Buffalo Trace Distillery Reviews

Buffalo Trace was the main reason we planned this trip and flew to KY. We were Blanton fans for over a decade. We did take a Mint Julep tour bus, so it may have played a factor on our experience .
Reasons we were discouraged
1. Our distillery tour guide, whom reported was a taster, was very rude to several guest when asking questions. He enjoyed bragging about himself and experiences vs giving us an experience. We only went to 1 building and stood there then walked back to the tasting room.

2. Tasting what a joke. 2 were vodka and the bourbon you can buy anywhere. There was over 20 people and were treated like Cattle/children

3. Gift shop, or lack of it. We were excited to bring home bourbons that are hard to find. We planned to spend good money here but bought NOTHING.. I mean Nothing. We brought home 2 suite cases of bourbon to share with friends and family that can only be bought in KY and none were from here.

I understand the lack of supply, but having something to offer for those that travel to come here: 1 bottle family, wait list, lottery, personalized bottle... Take a note from your friend distilleries as they found a special touch to make the experience personal.

Bourbon is a sharing and friendly cocktail, unfortunately we did not get this vibe from you guys. Congratulations on being successful, but remember customers make that happen.
Very disappointed...

Eugene was our tour guide and he was amazing!!!!! I learned so much and the tasting was fantastic! Thank you so much for a one of a kind experience!

Excellent tour of the history and process of bourbon. Loved our tour, walking up and down stairs. Seeing, smelling, and truly experiencing (as best we could!) one of our favorite distillers. It was beyond tempting to swipe a bottle or two of Blanton's as they were being hand labeled.
Don't forget a bottle or five of the Bourbon Cream. It goes with everything!

Don. Get your tour with Don if you can. It s a walk through history and it is a very active distillery. Seeing the buildings and people really feel like we are in the heart of Bourbon Country.

The tour guide, Fred, is the highlight of this visit! So knowledgeable, great sense of humor, natural storyteller, and a huge advocate of the product. Thank you!

Friendly staff. Tour and tasting complimentary. Even though we had rain they managed to complete the tour. And it all was dog friendly!!!

Best spot on the Bourbon Trail! Free tour. Great stories. Nice gift shop.

The Hard Hat tour was awesome and super informative. Our tour guide, Jimmy, was very knowledgeable. The tour was FREE which is amazing. I have a new respect for bourbon & Buffalo Trace after visiting their distillery.

WOW! The Staff is totally knowledgeable and well trained, beyond courteous. This is my favorite stop. The whiskey is outstanding and the history was incredible. Plan on taking the tour, it is well worth the money.

Stopped by to visit the distillery on a busy Saturday. Tours were readily available. Staff were super friendly from the time we walked in to the moment we left. Went on a hard hat tour provided by Jarrod. He was exceptional! He knew so much and gave such an educational tour while being fun. Such a great time and so much to learn. Wonderful experience. Thank you Buffalo Trace for your Bourbon and hospitality.

Thetes an old security gaurd there. He will give you a hard time. Just go to the main office an report him.

Loved the architecture of the storage buildings and the grounds but the tour guide was somewhat pushy and rude. Found many of the staff the same way as if they were put out to answer questions or have you there at all. Won t be back and won t purchase their product....too many other distilleries out there making a far better product in my opinion.

Great facility. Ask for Freddie, you won't be disappointed!

Its been a few years since I went here and I honestly have to say that I placed it last on my list of places to see on the bourbon trail. Boy, was I wrong. This was by far my favorite tour of all tours. The older gentleman who gave the tour had worked there and even told us a story about his father working there. I do not remember the individuals name but he was the best tour guide I have had on the bourbon trail. There is so much to say other than outstanding. I would definitely go again.

Fortunately I have the opportunity to visit the area a couple times a year and try to stop by and jump on one of the tours. Today I had the pleasure of another tour hosted by Mike. Each time I have been here has been a pleasure. I love the history of the location and the bourbons they make. Each of the guides always has something new to add to the Buffalo Trace story.
Looking forward to my next visit with the expanded gift shop.

