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Buffalo Trace Distillery designated National Historic Landmark

New tour kicks off Friday, public invited to help celebrate

FRANKFORT, Ky. (July 18, 2013)– After 240 years, Buffalo Trace Distillery has been named a National Historic Landmark by the United States Department of the Interior. Joining the elite ranks of such American icons as the Alamo, the Empire State Building, and the White House, Buffalo Trace Distillery is now one of only 2,577 National Historic Landmarks in the United States, which represent 0.001 percent of properties in the U.S.

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Historic Buffalo Trace Distillery is located in Frankfort, Ky.
Historic Buffalo Trace Distillery is located in Frankfort, Ky.

To celebrate, Buffalo Trace is offering a new National Historic Landmark (NHL) tour, which kicks off Friday, July 19t at 6:30 p.m. The tour is complimentary and open to the public and will be offered on a regular basis. The new tour will focus on the buildings, architecture, and history of the Distillery in the years between 1933-1953, which is the period of significance on which the NHL award is based.

The award submission describes Buffalo Trace Distillery as, “a rare, intact example of a distillery operating before, during and after Prohibition with intact distillery resources ranging in date from ca. 1880 to 1953. These provide an unparalleled opportunity to study at one site the evolution of the building types, building materials and construction technology associated with the American whiskey industry over time.”

Buffalo Trace has spent the past 15 years on the submission process to be a National Historic Landmark, and has run into various roadblocks along the way.

“Nothing has made me happier these past 15 years than this designation,” said Mark Brown, president and chief executive officer of Buffalo Trace Distillery. “This award is for the distillery, its people, its builders, its visionaries, its preservers and protectors, its rescuers and those who have come to love it. I cannot think of a more deserving place.”

Visitors wishing to take the new National Historic Landmark tour on July 19do not need a reservation, but will need reservations for future NHL tours. The tour will last about an hour and will end with a tasting of some of Buffalo Trace’s products. For more information on the new tour, call the Visitor Center at (502) 696-5926 or email [email protected].

Buffalo Trace Distillery is a family-owned company based in Frankfort, Ky. The distillery’s rich tradition dates back to 1786 and includes such legends as E.H. Taylor, Jr., George T. Stagg, Albert B. Blanton, Orville Schupp and Elmer T. Lee. Buffalo Trace Distillery is a fully operational distillery producing bourbon, rye and vodka on site. To learn more about Buffalo Trace Distillery visit www.buffalotracedistillery.com.