Hello to old friends and new,

Embarrassingly, it has been quite a while since we sent out an update from the distillery, my apologies.

It is a long story but the rather rapid growth in bourbon demand recently has had us all scrambling to keep up and left us no time to personally write these updates, which is our distinct preference!

Hopefully, we have things back on track now with regular updates planned, especially now that we have Kristie Wooldridge on board to help out. Kristie will be co-authoring the updates as well as being on hand to answer any questions you may have.

We have lots to tell you about but let us begin by wishing you all the best for a very happy upcoming holiday season!

Since our last update, some highlights include:

– Buffalo Trace Distillery has become a National Historic Landmark
– We have experienced the very sad loss of Elmer T. Lee, Ronnie Eddins and Jimmy Johnson
– We are in the midst of a bourbon shortage
– The Old Taylor and E. H. Taylor brands are now back at Trace after a mere 118 year absence
– The completion and opening of Warehouse X – our new experimental warehouse
– The Single Oak Project
– Lots more awards for our whiskies
– The fall releases of the Antique Collection and Van Winkle
– Some fun community events at the Trace
– Our first coffee table book

We have pasted a photo collage;

We plan to cover the above events in more detail in future updates but for this update………….

National Historic Landmark

We were very excited to announce last summer that Buffalo Trace Distillery was named a National Historic Landmark by the United States Department of the Interior, becoming one of only 2,577 National Historic Landmarks in the United States, which represents 0.001 percent of total properties in the U.S. We could not be more proud of this fabulous recognition for the distillery and its 241 year history.

Very sad losses

It is with a very heavy heart that we share with you that our beloved Master Distiller Emeritus Elmer T. Lee, 93, passed away July 16, 2013 after a short illness. In the world of making really fine whiskey the role of Master Distiller is pivotal, but Elmer’s meaning to those he met, came to know, and worked with closely extended far beyond that of a Master Distiller. Elmer defined, in the simplest terms, what it means to be a great American – hard working, self-made, courageous, honest, kind, humble, and humorous.

We also mourned the passing of Ronnie Eddins on Oct. 13, 2010 Ronnie’s official title was Warehouse Manager, but he was actually so much more. He was an innovator, a creator, a perfectionist, sometimes even a barrel detective, and most of all, a friend. He joined our family in 1961 and was instrumental in our Experimental Whiskey Program.

In January of 2011 we lost our longtime friend Jimmy Johnson, who spent 42 years with us and retired as Warehouse Manager. Jimmy had the honor of rolling our every millionth barrel of bourbon this distillery has ever produced since Prohibition, even coming back in 2008 to roll out our 6 millionth barrel. Jimmy’s son Freddie carries on the family tradition and works with us here showing our visitors the delights of the Trace; Freddie will be familiar to many of you! Freddie is the third generation of the Johnson family to work at the Trace.

Bourbon Shortage

Last year we warned consumers that a shortage was looming, but many markets across the nation are just now feeling the full effects. Along with increased production, adding more bottling lines and hiring more people, we have also hired a full-time barrel allocation manager, just as we intended last year. Despite the increase in distillation over the past few years, bourbon demand still outpaces supply. Bourbon must be matured in new oak barrels and we age many of our barrels for eight to ten years, and some over two decades. That’s a long time to wait for a bottle of bourbon. Not to mention, with the amount of bourbon lost to evaporation over time, barrels are half empty after ten years. The increase in sales, coupled with the aging process and evaporation loss, leads to a shortage with no end in sight. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we try to catch up!

Colonel E.H. Taylor Jr. brand is back

We are thrilled that a few years back we were able to bring E.H. Taylor back home to where it all began! In 2009 we purchased the Old Taylor Bourbon label and barrel inventory from Beam Global Spirits & Wine, Inc. and since then we have now developed six extensions including: E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch; E.H. Taylor, Jr. Single Barrel; E.H. Taylor, Jr. Barrel Proof; E.H. Taylor, Jr. Straight Rye; E.H. Taylor, Jr. Old Fashioned Sour Mash; E.H. Taylor, Jr. Warehouse C Tornado Surviving.

Community events

We’ve had several very successful events this year. Our July 4th 5K Race was a record-breaker, with a record number of runners, and with both the men and women’s first place winners breaking previous record times. All proceeds for this race go to the local VFW 4075. This year we donated $14,265!

In August on what would have been Elmer T. Lee’s 95th birthday, we hosted a lunch for representatives from local VFW Post 4075 to present a $10,000 check to them from the proceeds for the Elmer T. Lee commemorative bottling. Elmer was a member of the Post 4075 and was active in it until his passing. Peggy (Lee) Comer and her husband Denny (Elmer’s daughter and son-in-law) attended the lunch.

Next up is the Lighting of the Trace on Dec. 4.

Fall releases

The fall release of our annual Antique Collection whiskies: Eagle Rare 17 Year Old, George T. Stagg, Sazerac Rye 18 year Old, Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye and William Larue Weller, were released in limited quantities in late September.

Also this fall, around late October, we again released the Van Winkle bourbons. Please keep in mind that supply is very limited and bottles shall be hard to find in stores, bars and restaurants.

Future Updates

Call us old fashioned but we are not fans of mass produced, impersonal mailings that are so prevalent today, preferring to send hand written, personalized updates. Sorry it has taken a while to get ourselves reorganized in this area!

If we can be of any help at all with questions, needs, wants please just reply to this e-mail and it will be personally answered.

In closing, and on behalf of all the now 425 folks at the Trace, thank you for your support of our whiskeys, it is very much appreciated.

Cheers,

Mark and Kristie,
Mark Brown
The Buffalo Trace Distillery
Direct: (502) 696-5978
E-Mail: MBrown@BuffaloTrace.com
www.buffalotracedistillery.com
www.greatbourbon.com

Kristie Wooldridge
The Buffalo Trace Distillery
Direct: (502) 783-5652
E-Mail: kwooldridge@buffalotrace.com