Great basic tour. I recommend making the reservation for the Hard Hat your if you got the time. Our guides were very knowledgeable and the tasting at the end was the of course the highlight of whole show. Oh yeah, it is all FREE! =)

Took the hourly free tour and it was amazing! The tour guide was enthusiastic and really knew his history. I would recommend doing the tours, I wish we had signed up for the 'hard hat" tour but we didn't know before we arrived. So definitely check out the various tours. The gift shop is decent, it has a lot of cool little nick knacks...I would recommend making sure you have space to bring stuff home.

Came here for a boys weekend and took one of their well planned and cleverly informative tours. We learned a lot about this old distillery of fine Kentucky bourbon and got luck that they were bottling Blanton s the day we took the tour. (Picked up a bottle.) if you like learning about history, tradition and the quality that goes into each bottle, do yourself a favor by booking a tour and sample some of their spirits at the end of the tour.

DO IT! Buy the ticket it s worth every cent! Enjoyed the the Valentine s Day Dinner, it was a wonderful experience. The food was prepared excellent: although the I wish my seafood substitute option would have been more developed than carrots and the 5th course was the least exciting to my pallet, it was still over all well done. We plan on another dinner at Buffalo Trace in our future!

Awesome distillery with the Kentucky river right behind it. Great place to kayak, canoe and doing some fishing

One of the best tours you'll ever go. Incredibly nice people and an incredible experience.

Tour was great, make sure and make reservations before you go

Awesome place! Worth to visit and enjoy it.
Big visitor center with lot of stuff and goods. Sadly we came to late or in other words i missed it to do the online reservation for the tour. I m more the walk in lets do it dude

Love all the products these guys put out, can t wait for our tour next month!

This distillery tour ranks a very close second to Jim Beam. While this tour leaves out many aspects of the bourbon making process, there is something about the facility layout and overall feel that brings back good memories. Your tour quality is definitely based on luck and whether or not you get a good guide, but if you do, you're in for a treat.

Also, if you're in town, try to run in the 5k race that takes place every year on the grounds. It's in my top 5 favorite 5ks.

Great experience. Beautiful area. Just wish I made it in time to get a bottle of Blanton's

Awesome facility and tour! Tasting room is open with tour. Highly recommended, do not miss this historic place!

One of the most interesting tours in the United States of America. No charge or free! Everyone leaves with a smile on their face. No brainer.

Great place to visit with a friendly staff and too notch bourbon

The tour guides here were the nicest out of all of the bourbon distilleries we visited during our trip through Kentucky. In addition, their bourbon tastes amazing!

Came back home to KY and wanted to buy some good Buffalo Trace bourbon and waited in line for a hour and all they had was the bottom shelf to choose from. VERY DISAPPOINTED so if you like cheap bourbon go there I won t be back.

Visited this landmark distillery over the Labor Day weekend. The tour and tour guide Rick were amazing. It was great to know how bourbons and other whiskies are made. The tasting of five different bourbons and whiskies at the end of the tour was fun. Kudos to Buffalo Trace distillery for offering such a tour and tasting absolutely free. The gift shop also had nice stuffs to purchase.

I have been collecting Pappy and Buffalo trace for the last several years. scored a 20 year old Pappy a few years back. added more bottles as they available. I had a nice collection of Burbon. I just lost my business and Pappy collection in the Alameda wild fire in Phoenix/ Talent Oregon. Horrific Fire. I mourn the loss of the burbon collection as much as I am bummed about losing the business. that is how high I cherished Pappy and Buffalo Trace products. sad. I am sharing this here because very few who know me apprecieate this loss. I thought here l could share, get some understanding. My spouce thinks I'm nuts.

Buffalo Trace is a very important part of the Frankfort community. They always have seasonal events for the kids, and it's a great place to take family pictures. My family and I are very appreciative for all you do!

It is truly the "Disney" of burbon distillers. This is a must see.

Great place to come out and relax at. Have a drink, absorb some "white" history, and have a bite. We love it here!!!

Very nice historical distillery and tasting experience. We thoroughly enjoyed all the Bourbon we tasted and had a very nice surprise! Buffalo Trace makes one of the best vodkas we've ever tasted. Made from a mix of corn and wheat and distilled a total of ten times! Make sure you get a bottle while you're there because it is definitely difficult to find!

