We are big Kentucky Bourbon fans so Buffalo Trace Distillery was a must!! This National Historic Site is well preserved & a great showcase for their superb bourbon. The tour staff is well informed, friendly, polite yet kept us on track from start to finish. After the tour you are treated to a FREE tasting of all the products + splash of root beer in the cream bourbon & their delicious bourbon chocolates. Highly recommend including this stop on your next trip to KY! read more

Buffalo Trace Distillery was a zoo when we visited for their last tour on Sunday of Memorial Day (3pm tour), and unlike some distilleries, they seem to make no effort to limit the size of the tour, so our group was probably 40 people. Will, the tour guide, deftly took us on an walk around the facility, telling us about the history of the distillery (on the registry of Historic Places), and about the distilling process before leading us to one of their ric houses. The tasting was chaotic, but unsurprising for a group of that size. It was free, so at least we didn't waste any money. I think the positives were the distillery grounds themselves and the friendliness of our tour guide. The negatives were the lack of crowd control, the tasting itself (the moonshine that they serve/sell is absolutely awful), and that Buffalo Trace bourbon just isn't that good to begin with. We might have purchased a bottle of Blanton's, which they talk about on the tour and which we saw in the bottling line, but they don't even sell it in the gift shop! Overall, a nice place to drive up to, but I wouldn't make it a priority for your trip through Bourbon country. read more

Buffalo Trace Distillery - Distilleries Near Me - Frankfort, Kentucky

Wow! We popped over Saturday morning for some limited releases (got none) but did pick up some more Buffalo Trace, bourbon cream, bitters, and Freddie's root beer for the home bar. The line for it was wrapped around about 50 deep waiting to enter the gift shop, which has been expanded since last year! Everything was well-displayed and easy to find what you need. They did temp checks and social distance enforced. Everyone working was so friendly and helpful! read more

This distillery is worth the time to visit and tour. We stopped just in time to catch the hour long tour. It was so informative, a history lesson. Our tour guide Art was fun, entertaining and a plethora of information. The topper was not just any taste testing but provided great advice when choosing the best bourbon. A stop you should make in Frankfort, KY. read more

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We stopped in for a quick stop on our trip and ended up staying longer than planned because it was so enjoyable! Everyone is so friendly and helpful! We will definitely go back for more tours and tastings! read more

Buffalo Trace Distillery - Distilleries Near Me - Frankfort, Kentucky

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We had Rick as our tour guide. He was energetic and friendly. He had a lot of knowledge about this place. The tour was free but we left spending some cash there. The tasting at the end was fine. We would have like to taste the Blanton's bourbon (exclusive and rare). It comes out once a week with no notification. The grounds are not as nice as Makers Mark but still enjoyed the history and the bourbon. We would come back to visit. read more

I knew absolutely nothing about bourbon but we were in bourbon country visiting my brother so when in Rome I guess! Having gone to Napa quite a bit since we live close by, I was hesitant about what was really going to happen on our visit. My brother kept insisting that you could walk up with no reservations, go on a free tour, and get a free tasting...on a SATURDAY....FREE! I was thinking, what's the catch? No catch! The place was busy on a Saturday afternoon but there was plenty of parking and we easily got on the next available tour. Our guide was a bit stiff (reminded me of my grandpa) and kept bugging us as to why our large group wasn't asking questions. I prefer to just listen and observe. Not having any bourbon background I was just there to absorb data like a sponge so I didn't really have anything to ask. It was part comical part awkward. The distillery is massive and I love the character of the place with the blacked brick buildings and the air had a strong bacony smell to (so a heavenly scent basically). The tasting was the most impressive part for me because there was ZERO pressure to make any kind of purchase and they gave you a ton of product to try! We got bourbon balls, root beer with bourbon creme, Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, and White Dog. It was fun to try everything we'd just learned about on the tour. I do feel way more educated on bourbon after the trip and can't help but hold a soft spot for Buffalo Trace now. I wonder how any other places on the Bourbon Trail can top this tour! This is a must if you're out bourbon tasting because it's such an easy experience! read more

I've had the pleasure of doing several events here, and all have been amazing. This weekend, I was working a two day event, so I worked closely with their event staff. Shout out to Rebecca and Becca (two different people) who made everything amazing. The setting is beautiful and historic. On the first day, I got there way early, so I had the opportunity to participate in one of their many tours. As a Bourbon lover, it was definitely a worthwhile experience. All their tours are free, but some are limited in space, so they require reservations so plan accordingly. I did the Trace Tour, which doesn't require reservations. All their tours end with a tasting of their products. Interesting enough, they make a Vodka there that is REALLY good. I'll definitely be back soon. read more

