FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) — The water from flooding that hammered the historic Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort has receded, but now the mitigation begins.
“Some of the barrels were affected by flood water, so not all of them were moved successfully,” said general manager Tyler Adams from the previously flooded parking lot, which less than 48 hours ago was under several feet of water. “We have a network of engineers between Sazerac and Buffalo Trace and Harlan's experience here; they've done that before. It really does start with an inspection of the barrel and reviewing those for quality,” Adams added.
Adams was referring to Buffalo Trace master distiller Harlen Wheatley, who also outlined the plan for getting back to business as usual.
“Our distribution and main bottling operation did not take on flood waters, thus, distribution began today, we actually shipped out this morning. We’re looking to resume normal bottling operations as early as next week,” Wheatley continued.
The distillery remains closed to visitors, however, at least through this Sunday, and Adams knows that element is a big part of the experience here.
“We are committed to welcoming the visitors back, especially as we lead up to Derby. It’s a top priority to get the visitor experience back as we ramp up production, so that’s definitely a focus for us,” Adams said at the end of today’s briefing.
