Frankfort - BourbonSphere

Buffalo Trace Distillery is Throwing a BLANTON’S BDAY BASH in Honor Of Colonel Blanton. Tickets Go Live Soon!

Get those keyboards ready! Tomorrow at 10am ET, a world class way to celebrate Colonel Blanton’s Birthday goes live online via Buffalo Trace Distillery. Below are the details. Only 76 tickets available at $295 each. Partakers will see live Blanton’s thieving straight from the barrel for starters! Good luck and here’s to The Colonel! EVENT […]

The post Buffalo Trace Distillery is Throwing a BLANTON’S BDAY BASH in Honor Of Colonel Blanton. Tickets Go Live Soon! first appeared on The Bourbon Review.

Get those keyboards ready! Tomorrow at 10am ET, a world class way to celebrate Colonel Blanton’s Birthday goes live online via Buffalo Trace Distillery. Below are the details. Only 76 tickets available at $295 each. Partakers will see live Blanton’s thieving straight from the barrel for starters! Good luck and here’s to The Colonel!

EVENT LINK: CLICK HERE

Event Description

Embark on an immersive, deep dive into all things Blanton’s at Buffalo Trace Distillery in honor of Blanton’s 143rd Birthday! This distinctive event includes:

Your very own 750ml bottle of Blanton’s
Custom tour
Live thieving from a Blanton’s barrel
Guided tasting of Blanton’s, Blanton’s Gold and Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel
Three-course meal and more!

Limited to just 76 tickets at $295 each, this is an opportunity you won’t want to miss!

Tickets go live on 2/1/24 at 10:00am!

More Information here: https://www.buffalotracedistillery.com/…/blantons…

The post Buffalo Trace Distillery is Throwing a BLANTON’S BDAY BASH in Honor Of Colonel Blanton. Tickets Go Live Soon! first appeared on The Bourbon Review.

EVENT Feb 9th: “Bourbon Chocolate Bacchanal” by Whiskey Thief Distillery in Frankfort, KY

bac·cha·nal: an occasion of wild and drunken revelry…OK Whiskey Thief Distillery, you have our attention;) Frankfort, KY based Whiskey Thief Distillery is putting on a event with the makings of greatness – Bourbon & Chocolate! Below is their event description, what’s there to contemplate? Event Description TICKET LINK: CLICK HERE Please join us for a hands-on, unforgettable […]

The post EVENT Feb 9th: “Bourbon Chocolate Bacchanal” by Whiskey Thief Distillery in Frankfort, KY first appeared on The Bourbon Review.

bac·cha·nal: an occasion of wild and drunken revelry…OK Whiskey Thief Distillery, you have our attention;)

Frankfort, KY based Whiskey Thief Distillery is putting on a event with the makings of greatness – Bourbon & Chocolate! Below is their event description, what’s there to contemplate?

Event Description

TICKET LINK: CLICK HERE

Please join us for a hands-on, unforgettable Valentine’s celebration with an unparalleled pairing: Whiskey Thief Distilling Co. and Ilan’s Raw Chocolate.

This immersive evening will include your chance to make your own chocolate to take home, taste four Whiskey Thief award-winning bourbons and one rye whiskey straight from the barrel, and fill 2 of your own 200mL limited edition bottles with your favorites of the night. The evening also includes an appetizer bar from Whiskey Thief’s culinary chef, a photo booth, and an open bar at our 127-acre farm distillery paradise to truly create a remarkable evening that will be hard to top.

Tickets are $150 per person and include all of the above with an opportunity to purchase additional 200mL, 375mL, and 750mL bottles of our award-winning bourbon and rye whiskey. Please contact katherine@whiskeythief.com with any questions and we look forward to sharing the night with you.

For the latest in Bourbon, visit www.thebourbonreview.com

The post EVENT Feb 9th: “Bourbon Chocolate Bacchanal” by Whiskey Thief Distillery in Frankfort, KY first appeared on The Bourbon Review.