This is a great distillery to stop at. First of all, the tours are free, second, you get to taste 2 spirits and their bourbon cream (which is way better than your typical Irish cream. top notch!) And lastly this is an all around fun time where you also learn a lot about bourbon. Here's a tip: make sure you save time to peruse through the gift shop and pick up their bourbon cherry preserves. Whoa is that good! The bourbon fudge sauce ain't too bad either. read more

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They hire their employees from Karen's R us, terrible experience, waste of time, if you like this bourbon buy it cheaper at ur local liquor store... read more

This is the place. What a beautiful location. We loved our tour. Our guide was so funny. We were able to see so much here. The tasting was nice too. They explained so much and we really got a knowledge of what makes Buffalo Trace different. Don't miss this tour. Great time. read more

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I was pleasantly surprised by Buffalo Trace: it's so large and busy, I expected it to feel impersonal, especially since it's under construction, but Jimmy gave one of the best tours we had on the bourbon trail. Even though we couldn't actually see the process since they're not distilling during construction, we felt like we got a good sense of the place thanks to his excellent presentation and the visit to the Blanton's bottling facility, which is quite up close and intimate. You don't get to sample the best brands Buffalo Trace offers, unfortunately, and they don't have an extensive array of offerings in their gift shop, but it's still worth a visit to see one of the biggest, best and most historic bourbon distilleries in action. read more

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VERY disappointed today! We travelled a long way to go to this distillery and were all very excited when we got there for our tour at 3:15pm. We've been researching and looking forward to getting some bourbon that we can only get from here, but the place was busy with a ton of people bustling around. It reminded me of Disney World. Tour was good, saw the grounds and had a good tasting, but was regular run of the mill like you can do at any other distillery. The worst was when we got down to the gift shop and found that ALL of the shelves were EMPTY! How can you give someone a tasting of something that's not available to buy?! It doesn't make sense. If we would have known that you would need to get there super early or book a morning tour just to be able to have a chance to buy a bottle of bourbon, it would have changed our entire plans! There's a 1 bottle limit per person but what they fail to tell you is they only have a certain number of bottles per day.. and it doesn't matter if you booked a tour or not. Your 1 bottle allowance isn't accounted for! You guys lost out on making money because we were ready to buy bottles today. It's a terrible business model and experience. My suggestion is make this your first stop of the day or drive the long distance out of the way just to visit, and get there early if you want any chance of walking away with bourbon! Sadly, we're going home empty handed and disappointed in one of our favorite distilleries. Don't know if we'll be back. read more

"You are literally helping reforestation efforts when you drink whiskey!" This was probably my favorite tour of the weekend, shout out to Laura who was the best tour guide! We got to see a few ways they store their barrels and two different bottling operations! We had our fill of standing around large hot fermenting vats and loud stills and I was very grateful that this tour took us to a cool and dark barrel warehouse instead. Thanks for a great tour Laura, and a great whiskey drinking experience Buffalo Trace! read more

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Our first time to go on a distillery tour, and we got a rock star, Freddie! We had such a great time spending the afternoon with him. Tons of information, both personal and professional that we will take with us. Thank you, Freddie! read more

Friendly, helpful, engaging employees. Buffalo Trace Distillery has tours and tastings down to a science. The fact that the tours/tastings are free and walk-ins accommodated if possible is wonderful. read more

Great tour and we were able to get a bottle of Blanton's! Score! We took the bourbon Pompeii tour in the winter, and stopped by in the spring to see the gardens. read more

Hubby and I took a hard hat tour of the Buffalo Trace Distillery, and it was one of our most favorite things we'd done during our Louisville vacation. Highly recommend it. We chose it because it is the oldest operating bourbon distillery in America, and that kind of history gets me every time. The grounds are lovingly kept, and the old buildings are so cool. We had a very knowledgeable guide who took us on a nice one hour tour through the process from start to finish. We paid for the Hard Hat Tour, but it was nominal - maybe $15 - and totally worth it. At the end of the tour, you get to sample a couple of bourbons and vodkas made by Buffalo Trace, as well as a dessert of a bourbon crème and root beer concoction and some chocolate rum balls. Delish! Highly recommend this one. About an hour outside Louisville, so not even that bad of a drive! read more

