Buffalo Trace

When George T. Stagg worked as a whiskey sales representative in St. Louis after the American Civil War, he could hardly have guessed that he would one day become one of the most significant bourbon producers in history. Through his business relationship with future bourbon pioneer E. H. Taylor Jr., Stagg acquired Taylor's O.F.C. distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, in 1878, and in 1886 had the first climate-controlled ageing warehouses in the US built there.

After numerous renamings and changes of ownership, the site finally received its current name in 1992: Buffalo Trace, named after an old buffalo crossing on the banks of the Kentucky River where the distillery was built. With Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon, you will find the core bottling of this storied brand in our selection.

How did a whiskey salesman become a distillery owner?

George T. Stagg, born in Kentucky in 1835, served in the Union Army during the Civil War and afterwards worked as a whiskey sales representative in St. Louis. Through purchasing barrels from bourbon pioneer E. H. Taylor Jr., he built up a close business relationship – when Taylor ran into financial difficulties, Stagg seized the opportunity in 1878 and bought his O.F.C. distillery. In 1886, he had the first steam-heated, climate-controlled warehouses in the entire American whiskey industry built there – a technical milestone for consistent bourbon maturation. In 1904, the site was renamed the George T. Stagg Distillery.

How did the distillery survive Prohibition?

The site was one of the few distilleries in the US granted a federal licence to bottle medicinal whiskey during Prohibition, and was even permitted to expand production after 1930 – a decisive survival advantage over its competitors. In 1992, after one final change of ownership, the distillery received its current name, Buffalo Trace, after a historic buffalo crossing on the Kentucky River. In 2001, the site was added to the National Register of Historic Places, and in 2013 it was designated a National Historic Landmark.

The most popular bottling at a glance

1. Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon
The distillery's world-famous core bottling.
Taste: Vanilla, caramel, and a subtle hint of mint.
Serving suggestion: An excellent introduction to the world of Kentucky bourbon.

Facts and figures

Location: Frankfort, Kentucky. Origin: O.F.C. Distillery, purchased 1878 by George T. Stagg. Current name since: 1992. National Historic Landmark since: 2013.