NEW RELEASE: 17 Year “Frankfort” Hardin’s Creek by James B. Beam

This week, James B. Beam Distilling Co. debuted “Frankfort” – the 2nd release of its Hardin’s Creek 3 bottle “Kentucky Series”, clocking in at 110 proof (55% abv). SRP being $169.99 (750ml). Frankfort and all three releases of the Kentucky Series are aged 17 years, distilled at one location from the same mashbill and bottled […]

The post NEW RELEASE: 17 Year “Frankfort” Hardin’s Creek by James B. Beam first appeared on The Bourbon Review.

This week, James B. Beam Distilling Co. debuted “Frankfort” – the 2nd release of its Hardin’s Creek 3 bottle “Kentucky Series”, clocking in at 110 proof (55% abv). SRP being $169.99 (750ml).

Frankfort and all three releases of the Kentucky Series are aged 17 years, distilled at one location from the same mashbill and bottled at identical proof. The distinguishing point is AGING LOCATION and a focus on the wine industry term “terroir” . Each of the three releases were aged at different Beam campuses in Kentucky: Clermont, Frankfort, Boston.

The inaugural “Clermont” release debuted in June as the final “Boston” release is scripted for September ’23 release.

“These liquids are comprised of the same mash bill, and aged for the same amount of time, but resulted in a different tasting profile. It’s a real testament to how micro-climates and diverse landscapes can impart major differences on the flavor profile of each whiskey,” said Freddie Noe, Eighth Generation Master Distiller of the Fred B. Noe Distillery. “The humidity and airflow in our Frankfort campus influence the evaporation and oxidization processes, making a slower reaction to the color and flavor.”

Per the brand, the creek bed at the Frankfort campus covers the storied rack houses in a blanket of humidity, making everything age more slowly. The unique terroir of Frankfort lends this Bourbon a flavor distinct from the other two expressions in the series, making for a delicate oak-infused pour, with notes of sweet caramel and floral tobacco.

TASTING NOTES (Brand Provided)

COLOR Deep burnished amber

NOSE Delicate oak wood with hints of campfire and cigar box

PALATE Concentrated sweet caramel and raisin with gentle floral tobacco

FINISH Sweet oak and aged wood tones

Launched in 2022, Hardin’s Creek is a series of ongoing releases featuring some of the James B. Beam Distilling Co.’s rarest and most unique whiskeys, grounded in rich distilling expertise. The releases showcase the breadth and depth of the James B. Beam Distilling Co’s whiskey-making credentials inclusive of age, blending, mash bill, distillation, barrels, rack house locations and more.

The brand launched in 2022 with its inaugural expressions, Jacob’s Well and Colonel James B. Beam.

For more brand info: www.hardinscreek.com

For the latest in Bourbon, visit www.thebourbonreview.com

The post NEW RELEASE: 17 Year “Frankfort” Hardin’s Creek by James B. Beam first appeared on The Bourbon Review.

Digging Into Scotland’s Whisky History

Thousands of illicit distilling sites exist around Scotland. Derek Alexander and his team of archaeologists at the National Trust for Scotland have barely scratched the… Read More

Thousands of illicit distilling sites exist around Scotland. Derek Alexander and his team of archaeologists at the National Trust for Scotland have barely scratched the surface of the country’s bothys, but their recent digs have uncovered some rare artifacts of illicit distilling’s past. We’ll catch up with Derek on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, The Balvenie’s longtime Malt Master, David Stewart, is standing down after 47 years in the post. The UK, Australia, and New Zealand all raised liquor taxes this week, and Suntory is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a “tiny house” tour of America.

Episode 1016: August 6, 2023

Photo courtesy National Trust for Scotland.

Hardin’s Creek Clermont Bourbon Tops the Week’s New Releases

Beam Suntory is out with the first of three releases in the Hardin’s Creek range of small batch Bourbons. Hardin’s Creek Clermont is named for… Read More

Beam Suntory is out with the first of three releases in the Hardin’s Creek range of small batch Bourbons. Hardin’s Creek Clermont is named for the town of Clermont where the James B. Beam Distilling Company is located, and this whiskey was matured in the rickhouses at Clermont. Later this summer, Hardin’s Creek releases for the other two Kentucky sites in Boston and Frankfort will be released, with Frankfort coming on August 1 and Boston rounding out the Kentucky Series on September 1.

