One of Kentucky’s own distilleries has been named American Distiller of the Year at Icons of Whisky Awards, beating out whiskey makers from all over the country.
Buffalo Trace, in Frankfort, KY, took home both American Distiller of the Year and Visitor Attraction of the Year, in awards bestowed by American Whiskey Magazine. In the 2020 World Whiskies Awards, the distillery’s popular E.H. Taylor Rye won Best American Rye, while five other favorites like Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Single Barrel, W. L. Weller 12 Year, Elmer T. Lee, and W. L. Weller Full Proof also took medals home.
“From our whiskies to our guest experience, our team at Buffalo Trace is focused on producing the very best, so we’re honored to be recognized in both respects,” Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley said in a press release. “These awards encourage us to continue investing in the Distillery, increase our whisky production, maintain our uncompromising quality standards, innovate through experimentation and win even more awards!”
The distillery is in the midst of a $1.2 billion expansion to try and meet the current high demand for their entire range of product. Buffalo Trace has already added four brand new 22-foot tall cookers, four new fermenters which each hold 92,000 gallons of mash, and seven new warehouses which each hold 58,800 barrel, with more on the way. Tourism to the distillery has also been breaking records, with almost 300,000 new visitors arriving last year.
Buffalo Trace wasn’t the only bourbon maker to take hardware home from the Icons of Whisky ceremony, hosted last week at The Flatiron Room in NYC. Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co. celebrated a win with “Best Kentucky Bourbon” and Old Forester Distilling Co took home Sustainable Distillery of the Year. Click here to see the complete list of winners.