Buffalo Trace Distillery: History, Owner and Famous Brands
Buffalo Trace Distillery sits in Frankfort, Kentucky, and has gone by several names, including the George T. Stagg Distillery and the Old Fashioned Copper (O.F.C.) Distillery. It claims to be the oldest continuously operating distillery in the United States, and it makes a long list of famous bourbons and ryes.
At a glance
Location: Frankfort, Kentucky, United States
Owner: the Sazerac Company, which bought the distillery in 1992
Former names: Old Fire Copper (O.F.C.) Distillery and George T. Stagg Distillery
Namesake brand: Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon whiskey, introduced in August 1999, two months after the distillery changed its name from the George T. Stagg Distillery
Heritage status: listed on the National Register of Historic Places on 2 May 2001 as the George T. Stagg Distillery, then named a National Historic Landmark on 11 March 2013
Production capacity: estimated at 2,650,000 US gallons (10,000,000 litres) of whiskey a year, using a beer still with a capacity of 60,000 US gallons
History in chapters
1775 to 1870: the early site
Records indicate that distilling started on the site in 1775 by Hancock Lee and his brother Willis Lee, who died in 1776. The first distillery was constructed in 1812 by Harrison Blanton.
1870 to 1900: Taylor and Stagg
In 1870 the distillery was purchased by Edmund H. Taylor Jr. and given its first name, the Old Fire Copper (O.F.C.) Distillery. Taylor sold it eight years later to George T. Stagg, along with the Old Oscar Pepper Distillery. That second distillery was sold within the year to James Graham, to add more land to the O.F.C. Distillery. In 1886 Stagg installed steam heating in the storage warehouses, the first climate controlled warehouse for aging whiskey in the nation.
Prohibition and the 20th century
During Prohibition the distillery was allowed to remain operational in order to make whiskey for medicinal purposes.
1985 to today: new owners and new investment
Gary Gayheart became master distiller in 1985 and held the role until his retirement in 2005. He was succeeded by Harlen Wheatley. The Sazerac Company bought the distillery in 1992. In 2016 Buffalo Trace announced plans to expand operations with a capital investment of $200 million.
The people behind it
Hancock Lee and Willis Lee: distilling on the site from 1775
Harrison Blanton: built the first distillery in 1812
Edmund H. Taylor Jr.: bought the distillery in 1870 and named it Old Fire Copper (O.F.C.)
George T. Stagg: bought it in 1878 and installed steam heated warehouses in 1886
Gary Gayheart: master distiller from 1985 to 2005
Harlen Wheatley: master distiller after Gayheart
The Sazerac Company: owner since 1992
Brands made here
Buffalo Trace is mainly known for bourbon, but it also produces rye whiskey and vodka. Wikipedia lists the following.
Buffalo Trace: straight bourbon, the namesake brand, also used for an Experimental Collection, Black Ridge, Single Oak Project, White Dog and Bourbon Cream
Col. E. H. Taylor: small batch, single barrel and barrel proof straight bourbon and rye
Eagle Rare: straight bourbon and a 17 year antique collection
George T. Stagg: barrel proof straight bourbon
Stagg Jr.: barrel proof straight bourbon
W. L. Weller: special reserve, antique 107, Full Proof, 12 Year, Single Barrel, C.Y.P.B. and the barrel proof William Larue Weller antique collection
Thomas H. Handy: barrel proof straight rye
Sazerac: straight rye and the Sazerac antique collection
McAfee's Benchmark, O.F.C., Old Charter and Old Taylor: straight bourbons
Traveller: blended whisky in partnership with Chris Stapleton
Daniel Weller Emmer Wheat: a biennial experimental release crafted from a variety of wheat strains
Platinum 7X and Platinum 10X, and Wheatley: vodka
Some brands are made in partnership. With Age International, a former owner of the distillery now part of the Japanese company Takara Holdings: Ancient Age, Blanton's, Hancock's President's Reserve, Elmer T. Lee and Rock Hill Farms. With the Van Winkle family under an agreement established in June 2002: Old Rip Van Winkle, Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve, Van Winkle Special Reserve and Van Winkle Family Reserve rye. The distillery also produces spirits for private bottlers and store brands.