Listen, I love bourbon so all the distilleries will get 5 stars from me. However, Buffalo Traces tour is FREE unlike most other distilleries. They start every hour on the hour and each person I've had has been super engaging. I probably learned the most about the bourbon process here, and they are open to questions. Also, some of the best brands are bottled here. Worth the trip. read more

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Access, information and personnel very knowledgeable. Efforts of restoring and reusing historic structures commendable. Landscaping adds a casual note to an industrial complex. Despite claims of being good for Frankfort, claims are questionable given their development of the hill sides and now, neighboring valleys. Can't find the "good stuff" in local shops and most of the eateries in town. read more

Fantastic tour! Ann was great, funny and just enough information. We did the Trace tour which gives a succinct history and takes you through barrel storage to bottling. Tasted six samples. All delicious. Go first thing in the morning if you're looking for one of the five premium bottles offered in gift shop (like Blanton's or Eagle Rare) as they sell out quickly and they don't post which will be offered in advance. read more

This was the first stop on our own devised Bourbon trail. I am still astounded by its hospitality. We went on a free tour, followed by a free tasting -all navigated by a fun, knowledgeable tour guide named Carey. They even served bourbon balls with the tastings free of charge. We each bought something from the store. I was very impressed with the mint julep and bourbon honey ice cream! This is a must go for those who are in the area sampling the different bourbons Kentucky has to offer! read more

For the love of bourbon!!!! A visit to Buffalo Trace Distillery is a MUST! It's a bit of a drive from downtown Lexington but the tour and tasting is worth the drive. Staffs are friendly and informative. You got to see and experience the step by step of creating your favorite bourbon. It is also kids friendly (had couple of tourists with strollers join the tour when i was there). First floor is the waiting area and gift shop as well, you can go to Upstairs to take pictures while waiting for your turn to join the tour. read more

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Great tour! Our guide was very informative and entertaining. The tour was free and we learned more than other distilleries that charged $20 for their tours and didn't provide the same level of sampling at the end. Definitely add this tour to your itinerary! read more

There was no trace of any buffalo here. Otherwise, it was a perfect trip and I highly recommend you visit. read more

First time back after the pandemic and probably our last. The whole Buffalo Trace experience has changed. We arrived at 12:00 pm. There were no tours until 3:00 pm so we decided to only do the gift shop and tasting. We were directed to the gift shop from the welcome desk without any mention of a wristband. When we tried to check out at the gift shop, we were nearly denied service because we didn't have a wristband. The cashier was not kind and didn't care about anything other than us not having wristbands. If the goal was to turn our money away, then they succeeded. We never found where the tasting was happening as we got 3 different answers from employees. A hidden gem now commercialized. read more

Beautiful old brick buildings adorned by colorful flowers. A name in the bourbon industry that will strike up conversation anywhere you go! Excellent taste. If your uncertain or unfamiliar; no worries there are free samples. Get there early if your a fan of some of their rarest. read more

Free! Free Tours, Free Tasting, Free Memories. Lol In all seriousness, nothing is free these days... except the Buffalo Trace Distillery. I'm not a fan of the Buffalo Trace flavor but everyone loves Pappy Van Winkle! (You won't get to taste it but it's their flagship brand. You get to taste 5 different spirits and a root beer! read more

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Simply awesome! All things were conspiring for making this a wonderful visit. Cool autumn day, crisp blue skies, hints of turning leaves, and three amazing people I love love love all sharing one thing I love love love, too, bourbon. While we got there early afternoon Saturday, there was a bit of wait for our tour group. No biggie, because we all walked the hilly grounds and just enjoyed the view. When we finally began our tour, the tour guide was simply amazing, knowledgeable, friendly, and had a good sense of humor. We didn't get to do the serious tour where you get to see the stills etc., but a tour of the grounds, storage of the barrels, and a tasting. I learned a ton from our guide. He put how and why bourbon is what it is and why it is where it's from in context. I love knowing context. Unfortunately, we missed the hand bottling of the Blanton's bottles by just a few minutes, but nonetheless we saw the room and that was cool too. For my first distillery tour, this was a great one. I love forward to others, but definitely will come back here again. read more

