Article by Elizabeth Roach
If you could have dinner with any three people, who would they be? It’s a question asked often.
If you’re a bourbon drinker, Buffalo Trace Distillery has a pretty impressive roster lined up: George T. Stagg, E.H. Taylor, Jr., and Albert B. Blanton. The good news is, they have decided to make those dinner party dreams a reality.
As part of a “Legendary Dinner Series” celebrating the fabled bourbon figures, the 227-year-old National Historic Landmark is hosting three separate events at the Frankfort, Kentucky-based distillery in January. Each evening will begin with an optional tour at 6 p.m., followed by a tasting and dinner at 7 p.m. Let’s take a look at the men who inspired many of Buffalo Trace’s best-loved offerings.
George T. Stagg Dinner
The first, the George T. Stagg dinner, will take place on January 10, 2014. The name behind the George T. Stagg and Stagg Jr. bourbons, this gentleman is one of the key figures that expanded the distillery now called Buffalo Trace. Working with Col. E.H. Taylor, Jr., he employed his business smarts to help boost the company’s status to one of the top bourbon makers. In fact, the distillery even went by Stagg’s name for almost a century. Ready your snifter for a memorable evening of sipping the namesakes of Stagg’s hard work and ambition.
E.H. Taylor, Jr. Dinner
At the time that he moved to Kentucky, Col. Edmund Haynes Taylor had no reason to think his name might become nearly as famous as that of his great-uncle, President Zachary Taylor. Yet as a proponent of the federal “Bottled-in-Bond Act” that led to the standardization and regulation of whiskey, he helped transform the American production of bourbon. The “Father of the Modern Bourbon Industry“ also implemented modernizations such as warehouse steam heating and column stills that continue to be used at Buffalo Trace. This January 17, 2014, dinner will feature tales of Taylor’s derring-do and offerings from the illustrious E.H. Taylor, Jr. collection.
Albert B. Blanton Dinner
You know you’re someone when the first single barrel bourbon is named after you. Long before the 1984 creation of Blanton’s bourbon, Col. Albert B. Blanton was making a name for himself. Providing leadership amid major crises such as Prohibition, the Great Depression, World Wars I and II, along with flooding, Blanton not only ensured the distillery’s survival, he made improvements. Aesthetic enhancements /additions included the building of the clubhouse and its gardens, in addition to Stony Point Mansion. Raise a glass for Col. Blanton on January 24, 2014, as you sample bourbons crafted in his honor.
Few dinner companions can rival these gentlemen. If you’re keen to enjoy their esteemed company, pull out your calendars now.
Tickets are $50 each per dinner, or for those who reserve for all three dinners, $135 per person. While the themes are festive, the suggested dress is casual.
To make reservations for the Legendary Craftsman Dinner Series, you may call 502.696.5930 or e-mail [email protected].
*Attendees must be 21 years or older to attend.
