Kentucky Distillery Tours Continued - Buffalo Trace

I wanted to get back to discussing the tours that I went on before I left the Midwest as being here feels like a more appropriate place to write about them. The Buffalo Trace Distillery Tour was a little different than all of the rest for one simple reason: I was the only one on the tour.

I arrived at the Buffalo Trace Distillery early in the morning because it was closest to my hotel, opened sooner than the others, and would help me get to the other tours on time. This may be why I am the only one who showed up for the tour; people generally don’t engage in tasting this early, but hey, they were ready for those of us who do! This individual attention allowed me to ask several questions, and I probably had more inquiries while on this tour than the others because of the wide range of products that are made at the site. Here’s a list of some of the products that are made at the Buffalo Trace Distillery:

Whiskeys -

Ancient Age – 5 & 10 Year Old; 80, 86, 90 and 100 Proof
Benchmark – “Rye Recipe”; 80 Proof
Blanton’s – Single Barrel; “Rye Recipe”; 93 Proof
Buffalo Trace – 9 Year Old
Eagle Rare – Single Barrel; 10 Year Old; 90 Proof
Eagle Rare – 17 Year Old
Elmer T. Lee – Single Barrel; 10 Year Old; 90 Proof
George T. Stagg – 15 Year Old
Hancock’s Reserve – Single Barrel; 8 Year Old; 88.9 Proof
Old Charter – 8, 10, 12, & 13 Year Old; 80, 86, & 90 Proof
Rock Hill Farms – “Rye Recipe”; 100 Proof
Sazerac– Rye Whiskey; 6 & 9 Year Old
Thomas H. Handy – Rye Whiskey
Van Winkle – 10, 12, 15, 20, & 23 Year Old
W. L. Weller – “Wheated Bourbon”; 7, 10, & 12 Year Old; 90, 100, & 107 Proof

Others –

Rain Vodka – Organic; 7 Times Distilled
Regan’s Orange Bitters

I think I got all of that information right; I used a pamphlet that I received at the tour to make sure I got everything and didn’t include any in formation that wasn’t on the packet because I wanted to make sure I was accurate. The distillery also makes some other products I think, but I can’t remember which they were. Nevertheless, the most impressive thing about this incomplete list is the amount of creativity and diversity that is produced at the Buffalo Trace Distillery. It is truly a site of innovation.

While the distillery is certainly a place of varied production, this makes touring the multiple processes of productions more difficult. Instead of being permitted to tour the actual distillation equipment and facilities, I was shown a video that didn’t really detail the distillation process and would have fit as a generic introduction at any distillery. While this was a bit disappointing, such an approach might be beneficial for some people as a first tour because this video was simple and would be helpful for those who are unfamiliar with whiskey production.

The Warehouse

The highlight of the tour was clearly the warehouse, which Buffalo Trace really uses to impact the taste of their whiskeys. I was told that the middle of three floors at Buffalo Trace’s main warehouse is where the most important whiskeys are stored. The middle floor experiences the most flux in temperature and humidity which increases the potential for the whiskey to move in and out of the wood. The warehouse was also extremely old and had endured several floods from the nearby Kentucky River as evidenced by the waterlines which were about 15 feet up the walls.

The warehouse additionally held testing barrels which were being used to test different varieties of developmental whiskeys. Seeing those barrels just makes you wonder what could be in store for us next! New ryes? Another wheated bourbon? Who knows? The warehouse also, despite being one of the oldest in Kentucky, was the best kept out of those that I toured. The barrels showed the greatest integrity and were stored in clean warehouse which you could tell was attended to with the greatest detail.

The Bottling Plant

Buffalo Trace has several different bottling plants, but I was allowed access into one of the bottling plants where they were hand bottling Blanton’s and Eagle Rare 17 Year Old. More than anything that I learned at the bottling plant, I remember the people the most. They were the nicest group of people by far that I interacted with at any of the tours. There were about 30 people in the plant, and every single one of them said hello to me as I passed. Yes, this was probably a result of me being at the tour by myself, but that type of hospitality really made my experience so much more enjoyable. The bottling plant tour also allowed me to see the proof regulation of the whiskies which was done before bottling. Several of the bourbons were held in tanks at different temperature and my guide really emphasized the difference in the aroma of the whiskies which were at different temperatures, which one can really notice when drinking whiskey on the rocks or straight.

The Tasting Room

I had hoped that I would get to taste some Thomas Handy or something in the tasting room, but obviously that was expecting way too much. Instead, I got to taste Buffalo Trace Bourbon and Eagle Rare Single Barrel. I had previously had each of these whiskies before so I really wasn’t that interested in the tasting, but I was so much more conscious of the aroma when tasting the bourbons after being around the smell of bourbon which just engrosses you in the warehouse and bottling plant. Plus, who turns down free whiskey? The gift shop also had almost every bottle as far as I could tell that they produced on the site, including some Rain and Regan’s orange bitters, which I picked up. I wanted to get some other stuff (and now regret that I didn’t take the opportunity), but I was trying to make this a budget trip, so I didn’t want to get carried away that early in the day.

The tour was one of my favorites because of the people at the distillery. My tour guide and the people working at the distillery really made my experience memorable, and I would highly recommend going on the tour. The grounds of the property are beautiful and surrounded by history, and the Buffalo Trace Distillery truly represents the best of Kentucky values which is reflected in the products they create. It made the whole trip worthwhile, but after leaving Buffalo Trace I headed directly (well not “directly” – I got lost) for some Woodford Reserve. Be sure to check back soon for my review of this tour and some information on Woodford Reserve.