Buffalo Trace Distillery claims to be the oldest continuously-operating distillery in the United States, dating back as far as 1775 by Hancock Lee and his brother Willis Lee. The company's "Buffalo Trace" refers to an ancient buffalo crossing on the banks of the Kentucky River in Franklin County, Kentucky.
In October 2016, during renovations to convert a building to a meeting and event space, workers discovered the foundation of the original 1873 distillery building, which burned down in 1882, along with the remains of fermenters from that same year. The original distillery foundation was left in place after the fire and an expanded distillery building was built as a replacement. The site is now open for visitors to Buffalo Trace.
To date, Buffalo Trace Distillery has won a number of awards for its whiskies, with the most recent being winning 2020 Gold Medal - World Whiskies Awards and 2020 Silver Medal - San Francisco World Spirits Competition
