Buffalo Trace Flood Recovery Update – April 11 2025

Press Release

Buffalo Trace Distillery Flood Updates

(Click here for the April 15, 2025 update)

Buffalo Trace Distillery April 2025 Flood Update – Friday, April 11

FRANKFORT, KY (April 11, 2025) – The Kentucky River is returning to normal levels, and the Frankfort community is beginning to assess and understand the damage caused by flood waters across the region. At Buffalo Trace Distillery, flood waters have now completely receded, granting access and allowing for clean-up and recovery efforts to happen throughout the entirety of campus.

Damage Assessment and Initial Recovery

Distillery leadership teams, along with engineers and expert clean-up and restoration professionals, have begun performing detailed assessments and subsequent repairs for any of the buildings affected by flood waters. The amount of damage is still being determined.

“I am grateful for the excellent preparation work that our teams completed in advance of the flood, which mitigated the extent of the damage we might otherwise have sustained. Similarly, based on previous floods, our full-scale recovery plan is underway. We are confident we will be back up and running shortly. As of this morning we started shipping our finished goods again and we expect to resume bottling sometime next week,” said Jake Wenz, Sazerac & Buffalo Trace Distillery CEO and President. “Restoration of this National Historic Landmark is our top priority to ensure a quick return to making quality, award-winning whiskey and welcoming guests from around the world. Our hearts remain with the rest of the community who are also dealing with the aftermath of this flood.”

Barrel Inspection and Quality Testing

Inspection of any barrels touched by the flood began Thursday, April 10 and will be ongoing until all have been appropriately assessed. This is a very involved process, including both barrel inspection as well as the same rigorous quality testing every bottle of whiskey undergoes at Buffalo Trace Distillery. Based on historical knowledge from previous floods, Buffalo Trace has been successful in recovering any barrels that might have been affected by flood waters; the Distillery is confident in its process. Inspection is expected to take several weeks, however, any loss of barrels is not expected to be meaningful.

“A lot of heart and soul goes into every product we make, which is why our team is dedicated to testing with heavy scrutiny each barrel possibly affected by flood waters to ensure there are no issues,” said Harlen Wheatley, Buffalo Trace Distillery Master Distiller. “We have never, nor will we ever, compromise on the quality or safety of the whiskey we make.”

Visitor Center and Guest Access Update

Teams also started clean-up inside the Buffalo Trace Visitor Center, which saw flooding on the first floor and will require a period for repair. Teams are working diligently to re-open the Visitor Center in a modified manner as soon as possible. As of now, the Distillery will be closed to visitors through Sunday, April 13th. Additional updates regarding visitor access are as follows:

• As a first step, the Distillery expects to operate a greatly modified retail experience early next week from the “Freehouse Building” – aka the visitor check-in center directly adjacent to the visitor parking lot.
• This will be made accessible via an email reservation system available first to tour reservation holders whose visits were interrupted by the flooding.
• More details will be shared as they are available on Buffalo Trace Distillery’s social media pages.
• Until the Distillery fully reopens to visitors, only select team members, recovery experts and guests are permitted on-site.

“We know it is disappointing to have the Distillery closed and it is our top priority to welcome guests again as soon as possible. Recovery and clean-up teams at Buffalo Trace Distillery will continue to work diligently to prepare the grounds for reopening and the facility for operation,” said Wenz. “We also want to again say a heartfelt thanks to our team who has been tireless in their support, and the Franklin County community as well as our fans and vendor partners for their support and understanding during this time. We look forward to welcoming you back soon,” said Wenz.

Community Relief and Support

In the coming weeks Buffalo Trace looks forward to sharing details on forthcoming relief initiatives to further support the community. Should you want to support relief efforts in the immediate, the Franklin County Flood Relief Fund has been set up by the city to collect donations and offer aid to those who need it most. Find more information via the following link: Franklin County Flood Relief Fund.

For the latest information, please visit Buffalo Trace Distillery via Instagram @buffalotracedistillery or buffalotracedistillery.com.

Buffalo Trace Distillery April 15, 2025 Flood Update

FRANKFORT, KY (April 15, 2025) – Nearly one week after flood waters reached their peak at Buffalo Trace Distillery, signs of normalcy have returned to the Distillery. Supported by cleanup and restoration efforts by hundreds of professionals, removal of flood water debris and damage is more than 75% complete. Power has been restored to key areas of the Distillery, which has allowed craft bottling inside Blanton’s Bottling Hall and the main bottling hall operations to resume. The interiors of buildings have been emptied of water and restoration efforts have begun.

“Thanks to the tireless efforts of our contractors and dedicated teams, we’ve made tremendous progress in the Distillery’s flood recovery plan. While there’s still work to be done, the resilience and determination demonstrated this past week is truly inspiring,” said Jake Wenz, Sazerac & Buffalo Trace Distillery CEO and President. “Each day significant progress is made allowing the Distillery to return to normal operations and I am optimistic that, with this same spirit, we’ll be operating normally soon.  We want to thank all of the contractors, our leaders, and our team members for their hard work”

Buffalo Trace Reopened To Visitors On Monday (Limited)

Starting Monday, April 14, Buffalo Trace Distillery reopened to visitors with a limited retail experience. This modified visitor offering includes a small pop-up shopping experience inside the Freehouse building with opportunities to purchase select bottles and complimentary tastings in an outdoor canopy neighboring the building. This modified experience is available to those with previously held tour reservations. Those who are eligible to attend this modified experience will receive an email with instructions on how to book. If capacity allows, additional online reservations will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. At this time, there will be no tours or walk-ups offered.  We know our fans are eager to visit so we’re making every effort to return to normal tour and gift shop operations. Because we have limited capacity, unlike normal operations, reservations are required to attend the modified experience.

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