Terrible experience overall. Good product but don t waste your time at distillery.

Freddie was absolutely the best! Staff were friendly and so accommodating. Covid safe friendly environment. Absolutely will be back to book a tour in way advance. So much to see here and explore

My husband convinced me to to go to this distillery with him, he said he always wanted to do a tour on the Bourbon trail so i caved in and went . I can't believe how much history has gone into distilling , creating a unique taste and producing top-notch Bourbon. The tour was interesting and full of useful information if you're a Bourbon aficionado . Our guide was talkative , he had a sense of humor and answered all question thoroughly. I enjoyed the tasting part because we got try the Bourbon Truffle chocolates, they were so yummy and complimented the Bourbon tasting. For a first timer doing a tour like this, i had a good time and it was a nice walk. Seeing how the Burbon itself is made, how its aged in barrels then going to production it all just makes me appreciate the fine taste of this liquor. The gift shop had a lot nice items and Buffalo Trace themed, we bought some chocolates and a magnet. I recommend this to those enjoy drinking Burbon and want to know what goes on behind the scenes. It is enjoyable adult fun,you have to experience it at least once.

You get to see the least active processes here on the general tour but it was by far the most informative if the ones I took. I will go again.

Excellent free guided tour. You are given a choice of 4 of their products to try at the end. It was very fun and informative for first timers. Experienced enthusiasts may want to reserve the hard-hat tour instead.

Loved the Distillery, Beautiful Grounds, Great Bourbons... however... our Tasting Guide (Michelle) was AWFUL... as she stated, many times during her speech... I Don't Care ..... and yeah...her lack of enthusiasm and lack of caring greatly showed....her poor attitude really dampened our tasting. What a shame.

Fairly good free tour. Very knowledgeable guide. Will come back for the better tours. Great products.

Fantastic experience! Whether you re looking to learn about the history of bourbon, take a tour through their beautiful facility, or sample some of their products, you can t go wrong with Buffalo Trace.

The tour guide offered a wealth of bourbon knowledge and history. Tougher to tour in the rain.

We went on the Ghost Tour. Deborah, our tour guide, showed so much enthusiasm for the history and community of The Trace. It was really enjoyable. We read on the wall, in the tasting room, about the Eagle Rare award and the charity for the Warriors. We were really proud to donate a few bills to that. Thanks Buffalo Trace for providing something our community is proud to have.

Went to attend the free hourly tour, but they were full. They provided a free tasting (4 types offered, but you can try 2). Cool buildings and worth a quick stop.

For truckers
Nice place,fast in and out. 5th time here and always out in less than 45min

You won't have a better experience at another distillery. These people pride themselves not only on the product produced, but on their excellence in customer relations. Beautiful grounds, free of charge.

Great food, great drinks, a great place to "get away" without traveling too far or spending too much.

Awesome place to visit. Rich with history and great tasting options. This is a must visit on the trail.

Neat place to visit, especially if you re a fan of Blanton s! I wasn t very pleased with the way the staff were acting in regards to covid.... yes, they had everything in place for the safety of everyone, however, they were too much down your throat with everything. They yelled across the outdoor area bc we did not have our masks on outside. It was 90 degrees and VERY humid. Made it so hard to breathe! I get requiring masks, but they need to back off a little. Yes, I m glad they can be open and they re just doing their job. I still gave 5 starts bc I m not going to let that tiny situation ruin a review. I hope they can reevaluate and be a little more lenient during these crazy, rough times...

Free tours and samples afterwards. Historic buildings. The tour was interesting, great guide. They offer several types of tours, so check times before you go.

Great tour even under Covid controls...love the smells, information and chance to see how it is done! Even got a chance to buy a bottle of Blanton's.

Very fun destination. Tours are free and informational and include tastings (some tours need advance reservation). Gift shop selection is hit or miss and limited. Don't expect to hit the jackpot for BT spirits.

Tour was amazing, if you like bourbon this is a great place to see how it's made.

