Hey Bartender

In the past, we've talked about cocktails made with Sazerac Rye Whiskey and Rain Organic Vodka as well as discussed a little trivia about Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon. Despite the fact that these are different types of distillates, they all have something in common. They are produced under the same umbrella. Today, let's connect the dots.

Buffalo Trace Distillery is located in Frankfort, KY. The name is a tribute to a time long past, when the American Bison or buffalo thundered across the unsettled territories of early America. The paths carved by these amazingly beautiful beasts were known as traces. The Great Buffalo Trace, a once well-known path, led to the banks of what is now called the Kentucky River. Millions of buffalo used this passage as they crossed the river toward the Great Plains. In 1775, a settlement was established near the site of this long-forgotten buffalo crossing.

According to public records, the distillery rests on a site where distilling had taken place as early as 1787. The oldest building at the current facility is called the Riverside house, which was erected in 1792 by Commodore Richard Taylor. What is recognized as the first modern distillery was built on this same site in 1857. It was the first to use steam power, a major advance in the production of high-quality distillates.

In 1870, Edmond Haynes Taylor purchased the distillery. He made his mark immediately by investing in the modernization of the distillery. Next, he gave the distillery its first official name: The O. F. C. Distillery. O. F. C. is short for Old Fire Copper, probably an homage to the large all-copper stills that had recently been installed. Mr. Taylor was also the first to use climate-controlled warehouses to age whiskey. During Taylor's tenure, O. F. C. became world-renowned for producing America's finest bourbon.

George T. Stagg purchased the O. F. C. Distillery in 1878. He immediately began to expand the facility using the proceeds from a booming whiskey market which, at the time, was being fueled by the expansion of the American railroad system. Among the many additions were Warehouse A, Warehouse B, Warehouse C, and the Dickel Building -- all still stand today as a testament to the distillery's growth under Stagg. Also during this time, sixteen year-old Albert Blanton joined the staff as an office boy.

Prohibition was not unkind to the distillery. It received one of the four permits issued by the federal government which allowed them to continue to produce distillates for medicinal purposes. This also allowed them to continue to produce and store their non-medicinal spirits as well. When Prohibition was finally repealed, operation of the distillery was taken over by Albert Blanton. Like his predecessor E. H. Taylor, Blanton was also an innovator. One of those innovations was the production of single-barrel bourbons, which he liked to produce for himself and his friends. Single-barrel bourbon or whiskey describes a premium class of bourbon or whiskey in which the contents of a bottle comes from an individual aging barrel as opposed to being created by blending together the contents of different barrels in order to provide a uniform color and taste. Single-barrel bourbon or whiskey is never blended. This creates a unique flavor for each barrel. Bottles from each barrel are numbered so that you can identify a barrel if you like that particular barrel's contents.

Through the years, the distillery continued to grow and prosper. In 1939, it reached the 1,000 employee milestone. By 1941, it held the world's largest stock of aged whiskies. In 1969, it began exporting to Japan for the first time. George Orwell failed to predict this, but in 1984, the world was able to sample Blanton's, the world's first commercially-marketed single-barrel bourbon. The distillery was purchased by the Sazerac Company in 1992 and finally, in 1999, the distillery was given its current name -- Buffalo Trace Distillery.

These days, Buffalo Trace Distillery still produces some of the finest bourbons and whiskeys in the world. Among them are the Van Winkle 12 Year Old Special Reserve, George T. Stagg Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon, Eagle Rare Single Barrel Bourbon, Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon, and Thomas H. Handy Rye Whiskey. These are all internationally recognized for their quality. Rain Organic Vodkas, produced at Buffalo Trace, are also known for their quality as well as for their ingredients. Each bottle of Rain contains vodka made from 100% organic ingredients. They have been featured in previous posts as a primary liquor in cocktails that use organic ingredients. Recently, I spied Christopher Plummer's character offering Denzel Washington's character a drink from a bottle of Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon during a critical scene in the movie Inside Man. This proves that either the fictional character, Arthur Case, the real character, Christopher Plummer, or someone responsible for the making of the film has really good taste when it comes to bourbon.

So, there you have it. Buffalo Trace Distillery -- untraced. I've been keenly aware of this magnificent place for a while, but I've never visited. I imagine that it would be a great place to tour. Whiskey Magazine has confirmed this by naming it the 2010 American Visitor Attraction of the Year. I look forward to making the trek some day soon. As always, whether enjoying a Lavender Lemonade, Sazerac Cocktail or Blanton's neat, please do so responsibly. Until next time...prosit!!!

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