Now that the muddy waters of the Kentucky River have receded, Buffalo Trace Distillery began in earnest Friday the process of assessing the damage and beginning the cleanup after an historic flood. Frankfort and surrounding Franklin County, Kentucky are going through a similar process.
Buffalo Trace officials held a news conference to share updates on the status of their recovery efforts. Whiskey Network was on site to bring you the latest news.
The distillery said it hopes to open its Visitor Center “in a modified manner” early next week. For now, Buffalo Trace is closed to visitors until at least Sunday, April 13.
“We know it is disappointing to have the distillery closed and it is our top priority to welcome guests again as soon as possible,” said Jake Wenz, Sazerac and Buffalo Trace Distillery CEO and President in a news release. “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. 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.”
Photo Credit: Brian G. Miller
The detailed process of inspecting the barrels that were potentially affected by the flood began on Thursday when teams could first access the rick houses and other areas of the Buffalo Trace Campus.
“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, at today’s news conference. “We have never, nor will we ever, compromise on the quality or safety of the whiskey we make.”
"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. 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.”
Buffalo Trace Distillery Flood Situation, Frankfort, Kentucky
Update: Tuesday, April 15
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”
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.
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:https://bgcf.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create/fund?funit_id=1985
For the latest information, or to check for additional reservations, please visit Buffalo Trace Distillery via Instagram@buffalotracedistillery or buffalotracedistillery.com.
Update: Friday, April 11:
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.
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.
Source: Buffalo Trace Distillery