I would really like to give a higher score, but I m just so fed up with all the COVID-19 responses everywhere, including at Buffalo Trace. My wife and I went out of our way to visit while driving to Nashville from Ohio, & of course couldn t get on a tour (even though I tried to schedule one a couple of days in advance), so decided to go to the gift store, but had to stand in line for over an hour for the privilege. I went looking for the rest room & was accosted by a staff member who must ve thought that I was trying to circumvent the gift store line, & then by another because I had the audacity to not have a face mask on in the great wide open with no one around! Seriously, get a grip! Also, why is the distillery the only place where I can find their bourbon? I ve searched for it in Virginia, Maryland, DC, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, & Florida, but it s nowhere to be found. I love Buffalo Trace & would like to be able to walk into my local liquor store & grab a bottle from time to time. Eh, whatever.

This simply has to be the premier distillery of the south. I love bourbon and the history and manufacturing of it is fascinating to me. The fact that this is a historic landmark only adds to the magnitude of this facility. The grounds are meticulously kept and the grandeur of some of the older buildings are kept intact. The tours are always free (as are all the tastings!) and the guides are extremely knowledgeable and friendly. The Christmas lighting is fantastic if you happen to be there at that time of the year!! I have been at many of the distilleries throughout the south and Buffalo Trace is in a class all by itself!! I highly recommend it to all the bourbon lovers and history buffs alike!!

Great tour! Wish they had a better selection to purchase at the end.

Buffalo Trace Distillery was by far my favorite place to visit of the three I got a tour of this weekend. The place was amazing and full of sight, what made it more amazing was my tour guide David. He knew American Sign Language and signed the whole time. I understood more about the process from David than from the other places without the accessibility provided. The facts about how large this place is, how big the still and processing tanks are just blows my mind. The other distilleries I visit had tanks in the 7000-7,500ish gal tank, these had up to 9,400 or in that range. I like the fact that they recycled their leftovers and used the tar to produce energy for the whole system. **I highly recommend that if you are Deaf, or knows someone that wants to visit Buffalo Trace, to call or email them and request David. He is not an interpreter but does an really good job making sure you understood the history and science of making Bourbon. **

Surprisingly kid friendly (even have a great playground and lawn for them to run around). Our family enjoyed the history of bourbon production dating back over a hundred years as well as seeing the storage, bottling and getting to sample several offerings. Again, for the kids, the root beer was a hit.

Amazing campus and an impressive tour that's free of cost with samples of their main lines of bourbon. Of all distilleries on the Bourbon Trail, this is a must stop

The Buffalo Trace facility is absolutely beautiful and a wonderful place to visit. The distillery is a national historic landmark that is teeming with history and stories. They are responsible for many of the worlds most delicious and exclusive bourbons and visitors get a glimpse behind the scenes at how these amazing products are crafted. They offer a free tour (with a tasting) that starts every few minutes. This provides a great introduction for first timers and a chance to sample some of their delicious products. For more serious bourbon fans they offer a number of paid tours on various topics. However, the paid tours book up fast so you'll want to purchase your tickets well in advance.

Most of the negative reviews here seem to have complaints about the gift shop which is just silly. The gift shop is beautiful and offers a vast selection of branded clothing, books, trinkets, and even some Buffalo Trace products. I've visited multiple times and they have always had Buffalo Trace, EH Taylor, Eagle Rare, Wheatley Vodka, and Bourbon Cream for sale. I've heard rumors that they sometimes have Blanton's but that it sells out quickly. Of course, anyone who has ever shopped for Blanton's (or any other specialty bourbon) will know that this is perfectly normal and definitely not something to complain about. Enjoy the hunt and definitely enjoy your visit to this stunning national treasure.

My wife and I toured Buffalo Trace Distillery this morning. We arrived about an hour early and were the first two in line. I was upset at first because there was no EH Taylor in the gift shop.

Then it was time for our tour. What a great experience! And we were blessed to have Freddie as our tour guide. (Even though he advised me to buy a new hat. (I was wearing my Maker s hat). Freddie is very humble and shared some amazing stories with us. I quickly forgot about the gift shop not being stocked with EH. We finished the tour with a tasting, I must mention both the tour and tastings are free!

