Producer Profile
BUFFALO TRACE
A definitive force in the world of bourbon & rye. The Buffalo Trace Distillery traces its origins as far back as the 1700s, though the whiskey production is thought to have started in earnest on the site in 1858. Twelve years later, in 1870, the original distillery would be purchased by Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor Jr., who would christen it the Old Fashioned Copper (O.F.C) distillery, due to the firm belief that tried-and-tested copper stills are the key to making exceptional whiskey.
Through his staunch beliefs in the purity of and prestige of bourbon, Colonel E.H. Taylor would go on to become little short of a legend in the American whiskey category, often noted as the "Father of the Modern Bourbon Industry". In 1872, he invested $70,000 into O.F.C, a fortune at the time.
In 1878, the distillery was purchased by one George T. Stagg, a name that will also be familiar to fans of the distillery; a name bore by two of the most iconic expressions from Buffalo Trace. Under his stewardship, the distillery continued to expand with three new warehouses. Even the still house itself was reconstructed, following a devastating fire in 1882.
1897 saw the appointment of Albert B. Blanton, another figure who would be immortalised in bourbon legend. During Blanton's tenure, the distillery would survive two World Wars and prohibition.
Through the following century and beyond, the distillery went on to release the world's first "single barrel" bourbon, a bottling named after Blanton himself; become the first American distillery to be awarded Distillery of the Year by Whisky Advocate; and be renamed the Buffalo Trace Distillery.
Today, some of the most famous and sought-after bourbons in the world are crafted at the Buffalo Trace Distillery, including the likes of Pappy Van Winkle, Stagg, Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, Weller, and more.