Buffalo Trace Distillery - Distilleries Near Me - Frankfort, Kentucky

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Unbelievable experience, highly recommend. If you can't get a tour booked, there is still a chance you get on a tour upon arrival. There are free tastings available even if you don't have a tour. read more

BOURBON. I loves it so. It's seriously the most American of all the boozes. 'Murrica. Additionally: do you like nature in your booze? Because bourbon is also the hippiest of the boozes, drawing so many of its always delightful flavors from untouched white oak barrels. Buffalo Trace's tour was crazy informative. Our tour guide was great and I loved getting to troll around the grounds of this historic complex. BTD produces some of my favorite bourbons, as well - shoutout VanWinkle 12 year Lot B! (... and I mean Pappy, but who are we kidding, that's some seriously serious and hard-to-snag stuff right there.) The thing I really didn't like: one cannot purchase the beloved at the source; one can only purchase select boozes (none of which I wanted; the White Dog, some bourbon cream nonsense, etc.) in their gift shop, which makes me has a sad. I wanted to buy some V-Dubs from the source! That said, it's still an awesome bourbon mecca and your time is definitely worth the tour. Gift shop swag = mad cool, too. read more

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This was my first visit to any distillery on the bourbon trail and I have to say I was amazed. First of all, driving into the facility, it set The Who experience up driving up a wooden fenced lined road with trees overhead. Once you get past this you are welcomed to the site with several older historic red brick buildings. Overall the grounds are great so much to see. When walking in there are employees there to great you and everyone you meet there shows you Southern Hospitality. Everyone there was so nice and ready to answer any questions. Initially the plan was just to go there to visit the gift shop and possibly find a rare bottle of bourbon (unfortunately I did not get a bottle of Blanton's or Eagle Rare). A few weeks prior to the trip there I did a search on the web site and it said all tours were full so had no expectations. Come to fine out once we got there we were about to book a complimentary tour and tasting. That made the day. As for the tour, it was amazing. Our tour guide Austin did an incredible job and knew what he was talking about while keeping it entertaining. He was very knowledgeable and we were able to learn a lot about the bourbon experience. If you are looking to find a rare bourbon, we were told you need to get there when it opens as they sell fast. There is actually a limit of one bottle and you will not to be able to buy another bottle of that kind for 3 months which was not expected but understand so people don't buy it out and resell. Even though I did not get the bottle I wanted, I did leave the store with a bottle of Weller SR and found out from the tasting that I liked it better than one of the bottles I was hoping to find. Overall this was a great experience and exceeded my expectations. read more

Oooooooh that smell Can't you smell that smell? Oooooooh that smell The smell of Kentucky Straight Bourbon surrounds you From the minute you step foot on the grounds of my favorite stop on the Bourbon Trail, you'll smell that smell. There are a few different types of tours that you can do here for free. They start hourly. So, after hustling to join the queued crowd, we were on our way. You will be taken on a tour of the grounds and led through the rick houses and bottling rooms. They show you a cool movie about the history of Buffalo Trace and how they go about making this fine spirit. Some of the highlights were checking out the grounds and their entire collection of bourbons. These are some of the best out there. Elmer T. Lee (named after a former master distiller), Eagle Rare, Blanton's and my favorite, Pappy Van Winkle. You'll see the caps of the Blanton's bottles that show the progression of a Derby Champion. I took a pic of that, so check it out. The flagship brand is no slouch either (Don't sell yourself short, you're a tremendous slouch) and a great deal in that price range. Tours conclude with tastings. They will let you choose two to sample. Man up, because they now let you try the White Dog. Say you'll be all right come tomorrow But tomorrow might not be here for you read more

Buffalo Trace Distillery - Have you seen Buffalo? - Distilleries Near Me - Frankfort, Kentucky

I came to Cincinnati to visit my best friend from college. We went to buffalo trace so that I could taste some great bourbon. I did not know what to expect from the tour. The tour was so informative and it was great to watch the process. I loved the history of the prohibition area and I would recommend going to this tour and a small local one as well! read more