As I was walking downstairs, back to the gift shop I saw people carrying those beautiful E.H. Taylor cardboard tubes. I quickly ran to the back and Score...I grabbed one of the last 3 left!

Perfect day!

Jason Wachenschwanz
Columbus, Ohio

Great tour on a great piece of property with great history!

Great place to learn about Bourbon. Fred was an incredible guide. Very knowledgeable and fun. We will be back!!!

Buffalo Trace Distillery is a must see either on its own or incorporate it into your Bourbon Trail. I have gone several times. Every guide has been fantastic- all very knowledgeable while putting their own spin on the tour. The grounds are gorgeous. The history fascinating- and the tour AND tasting is free! The gift shop is is large and full of goodies too!

Beautiful distillery. Very nice people. Tours were sold out so we went to the gift shop and walked around the gardens. Anyone that likes whiskey should go!

Pros: Great place to tour and learn the bourbon trade.

Cons: Their online gift store is HORRIBLE. I requested help as things go from "in cart" to unavailable once you hit checkout. Received reply from their reps (in NY state, btw) that handles their online/web store and their response... "tough luck, nothing we can do."

Buffalo Trace Distillery should remember you are NOT the only bourbon provider in Kentucky. Being humble & helpful goes a long way here in Kentucky. I'm sure Woodford Reserve, Jim Beam, Four Roses, Wild Turkey would gladly accept new business.

The tour and tasting experience were the most disappointing of all the distilleries we went to. And when we went to the gift shop at the end we found out the often run out of Bourbon to sell. Hard to stomach that after an hour of them bragging about their growth and sales number they don t make the effort to allocate product (Buffalo Trace Or Blantons) for visitors. The staff said they sell out everyday and had a flyer ready of local retailers because it happens so often. They were already sold out by the morning tour because of the day before. if you go on this tour expect a video, short tour, and a 5 min tasting. Consider spending your time at another distillery

I didn't go on any of the tours. However the gift shop was will worth the 100 mile detour on our trip! They have some of the best Bourbons ever made! It's kind of amazing what these people do with corn, water, patience, and oak!

Amazing place - highly recommend this distillery! We picked up Blantons and Taylor - very organized staff.

Great trace tour. Get the buffalo cream and root beer

Excellent and free. Freddie is the best tour guide ever. Sample portions were generous and he gave my daughter root beer. Some tours book up so call ahead.

Beautiful knowledge if you are a Bourbon Fan. Buffalo Trace is not on the Burbon trail and we found out why. With almost an incredible 400K visitors per year, why would you need to be? Also, BT does not charge for their tours which makes them stand out from the rest. We had great encounters with everyone we met there. We visited 9/21 and 9/22. From Lindsay to Rick to the very helpful Jenny and Janet, our experience was amazing. We will be back in the future. There was plenty of Buffalo Trace on the shelf. unfortunately, the Eagle Rare sold out quickly on Saturday and we only saw Blanton's in the Blanton Factory. We also did the KY river tour with Allison and Nathan, although it is not related to Buffalo trace they do leave out of their gift shop. Highly recommend the locks tour!!

Really fantastic distillery to visit. Free tours and tastings are a added bonus, although I would have happily paid as well.

Tour consists of a video, some other tidbits and a tasting. Tasting is good - the Bourbon cream is A++. Wasn't as impressed with the tour as some of the other major distilleries.

Love Buffalo Trace! Lots of history and top notch Bourbon, beautiful distillery!

Great tour! Lots of history and education about the nation's oldest continually operating distillery.

Since finding out as we arrived that you had to reserve to even be there. The only location on the property open to public was the gift shop but it had an almost 2 hr wait. All this sure to covid. Sad. When I look at website no mention of nothing available to those not registered. You have to be on a tour or there is nothing for you. We drove 2hrs to visit and got turned away

The hospitality of Buffalo Trace is second to none. What a fabulous experience for those that enjoy bourbon (and the tour is free!). Thank you for a great time!

This was the last stop on our tour of the trail. Everyone was telling us it would be great. They were not wrong this was such a beautiful place. The tour was free and was very informative. Our guide David was very happy and you could tell he loved his job. Would recommend anyone to go here. The tastings were fantastic as well. All around great great experience.