Buffalo Trace Distillery continues to make great strides towards resuming normal operations after historic flooding caused damage throughout Frankfort. Campus-wide cleanup efforts are now complete, and restoration has ramped up inside buildings affected by flood waters. The successful re-opening of the Distillery’s modified visitor experience has allowed teams to scale up visitor offerings.
“Welcoming visitors back to Buffalo Trace Distillery is more than encouraging, it’s an overwhelming joy we share with fans who visit us,” said Jake Wenz, Sazerac & Buffalo Trace Distillery CEO and President. “The support of the community has provided strength to our teams, and I am so proud of our team members’ hard work and dedication these past few weeks. As our teams and contractors make essential repairs, we are close to resuming normal operations.”
Starting Tuesday, April 22, Buffalo Trace Distillery has moved its limited retail experience to the second floor of the Visitors Center.
This move allows for regular check-in processes to resume inside the Freehouse building and provides guests with expanded retail and tasting options. Though cleanup has allowed further resumption of the guest experience, restoration efforts continue campus-wide and those visiting will be limited to the Visitors Center.
The Elmer T. Lee Clubhouse in summer at Buffalo Trace Distillery.
We apologize, but no walk-up retail or tour experiences are currently being offered at this time. To check reservation availability, please visit reservations.buffalotracedistillery.com. In anticipation of Derby week, one of the Distillery’s busiest weeks, teams are working hard to ensure the Distillery can accommodate increased visitation. The Distillery will be closed on Monday, April 28 to allow for retail operations to further expand into the first floor of the Visitors Center. Please note, for the coming weeks reservations are required for all guests visiting the Distillery.
Flood cleanup and restoration efforts have also progressed throughout Franklin County, with many businesses in downtown Frankfort now open for businesses. Additionally, many throughout the state are recovering from tornadoes caused by storms that hit Kentucky just before the flooding. Buffalo Trace Distillery will soon be announcing details of an online charity auction featuring some of the Distillery’s most sought-after bourbons to aid in statewide relief efforts for those facing the difficult road of recovery coming off these spring storms.
Buffalo Trace Distillery is an American family-owned company based in Frankfort, Kentucky. The Distillery’s rich tradition dates back to 1775 and it is a National Historic Landmark, as well as listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Its history 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. The Distillery has won more than 40 distillery titles since 2000 and garnered more than 1,000 awards for its wide range of premium whiskies.
Its William Larue Weller and Stagg were named Best of Show at the 2024 Denver International Spirits Competition and its Traveller Whiskey is the Most Awarded Super Premium Whiskey Release of 2024. Buffalo Trace Distillery has a deep commitment to supporting charitable initiatives. Nonprofit organizations interested in learning more about the Distillery’s efforts are encouraged to register their charity here.
Expanded Programming Offers Visitors an Inside Look into the World of Whiskey Making, Beam Family History, and Eight Generations of Craftsmanship.
The James B. Beam Distilling Co., home of the World’s #1 bourbon Jim Beam®, is excited to announce several new visitor experiences and an expanded events calendar this year. New offerings include brand-specific consumer experiences for Knob Creek® and Jim Beam® and for the first time ever, consumers will have access to the state-of-the-art Fred B. Noe Distillery with a limited series of “Behind The Beam” events where guests can enjoy a personalized tour and tasting led by one of our Master Distillers, Fred or Freddie Noe.
These newly designed experiences have been thoughtfully curated to make guests feel part of the First Family of Bourbon and immerse them into their 229 years of whiskey-making expertise. In 2022, The James B. Beam Distilling Co. underwent a multi-million-dollar campus renovation including a revamp of the American Outpost, opening of The Fred B. Noe Distillery, and adding The Kitchen Table restaurant, further establishing the distillery as a must-visit tourism destination. Since then, daily visits have increased by 60%, and last year alone, The James B. Beam Distilling Co. welcomed over 126,000 visitors. This is part of a larger post-pandemic tourism trend and travel boom, and according to the Kentucky Distillers’ Association, the Kentucky Bourbon Trail surpassed a record-breaking two million visitors in 2022.
For the first time in 229 years, father and son Master Distillers are working alongside one another to continue inventing and reinventing the American Whiskey category. Fred Noe, 7th Generation Master Distiller, oversees some of the most well-known whiskeys in the world including Jim Beam®, Basil Hayden® and Knob Creek®; while his son Freddie, 8th Generation Master Distiller is at the helm of innovation in American Whiskey and oversees The Fred B. Noe Distillery which opened its doors in 2021 for small batch production of Booker’s®, Baker’s®, Little Book®, Legent®, and more.
The James B. Beam Distilling Co. Visitor Experiences
In addition to the new tours outlined below, guests can still book the classics like the Basil Hayden Culinary Tasting Experience, Family Reserve Tasting, Beam Made Bourbon Distillery Tour & Tasting, and Meet the Family Tasting. A list of tours can be found here.
· Behind the Beam ($350): Get a glimpse behind the scenes at the production methods that helped the First Family of Bourbon build the world’s favorite Bourbon and an innovative portfolio of small-batch whiskeys. In Behind the Beam, guests are guided on a behind-the-scenes tour of the newly opened Fred B. Noe Distillery, have a front row seat to the bottling process of Knob Creek® Single Barrel Reserve and enjoy tasting and storytelling led by a Master Distiller. Following the tour, guests are treated to some of Beam’s finest whiskey and a few of the most sought-after new releases paired with a Kentucky-inspired lunch at The Kitchen Table. Behind the Beam dates and themes can be found here.