Master distiller Freddie Noe says all three were distilled 17 years ago on the same day. “Probably the most unique part of this is that the barrels from that same couple of fermenters and distillation were dispersed among these three facilities at infancy…there wasn’t no movement afterwards, and that just doesn’t happen,” he said in a Zoom call with whisky writers.

Hardin’s Creek Clermont will be available starting this month with a recommended retail price of $169.99 a bottle.

Also from Bourbon Country…Wild Turkey is releasing its third annual batch of Russell’s Reserve 13 year old. It’s a barrel proof, unfiltered Bourbon selected by Eddie Russell that made its debut two years ago, and will be available starting this month with a recommended retail price of $150 a bottle.

Woodford Reserve has released its annual Batch Proof bottling as part of the Master’s Collection series. It’s the first batch proof release since Elizabeth McCall was promoted to master distiller several months ago, and is bottled at 62-point-3 percent ABV. It’ll be available in select U-S and global markets with a recommended retail price of $129.99 a bottle.

Texas’s Milam and Greene is out with a new small batch Bourbon of their own…in fact, it’s a very small batch of just 75 barrels finished with French Oak staves. It’s the first core addition to the Milam and Greene lineup in more than two years…and part of their partnership with Bardstown Bourbon Company. Milam and Greene Very Small Batch Batch number one will be available in limited amounts with a recommended retail price of $69.99 a bottle.

Meanwhile, Bardstown Bourbon Company has a new release of its own, the 10th expression in the Discovery Series, which blends whiskies from around the U.S. Discovery Number 10 combines Bourbons from Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia. It’ll be available online at Seelbach’s dot com and at retailers in 24 U.S. states with a recommended retail price of $139.99 a bottle.

Blue Run Spirits is releasing a new Double Oak Single Barrel Rye…with 10 different barrels available. It’s finished in new charred oak barrels, and is available now through Blue Run’s web site and starting next month at retailers in Kentucky, California, Illinois, Florida, and Michigan for $199.99 a bottle.

There’s a new expression of Bib and Tucker Bourbon coming soon from Deutsch Family Wines and Spirits. Bib and Tucker Double Char is a 6-year-old Tennessee Bourbon finished in a new heavily charred oak barrel that’s also been smoked with sugar maple charcoal in an homage to the Lincoln County Process of charcoal filtering. It’ll be available starting in August with a recommended retail price of $54.99 a bottle.

Ireland’s Teeling Whiskey Company has released the second edition in its Wonders of Wood series. The single pot still whiskey was matured in Virgin Portuguese Oak barrels and carries a $99.99 price tag. Part of the proceeds from each bottle will go to help reforest an acre of woodland near Dublin with native Irish Oak trees.

Crown Royal has released what may well be the oldest flavored whisky on record. Crown Royal Golden Apple Aged 23 Years is part of a partnership with multimedia artist Solange Knowles, and will carry a recommended retail price of $249.99 a bottle.

On the Scotch front, Whyte and Mackay has released this year’s bottling of Fettercairn 18 Year old. It’s finished in locally sourced Scottish Oak barrels, and will be available in the U-K, France, Germany, and other countries for around $275 a bottle.

Finally, Italy’s Puni Distillery has released its third bottling in the Aura range, a cask-strength bottling aged for eight years in virgin French Oak casks. It’s available through the Puni web site for €179 a bottle.

Published June 4, 2023

Hardin’s Creek Clermont Bourbon Tops the Week’s New Releases

Beam Suntory is out with the first of three releases in the Hardin’s Creek range of small batch Bourbons. Hardin’s Creek Clermont is named for… Read More

Hardin’s Creek Clermont will be available starting this month with a recommended retail price of $169.99 a bottle.

Published June 4, 2023

Old Pulteney Shutting Down for 8 Weeks to Protect Water Supply

With some parts of Scotland facing another long, dry summer, distilleries are making plans to cope with expected water shortages from the lochs and rivers… Read More

With some parts of Scotland facing another long, dry summer, distilleries are making plans to cope with expected water shortages from the lochs and rivers that provide essential water for distilling. Wick’s Old Pulteney Distillery has already announced plans to shut down production for eight weeks this summer after losing much of the last two summers to drought. We’ll talk with distillery manager Malcolm Waring on this week’s WhiskyCast In-Depth. In the news, Balmenach Distillery has received a £4 million upgrade to make the distillery more energy-efficient, a bottle of the rare 81-year-old The Reach from The Macallan is up for grabs in British Columbia, and there’s a host of new whiskies being released in time for Father’s Day.