Rare and notable releases
Buffalo Trace Antique Collection 2025: the 25th anniversary release, covered in our news post on the collection
In March 2022 the distillery announced six litre O.F.C. Vintage Bourbon Whiskeys, distilled in 1982, with accompanying NFTs sold on Blockbar. The highest bid was $60,000. The sale was part of a mission to raise US$2 million for charity by donating 2,022 bottles of whiskey to fundraising causes
Pappy Van Winkle's Family Reserve is distilled and bottled by the Sazerac Company at Buffalo Trace, and its very low production and high demand can make it extremely difficult to find
News and milestones
October 2016: during renovations to convert a building into a meeting and event space, workers discovered the foundation of the original 1873 distillery building, which burned down in 1882, along with remains of fermenters from that year. The foundation was left in place and the site is now open to visitors
March 2022: the O.F.C. Vintage and NFT charity project, described above
Early April 2025: after days of heavy rainfall, some areas over 15 inches, the Kentucky River in Frankfort rose to 48.24 feet, the second highest level in the distillery's 200 year history. Significant portions of the campus were submerged, visitor access was suspended and a scheduled Easter event was cancelled. A multi phase recovery effort followed. Check the official site for the current visitor status
A note on conflicting claims
The distillery claims to be the oldest continuously operating distillery in the United States. Wikipedia notes that Burks' Distillery, now used for Maker's Mark, has origins going back to 1805 according to its National Historic Landmark citation, and is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest operating bourbon distillery. We report both claims rather than choosing between them.
Visiting
The site is open to visitors, including the area where the original 1873 foundation was found. Tour times, booking and any flood related restrictions change, so check the official Buffalo Trace Distillery website before you travel.
Buffalo Trace Distillery FAQ
Who owns Buffalo Trace Distillery?
The Sazerac Company, which purchased the distillery in 1992.
Where is Buffalo Trace made?
In Frankfort, Kentucky, beside the Kentucky River.
Why is it called Buffalo Trace?
The name refers to the ancient buffalo trackway that crosses the Kentucky River in Franklin County, Kentucky.
Who is the master distiller?
Harlen Wheatley succeeded Gary Gayheart, who ran production from 1985 until 2005. Check the official site for the current role holder.
Is Buffalo Trace the oldest distillery in the United States?
The company claims so. Burks' Distillery, now Maker's Mark, has origins to 1805 and is listed by Guinness as the oldest operating bourbon distillery. The claims conflict.
Does Buffalo Trace make Pappy Van Winkle?
Yes. Under an agreement established in June 2002 the Van Winkle brands are distilled and bottled at Buffalo Trace.
What happened in the 2025 flood?
In early April 2025 the Kentucky River rose to 48.24 feet and submerged significant portions of the distillery campus, prompting a multi phase recovery effort.
How much does Buffalo Trace produce?
Capacity is estimated at 2,650,000 US gallons a year.
What the distillery's own timeline says
The official Buffalo Trace history page adds detail and, in places, differs from the Wikipedia summary above. Where they differ, we flag it.
1771 to 1792: Daniel Boone passes through Lee's Town on the Buffalo Trace in 1771. Hancock and Willis Lee establish Leestown in 1775 on the site that is now the distillery. Commodore Richard Taylor builds the Old Taylor House in 1792, which still stands.
1811 and 1858: a three storey stone warehouse is built on the Kentucky River in 1811. Benjamin Harrison Blanton is said to distil on site in the years that followed. Daniel Swigert develops a small, up to date distillery on the Riverside site in 1858.
1870: Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor Jr. buys the distillery and names it O.F.C., which the official page ties to the belief that the finest whiskey came from old fashioned, wood fired copper stills. In 1872 he invests over 70,000 dollars in a new distillery.
1878: George T. Stagg buys the distillery and the adjacent livestock farm, and Taylor continues to oversee operations.
