Buffalo Trace Distillery

Barrels heavy with Bourbon roll themselves along winding tracks to arrive at the green trimmed brick warehouses of Buffalo Trace Distillery. While the process and patience involved with making consistently excellent Bourbon hasn't changed at the distillery, Buffalo Trace has progressed through the course of 200 years to become an innovative leader in the industry. Buffalo Trace Distillery sits on a sloping hill at the crossing of the Kentucky River. Early frontiersmen followed a trail plotted by western-bound buffalo to establish the first settlement on the site in 1775. Settlers soon discovered the abundant limestone spring water and fertile land for growing grain. Built in 1857, the original distillery was the first in the area. Built in 1857, the original distillery was the first to operate on steam power. With a long line of innovative leaders, including E.H. Taylor, Albert Blanton, George T. Stagg, and Elmer T. Lee, the distillery continued to advance through generations. It established the first climate-controlled warehouses in 1886 and released the first commercially distributed single barrel Bourbon in 1984. While other distilleries closed during Prohibition, Buffalo Trace persevered, producing Bourbon for medicinal use. Today, Buffalo Trace is the nation's oldest continuously operating distillery. Visitors can participate in one of the four tour options at Buffalo Trace to get an insider's view of the Bourbon production.