Episode 1007: June 4, 2023

Old Pulteney Shutting Down for 8 Weeks to Protect Water Supply

With some parts of Scotland facing another long, dry summer, distilleries are making plans to cope with expected water shortages from the lochs and rivers… Read More

Episode 1007: June 4, 2023

HISTORIC DAY: Buffalo Trace Rolls Out 8th Million Barrel since Prohibition

Today marked a very special occasion at Buffalo Trace Distillery – rolling out the 8,000,000th barrel of whiskey since Prohibition. As Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley put it, “Through floods, The Depression, recessions, one thing has remained constant – us making whiskey.” Dangit, if that doesn’t get your blood fired up, I’m not sure what else […]

The post HISTORIC DAY: Buffalo Trace Rolls Out 8th Million Barrel since Prohibition first appeared on The Bourbon Review.

Today marked a very special occasion at Buffalo Trace Distillery – rolling out the 8,000,000th barrel of whiskey since Prohibition.

As Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley put it, “Through floods, The Depression, recessions, one thing has remained constant – us making whiskey.” Dangit, if that doesn’t get your blood fired up, I’m not sure what else we can do for you.

And unlike previous milestones which took an average of 12 years to achieve, the eighth millionth barrel comes just four years after the seventh millionth barrel (filled in 2018), due to the $1.2 billion expansion efforts at the Distillery over the last several years. On hand to mark the occasion was Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Kentucky Senate Majority Floor Leader Damon Thayer and Buffalo Trace Distillery officials, including third generation team member Freddie Johnson whose family has been involved in every millionth barrel since 1942.

“Over the past few years, we’ve doubled our fermenters, added more grain cookers and more barrel warehouses, all in an effort to make more bourbon,” said Harlen Wheatley, master distiller. “We’ve filled a record number of barrels every year, as evidenced by how fast we moved from the seventh millionth barrel to the eighth millionth barrel. Now that we have our new still house starting up, we’ll be able to double the output of our whiskey production, so we’re going to be reaching 9 million barrels before you know it!”

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear added, “I am thrilled to celebrate this incredible milestone with Buffalo Trace Distillery. This company has more than 200 years of history in our state, providing quality jobs for Kentuckians and producing our world-famous bourbon. Thank you to the leaders at Buffalo Trace for their continued commitment to the commonwealth and our people. Here’s to 200 more years of success in our state.”

As Governor Beshear spoke today at a ceremony at Buffalo Trace Distillery, the attendees looked on as third generation Buffalo Trace team member Freddie Johnson carried on his father’s legacy by rolling the eighth millionth barrel into Warehouse V, the world’s smallest bonded barrel warehouse. Joining Freddie on the ceremonial barrel roll was his teenage grandson, marking four generations from the Johnson family to have a hand in the milestone barrels filled at Buffalo Trace. Johnson’s late father Jimmy Johnson, a former warehouse supervisor, played a key role in each millionth barrel produced at Buffalo Trace since Prohibition.

“Reflecting back on the history of this Distillery, the progress we’ve made over the past few decades is astounding, but even more impressive is the dedication and longevity of so many of our team members. We have many second and third generation team members here, and several members of our workforce who have been here 20, 30, some even closing in on 40 years with us!” said Mark Brown, president and chief executive officer, Buffalo Trace Distillery. “It’s this commitment to their craft that not only sets us apart but positions us perfectly for future growth as we continue our focus on producing more award-winning bourbon for future generations to enjoy.”

Buffalo Trace’s seventh millionth barrel of bourbon, barreled in April of 2018, has been removed from Warehouse V and put away to continue aging in one of Buffalo Trace’s larger warehouses. After a few more years, it will be ready to bottle and will be offered to various nonprofit organizations for fundraising efforts. Information about how to apply for a bottle will be announced at that time.

