bourbon		Introduced in 1984 as the world’s first single-barrel bourbon and one of the distillery’s best-known single-barrel products.	Current; Core lineup
George T. Stagg	Bourbon; Antique Collection		Part of Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, an annual autumn release of rare, hand-selected whiskies named after George T. Stagg.	Limited; Limited/ annual
William Larue Weller	Bourbon (wheated mashbill); Antique Collection		Part of the Antique Collection; named after William Larue Weller, who developed the distillery’s wheated-bourbon recipe.	Limited; Limited/ annual
Thomas H. Handy Sazerac	Rye; Antique Collection		A straight rye in the Antique Collection, named after Thomas H. Handy and released as one of the rare annual bottles for collectors.	Limited; Limited/ annual
Eagle Rare 17-Year-Old	Bourbon; Antique Collection	17 years	One of the six annual Antique Collection releases; the name indicates a 17-year age statement.	Limited; Limited/ annual
Sazerac Rye 18-Year-Old	Rye; Antique Collection	18 years	An 18-year-old rye in the Antique Collection, released as one of the rare annual bottles for collectors.	Limited; Limited/ annual
E.H. Taylor Jr. Bottled In Bond	Bourbon; Antique Collection		From 2025, E.H. Taylor Bottled-in-Bond will join as one of the six annual Antique Collection releases.	Limited; Limited/ annual

Philosophy and Craft

Buffalo Trace operates under the principle 'Honor Tradition, Embrace Change,' combining respect for historic methods with targeted innovation. The distillery’s practices include family-owned continuity, hand-selecting rare bottles for the Antique Collection, and dedicated experimental facilities such as Micro Still and Warehouse X to explore new approaches to bourbon production.

Awards and Recognitions

Distillery of the Year (2000, Distillery of the Year)
Visitor Attraction of the Year (2010, Visitor Attraction of the Year)
Brand Innovator of the Year (2011, Brand Innovator of the Year)
Whisky Distiller of the Year, America (2014, Whisky Distiller of the Year, America)
Visitor Attraction of the Year (2017, Visitor Attraction of the Year)
Distiller of the Year (2018, Distiller of the Year)