BUFFALO TRACE NAMED THE AMERICAN
DISTILLER OF THE YEAR BY WHISKY MAGAZINE
Also named Best American Whiskey Visitor Attraction of the Year
FRANKFORT, FRANKLIN COUNTY, KY (Feb. 18, 2020) –The Icons of Whisky America Awards by Whisky Magazine named Buffalo Trace Distillery the 2020 Distiller of the Year and Visitor Attraction of the Year at a recent ceremony in New York City. The magazine also awarded E.H. Taylor, Jr. Straight Rye as the Best American Rye Whiskey of 2020.
“From our whiskies to our guest experience, our team at Buffalo Trace is focused on producing the very best, so we’re honored to be recognized in both respects,” Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley said. “These awards encourage us to continue investing in the Distillery, increase our whisky production, maintain our uncompromising quality standards, innovate through experimentation and win even more awards!”
Buffalo Trace Distillery focuses tirelessly on producing great whiskies, which have garnered more than 1,000 awards over the years, distinguishing it as the World’s Most Award-Winning Distillery.
As the popularity of its whiskies continues to grow, the Distillery has embraced an ongoing $1.2 billion investment to expand its distilling capabilities and make more whiskey. This investment includes the recent installation of four brand new 22-foot tall cookers, four new fermenters which each hold 92,000 gallons of mash, and seven new warehouses which each hold 58,800 barrels, with two more under construction and several more on the way.
The Icons of Whisky Visitor Attraction of the Year award follows Buffalo Trace’s recent announcement that it welcomed nearly 300,000 visitors over the course of 2019; a record-breaking 35 percent increase over the previous year.
In keeping with the Distillery’s commitment to provide a top-notch visitor experience, Buffalo Trace has begun working to expand its Visitor Center further back into its existing building, which will ultimately triple the size of the current Visitor Center and allow the Distillery to better accommodate the continued tourism growth. This renovation comes just five years after its last Visitor Center expansion, and is anticipated to be complete later this year. The expanded space will allow Buffalo Trace to further develop its visitor experience with new tour routes, tasting and events spaces and archive exhibits. More information about Buffalo Trace’s Distillery and Visitor Center expansions can be found here.
In addition to these two Icons of Whisky America awards, and award for Best American Rye, five other whiskies from Buffalo Trace received medals at the American 2020 World Whiskies Awards.
Gold Medal Winner:
- Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Silver Medal Winners:
- W. L. Weller 12 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Bronze Medal Winner:
- W. L. Weller Full Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Whiskies in each category were subject to blind tastings in a three-round judging process to reward and promote the world’s best whiskies to consumers and trade across the globe. The winners from the World Whiskies Awards and the Icons of Whisky Awards America 2020 will now compete with counterparts from all over the world, and global winners will be announced March 26 in London. For more information about the World Whiskies Awards visit www.worldwhiskiesawards.com, and for more information about the Icons of Whisky visit www.iconsofwhisky.com
About Buffalo Trace Distillery
Buffalo Trace Distillery is an American family-owned company based in Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky. The Distillery’s rich tradition dates back to 1773 and includes such legends as E.H. Taylor, Jr., George T. Stagg, Albert B. Blanton, Orville Schupp, and Elmer T. Lee. Buffalo Trace Distillery is a fully operational Distillery producing bourbon, rye and vodka on site and is a National Historic Landmark as well as is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Distillery has won 35 distillery titles since 2000 from such notable publications as Whisky Magazine, Whisky Advocate Magazine and Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Its Col. E. H. Taylor, Jr. Four Grain Bourbon was named World Whiskey of the Year by “Jim Murray’s Whiskey Bible 2018” and its William Larue Weller and Thomas H. Handy Sazerac were named 2nd and 3rd finest whiskeys in the world, respectively, in the “Jim Murray Whiskey Bible 2020.” Buffalo Trace Distillery has also garnered more than 1,000 awards for its wide range of premium whiskies. To learn more about Buffalo Trace Distillery visit www.buffalotracedistillery.com.