1881 to 1886: Warehouses A and B (1881) and C (1885) are built and still stand. Lightning burns the distillery in the Great Fire of 1882 and it is rebuilt grander. In 1886 a steam heating system is installed for the warehouses, which the distillery says makes it the first to use steam heat.
1897 to 1921: Albert B. Blanton joins as an office boy aged 16 in 1897, renames the distillery George T. Stagg in 1904 and becomes president in 1921.
1919 to 1933: one of very few distilleries permitted to bottle medicinal whiskey, and permitted to produce new whiskey from 1930 to 1933. Only four Kentucky distilleries could produce whiskey when Prohibition ended.
1929 to 1953: Schenley Distillers Corporation buys the distillery in 1929 and expands it between 1933 and 1937. The great flood of 1937 reaches 17 feet above the power plant. The one millionth post Prohibition barrel is made in 1942. Warehouse V, the world's only single barrel warehouse, is built in 1953 for the two millionth barrel.
1984: Blanton's is introduced as the world's first single barrel bourbon.
1992 and 1999: the distillery returns to a family owned business under the Sazerac Company in 1992. It is rechristened Buffalo Trace in 1999 with the Buffalo Trace brand as its new flagship.
2000: awarded Whisky Advocate's Distillery of the Year, the first American distillery to win it.
2005 to 2007: Gary Gayheart retires after 33 years and Harlen Wheatley becomes Master Distiller in 2005. The first Experimental Collection bourbons follow in 2006 and the E.H. Taylor, Jr. Micro Still, a combined pot and column still, in 2007.
2013 and 2016: National Historic Landmark and the construction of Warehouse X, the world's only experimental warehouse, in 2013. The long forgotten original O.F.C. distillery is uncovered in 2016 and nicknamed Bourbon Pompeii.
2018 to 2022: first new warehouse construction since the 1950s and the seven millionth post Prohibition barrel in 2018. Expansion in 2019 adds cookers, fermenters and a bottling hall. A new still house, a copy of the 1936 one, comes online in 2022.
2025: flood waters higher than the 1937 flood cover the distillery and production resumes swiftly after the clean up. The nine millionth barrel since the end of Prohibition is filled.
Where the sources differ
O.F.C. name: Wikipedia, as used in the top of this post, reads Old Fire Copper. The official page links O.F.C. to old fashioned wood fired copper stills. Check which expansion to print.
Earliest distilling: Wikipedia says distilling began in 1775 under the Lee brothers. The official page says Hancock and Willis Lee established Leestown in 1775 and only says Blanton is 'said to distill' later.
Namesake date: the official page says the distillery was rechristened and the Buffalo Trace brand launched in 1999.
Brands named on the official site
The official site lists these brand pages: Buffalo Trace, W.L. Weller, Eagle Rare, Sazerac Rye, Traveller Whiskey, E.H. Taylor Jr. and Blanton's Single Barrel. Its collections are Antique Collection, Prohibition Collection 1 and 2, O.F.C. Vintages, Experimental Collection and Single Oak Project. The footer gives Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon at 40% or 45% ABV.
Visiting, as published on the official site
Address: 113 Great Buffalo Trace, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601
Distillery and gift shop hours: Monday to Saturday 9:00am to 5:00pm ET, Sunday 11:00am to 5:00pm ET
Closed: Easter Sunday, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day
Tours named on the site: Trace Tour, Old Taylor Tour and Hard Hat Tour
Also: John G. Carlisle Cafe, a gift shop and visitor centre, and daily bottle offerings in the gift shop
Sources
Buffalo Trace sources, read 20 October 2026: the official history page and home page of Buffalo Trace Distillery, plus the Wikipedia article above. The official site describes the distillery as American family owned and as the most awarded distillery in the world, which is its own claim and is not checked. Gaps for Filip: tour prices and current availability, per brand ABVs, and the O.F.C. wording are unverified. Hours are a 20 October snapshot. Set the URL slug by hand. Whisky Clan does not publish tasting notes in its distillery profiles.
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