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BUFFALO TRACE DISTILLERY Announces New “Dining Destination” Slated for 2023

Could waking up and smelling the Pappy (mashbill) be on the near horizon for the hospitality experience at Buffalo Trace Distillery? Today, the world renown Bourbon maker teed up some big things that are in the works, definitely an onsite restaurant experience which by itself would be a huge game changer. But could that also […]

The post BUFFALO TRACE DISTILLERY Announces New “Dining Destination” Slated for 2023 first appeared on The Bourbon Review.

Could waking up and smelling the Pappy (mashbill) be on the near horizon for the hospitality experience at Buffalo Trace Distillery?

Today, the world renown Bourbon maker teed up some big things that are in the works, definitely an onsite restaurant experience which by itself would be a huge game changer. But could that also include an on property heads-in-beds component? Time will tell, but wouldn’t that be just the ultimate icing on the cake – adding that crucial experiential growth realm to the overall Bourbon Country experience and the overall lifestyle destination vibe in The Bourbon State.

In terms of what makes a distillery experience special, BTD is already crushing it. Their whiskey portfolio is safely categorized in the “off the charts” high demand, the site itself has 200+years of distillery history to boast, the town itself (Frankfort) is strategically located dead on between Lexington and Louisville, it’s less than 3 miles from Distillery to the Kentucky State Capitol Building…and they have the best dang guide/ambassador in the biz – Freddie “Daddy’O” Johnson.

Adding a “dining destination” as referenced in the Press Release below would (will) be bonkers awesome. That is coming. This would leave only a hotel component for the imagination and the remaining experiential frontier for BTD to conquer.

Below is the Press Release from BTD noting a “new local tourism and dining destination”. It will be quite exciting to see what lies ahead for the elite American Whiskey maker.

PRESS RELEASE

(FRANKFORT, KY) Buffalo Trace Distillery today announced plans to introduce an exciting new local tourism and dining destination at the distillery near downtown Frankfort. An existing building that currently operates as a gas station will be converted to support the venue. The new destination is expected to open in 2023.

“At Buffalo Trace Distillery we are always looking for ways to engage and inspire our visitors and residents of our local community alike,” said Sara Saunders, Vice President Buffalo Trace Distillery. “As we look to the future, we’re committed to honoring the traditions of our 234-year history while also embracing change as we aim to invite even more whiskey lovers into our family. This exciting project does just that, and we are thrilled to be adding another quality dining and tourism destination for both Franklin County residents as well as the 400,000+ guests from around the world who visit our distillery each year.”

It is anticipated that the new destination will inject significant revenue into the local community, paving the way for the creation of new local jobs and serving as a strong tie-in to the downtown Frankfort redevelopment master plan.

“Our commonwealth’s world-famous bourbon industry is a vital component of our thriving agriculture ecosystem,” said Kentucky Commissioner of Agriculture Dr. Ryan Quarles. “We are thrilled to see the historic Buffalo Trace Distillery continue to expand through this exciting project that will showcase Kentucky Proud food and beverages to an even wider audience in the years to come.”

Buffalo Trace Distillery Rickhouse — BTD Rickhouse

While specific plans are still being finalized, the destination will be constructed at the Fair Oaks Lane entrance to the distillery on the site of the existing BP gas station and convenience store, a property Buffalo Trace Distillery currently owns. Operations at the gas station will end in August 2022 with plans to break ground on the new venue to follow shortly thereafter.

“As a longtime Franklin County resident and business owner, I am thrilled to see our neighbor, Buffalo Trace Distillery, continuing to pour resources and new opportunity back into our growing community,” said Marc Stone, President of Stonebridge Hospitality, the area’s largest hotelier. “This new experience, available to visitors from across the globe who come right here to Franklin County, will encourage guests to spend more time here, a benefit to every local business.”

Company officials anticipate that groundbreaking for the new tourism and dining destination will take place in fall of this year, with a grand opening target of summer 2023.

Full details about Buffalo Trace Distillery’s catalogue of signature products and distinctive visitor experiences are available at BuffaloTraceDistillery.com.

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