Buffalo Trace Distillery Is About to Double Its Whiskey Production — Here’s How

(Photo: Buffalo Trace)

On Thursday, Kentucky distillery Buffalo Trace announced that its new stillhouse has been commissioned for test runs. A duplicate of Buffalo Trace’s existing still, the new still is 40 feet tall and capable of producing 60,000 gallons each day. With the addition, Buffalo Trace will be able to double its current production.

“We are really looking forward to starting up our new still so we can make more bourbon whiskey for our fans,” Harlen Wheatley, master distiller, said in a news release. “The new stillhouse is adjacent to the existing stillhouse. We put a lot of work into matching our existing still to ensure the whiskey we produce remains consistent. We will be in full production with both stills in the coming days.”

The still is part of Buffalo Trace’s $1.2 billion expansion.

Buffalo Trace says its new stillhouse will double production. (Photo: Buffalo Trace)

In addition to the the new still, Buffalo Trace on Thursday unveiled updated tour options.

After being closed since 2019 due to the construction of the new still, Buffalo Trace’s Hard Hat tour has been expanded with a new route and new sites. Beyond the still, the tour will showcase other additions that have been made as part of Buffalo Trace’s expansion, including its new 22-feet-tall cookers; its new dry house, which can produce 12,000 pounds of dried grain per hour; and the distillery’s 93,000-gallon fermenters.

The updated Hard Hat tour will last about 90 minutes and includes a tasting after the tour.

The Trace Tour has also been expanded, and Buffalo Trace said it will now “include more insight into the bourbon process and production through a mix of technology and new tour stops in the barrel filling and dumping areas.”

All of Buffalo Trace’s tours and tastings are complimentary and start and end in Buffalo Trace’s 33,000-square-foot visitor center, which was expanded in 2020.

“We are so excited to welcome new and repeat guests to come see our new stillhouse and experience our new tour offerings,” Tyler Adams, general manager, homeplace, said in the news release. “The major expansion projects are now complete, so we have lots of new areas visitors can see on both our Hard Hat Tour and our expanded Trace Tour. Plus, we’re really looking forward to having more bourbon for our thirsty fans in a few years, now that we’re doubling production.”

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