John is on the Buffalo Trace premium tour in Frankfort. Walking the racks, smelling the warehouse air, and the access alone is the argument for why people fly in for this one. Buffalo Trace is the spiritual home ground of American bourbon.

What is the Buffalo Trace Hard Hat Tour?

Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky is recognized as a National Historic Landmark and is reportedly America’s oldest continuously operating distillery — having operated through Prohibition under a medicinal whiskey permit. Distilling on the site dates to 1812; the property has had many names (O.F.C., George T. Stagg, Schenley, Ancient Age) before becoming ‘Buffalo Trace’ in 1999. Sazerac Company acquired the operation in 1992. Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley has run the program since 2005.

The premium tour — currently programmed as the Hard Hat Tour — is the behind-the-scenes production walkthrough: production floor, rickhouse aisles, and tasting at the end. The site’s portfolio includes Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, W. L. Weller, Sazerac Rye, Blanton’s, E. H. Taylor Jr., the Antique Collection (BTAC), and the Pappy Van Winkle line.