Themes:
· Behind The Beam – Maturation Matters
Bourbon lovers can join Fred and Freddie Noe on an experience through the historic warehouses of James B. Beam Distilling Co. where guests will learn the secrets of how time, temperature and wood impact the World’s #1 Bourbon.
· Behind The Beam – Little Book® + Country Ham
When Freddie Noe set out to make his own mark on the bourbon industry, he wanted to honor his grandfather Booker by creating a product with one attribute in mind: flavor. Join Freddie Noe as he takes you through the process of blending a new batch of Little Book and enjoy a tasting against other traditional bourbons to showcase the contrast and what blending can do to elevate flavors. After, you’ll join Freddie to see how his innovative flair extends to a famous family heirloom: Freddie’s country ham. Whether it is in bourbon or cooking, the Beam family has always pushed the boundaries of flavor.
· Behind The Beam – Cocktails
Fred and Freddie love nothing more than using Beam bourbons to make cocktails. Yet with so much mixology experience, what are the favorite cocktails of the Master Distillers of the First Family of Bourbon? An immersive mixology experience in which you’ll explore which cocktails pair best with Beam Distilling brands.
· 8 Generations Tasting Experience ($40): Taste through 229 years of whiskey making and discover the unique fingerprint each generation has left on this iconic spirit through a 40-minute guided experience. Guests will discover the Beam and Noe families’ rich legacy while tasting seven unique whiskeys, each a captivating chapter narrating their pioneering journey. From pre-prohibition classics to innovative contemporary expressions, this guided exploration lets guests experience the evolution of American Whiskey firsthand.
· Knob Creek Tasting Experience ($25): Embark on a guided tasting experience featuring Knob Creek’s lauded small-batch bourbons and rye whiskeys. Learn the secrets behind Knob Creek’s unique aging process through a 30-minute guided tour and discover how each different varietal tells its own story and learn how the release of Knob Creek® was a major step toward making the small-batch whiskey movement what it is today.
· Jim Beam Tasting Experience ($20): Journey through the iconic expressions of the World’s #1 Bourbon brand in this immersive experience with a curated selection of Jim Beam® expressions, allowing guests to appreciate the subtle nuances of each bottling. From Jacob Beam’s pre-prohibition roots to the modern-day leadership of Master Distillers Fred and Freddie Noe, this 30-minute guided exploration showcases the evolution of this iconic brand.
The Kitchen Table Restaurant and The Clermont Supper Club Dinner Series
The James B. Beam Distilling Co. has released 2024 dates for the Clermont Supper Club dinner series at The Kitchen Table, the full-service restaurant inspired by the original Beam family kitchen table, a place of storytelling, whiskey sharing and recipes. Guests can purchase dinner tickets and join Master Distillers Fred and Freddie Noe for an evening of Beam family-inspired fare, unique cocktails, tasting of new whiskeys and behind-the-scenes barrel stories directly from the First Family of Bourbon themselves. Dinner details and tickets can be found here.
Upcoming Clermont Supper Club Dates
· Thursday, June 13 – Bardstown Bourbon Collection™
· Thursday, July 18 – Knob Creek®
· Thursday, August 15 – Bakers® 13
· Thursday, September 12 – Little Book®
· Thursday, October 17 – Beam Family
· Thursday, November 14 – Distillers’ Share™
· Thursday, December 12 – Holiday Edition
Please visit beamdistilling.com for more information about The James B. Beam Distilling Co. and to purchase tickets to any of these experiences. While tours are limited to guests age 21+, guests of any age can visit the grounds and The Kitchen Table restaurant.
The James B. Beam Distilling Co. is an ideal location and venue for weddings, corporate travel and meetings, family gatherings, bachelor(ette) parties, birthdays and more. Inquiries can be made here.
About The James B. Beam Distilling Co.
Founded by America’s first family of bourbon, the James B. Beam Distilling Co. has crafted genuine American Whiskey since 1795. Its portfolio includes globally coveted and award-winning whiskey brands including Jim Beam®, Basil Hayden®, Knob Creek®, Booker’s®, Baker’s®, Little Book®, Legent®, Old Tub®, Old Overholt®, Old Crow®, and Old Grand-Dad®. Maintaining the whiskey traditions of eight generations of family distillers while advancing the category through innovation, the Beam family has defined what American Whiskey could be and should be for more than 225 years. The James B. Beam Distilling Co. crafts American Whiskey with genuine, quality ingredients that are distilled and aged without compromise at its family distilleries in Clermont, Kentucky.
About Suntory Global Spirits
As a world leader in premium spirits, Suntory Global Spirits inspires the brilliance of life, by creating rich experiences for people, in harmony with nature. Known for its craftsmanship of premium whiskies, including Jim Beam® and Maker’s Mark®; Japanese whiskies, including Yamazaki®, Hakushu®, Hibiki® and Toki™; and leading Scotch brands including Laphroaig® and Bowmore®, Suntory Global Spirits also produces leading brands such as Tres Generaciones® and El Tesoro® tequila, Roku™ and Sipsmith® gin, and is a world leader in Ready-To-Drink cocktails, with brands like -196 and On The Rocks™ Premium Cocktails.
A global company with approximately 6,000 employees in nearly 30 countries, Suntory Global Spirits is driven by its core values of Growing for Good, Yatte Minahare and Giving Back to Society. The company’s Proof Positive sustainability strategy includes ambitious goals and investments to drive sustainable change and have a positive impact on the planet, consumers and communities. Headquartered in New York City, Suntory Global Spirits is a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings Limited of Japan. For more information, visit www.suntoryglobalspirits.com and www.drinksmart.com.
