Record-breaking rain storms have been hitting the South and Midwest this past week, and the latest victim is the historic bourbon distillery belonging to Buffalo Trace. Starting last week, heavy rains have led to extensive flooding along the Kentucky River, which flows through the state capital of Frankfort, home to the Buffalo Trace Distillery complex. The flooding has led to mandatory evacuations as roads and towns have been submerged under 48 feet of water, making this the second worst flood in the river’s history, falling less than half a foot short of a flood that happened back in 1937.
In a captioned post from @buffalotracedistillery on Instagram, the company has posted an update saying the flood appears to have finally crested, allowing teams to assess the damage to the distillery. While the company says it’s too early to determine the full scope of the damage, from what people have seen, the post says, “we can share that the flooding is extensive.”
The distillery has been closed since April 6, and Buffalo Trace expects it will remain closed for at least several more days as the waters recede. The company said in a press release (via Lexington Herald Leader) that it was able to take action before the floods hit to potentially mitigate the damage, but that it is still expecting the worst. Buffalo Trace says that anyone concerned can follow its accounts on social media for more updates, and for information about potential relief efforts for the community.
Buffalo Trace’s long-standing distillery has been hit by flooding before
While the area around Frankfort is home to many distilleries, Buffalo Trace’s complex is one of the closest to the river. The Buffalo Trace Distillery is a national historic landmark, with some of the site’s buildings dating back over 200 years. In 1869, Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor Jr., considered the father of the modern bourbon industry, purchased the site and created the O.F.C. Distillery, which was purchased several years later by George T. Stagg, who continued to work with Taylor Jr.
It was during this era that many of the historic warehouses and structures at the distillery were built. Because of the Kentucky River’s history of flooding, Buffalo Trace says it has a lot of experience with flood management, which is why it had a plan in place for just such an emergency. Some buildings even contain markings measuring the height that other floods reached in the past, although the most recent is from almost 50 years ago.
While this current flood level has yet to be measured, eyewitnesses reported that the visitor center and warehouses appear to be completely flooded. Beyond the namesake brand, Buffalo Trace produces many other popular and respected bourbons, such as Stagg and Blanton’s, including one of the most sought after bourbons in the world: Pappy Van Winkle 23. While the resulting deaths and damage to the town are certainly more important, losing such a historic and beloved name for any amount of time would be a blow to bourbon lovers everywhere.
