Buffalo Trace celebrates record visitor numbers

Kentucky distillery Buffalo Trace welcomed its highest number of visitors in 2019 – a 35% increase on the previous year.

Buffalo Trace Distillery welcomed its highest number of visitors in 2019

Last year, a record-breaking 293,996 Bourbon fans stepped through Buffalo Trace Distillery’s doors.

Since 2010, the distillery has witnessed a 466% increase in visitor numbers.

Buffalo Trace Distillery is currently in the process of investing US$1.2 billion to increase its whiskey production capacity and accommodate the growing number of visitors to the site.

Last autumn, repairs, restoration and painting began to take place behind the back wall of the visitor centre. The visitor centre was finished in 2015, but the facility is already being expanded as tourism grows.

The expansion is expected to be finished later this year. It will be used to exhibit more distillery archives and will have backdoor access to the production process, enabling the distillery to offer new and updated tour routes. It will also feature another event space for hosting parties in the evening.

In December, the distillery put its four new 22-foot cookers, which are used for pressure-cooking the milled grains before they are cooled and fermented, into action for the first time.

Furthermore, the distillery installed four new fermenters last summer, which each have a capacity to hold 92,000 gallons. A new cooling tower was also added.

Meredith Moody, director of home place development, said: “The growth we are seeing in all aspects of the distillery is really exciting.

“We are eager to show all of our distilling upgrades to new and returning guests on our updated Hard Hat Tour. It’s a whole new experience whether you are a first time visitor or have toured many times.”