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Lover of history? Bourbon? Picturesque scenery? Check out Buffalo Trace. I would give this place six stars if possible. After spending longer than expected at Woodford earlier in the day, we made it to Buffalo Trace a few minutes after the last tour took off. We were greeted at the gift shop by two employees who graciously held the doors for us. Understanding we were late, we weren't going to ask for a tour, but just look around the gift shop. We were given samples of Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, and Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cream (Bailey's who?). After taking a gander around the shop, a tour guide comes in and offers a quick tour. Mind you...this is after hours and he didn't think twice about giving us a tour. Our guide was a man by the name of Freddy. This is the guy you want! I'm sure the others are great, but it's more than a job for Freddy...it's a passion, it's family. Freddy balanced education and humor perfectly and was more than willing to answer any question. All this...after hours. I can't speak enough to the hospitality they showed us. I've always been a fan of their products, but now I'm a fan of the folks behind it. The grounds are beautiful. Like I said, it was an abbreviated tour, so we couldn't see all they had to offer, but we will definitely be returning in the near future. Just a quick note, the gift shop is open for an our after the tours end, so I wouldn't expect to get exceptional service if you show up an ungodly hour. A second note...while other distilleries are beginning to charge for tours, Buffalo Trace remains free and offers several different free tours. Definitely a must for the Bourbon Trail. read more

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Wanted proof of vaccination! WTF !!! Wanted to take our temperature.. still wearing masks . No Bourbon .. said they run out on the weekends . It was Sunday mid day . Terrible vibe . read more

Buffalo Trace, you are my favorite. Having the Woodford Reserve tour under my belt, I had a better expectation of what to expect from this tour. But this tour blew Woodford away. We did the hard hat tour and that gave us a behind the scenes in depth look at each step of bourbon making. This tour we got to put our hands in the mash as it was being fermented and taste it all. Super cool. The tour was about an hour, and we walked all over the place, and went up about three floors, so if you are scared of heights beware! The tour ended with a tasting. We got to choose two tastings of all that Buffalo Trace had to offer (bourbons, vodka, etc). Then we got to try their liquor, which was very pleasant and yummy. We had a great tour guide, learned everything I wanted to know about BT and more. I feel I could do this tour over and over again. Plus the buildings and land are beautiful. read more

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My friend and I did the ghost tour. It is a free event and there is a tasting after. It was very interesting and informative. The ghost hunters were at the distillery in the past. Our guide Tracy and Laura were both great. It is mostly about the ghosts but there is some bourbon making info as well. We got to taste a couple good bourbons. Again it's free. read more

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For me, finally visiting Buffalo Trace was akin to making a pilgrimage to Mecca (pardon the religious analogy). And to continue that trajectory, pulling up the leafy driveway I swear I heard angels signing & a beam of light shine brightly on the black asphalt parking lot...then again I could have been delirious from a heat stroke due to the 103º temp! But you get the point, this storied brand is hallowed ground for this bourbon-swilling fanboy. So why only 3 stars? Welp, it's purely a bi-product of supply & demand. The continuously exploding bourbon market shows no sign of slowing down, and neither does the interest in visiting where the limestone magic happens. So we opted for the "Hard Hat Tour" which is a behind-the-scenes guided tour walking the chronological pathway from grain delivery to the distilling process to the rick houses to inhale the 'angels share.' And while the tour guide was a captivating raconteur who knew is stuff, the entire time I felt we were hustled through without being able to really take in the scenery coupled with the explanation and have time to snap a few memorable pix...you basically had to chose one action or the other. Incidentally, ALL tours are 1 hour in duration & include a complimentary tasting (don't be expecting any Pappys or Weller though)...and commendably ALL tours are FREE but most require advanced reservations (the Trace tour welcomes walk-ins). Don't worry parents, during the tasting they've got root beer & chocolates to entertain the kids while you're sipping on some Eagle Rare. And once you're done & caught the slightest of buzzes if you're lucky (go on an empty stomach), you have the freedom to just stroll the bucolic grounds & soak up the history. But don't get me wrong, this is a def MUST visit during your Bourbon Trail excursion....just wish the experience more kinda mirrored the slow aging process of the whiskey itself. read more

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Buffalo Trace is a must stop distillery on the Bourbon Trail. Not only is it FREE, but they also have the best tasting around. (Vodka, bourbon, Buffalo Cream, and bourbon balls!) We take all of our visitors here, so I've gone on the tour multiple times and each time I've learned something new. The guides are all really passionate and knowledgeable and each brings something new to the tour. Depending on your tour number you'll also get to see different parts of the grounds so even if you've been before, you're almost guaranteed to see something new the next time! read more

Buffalo Trace Distillery - Buffalo Trace tasting and dessert! - Distilleries Near Me - Frankfort, Kentucky