Buffalo Trace distillery is adding a cafe. Here’s what to know
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Buffalo Trace will open John G. Carlisle Cafe in Spring 2026 at Frankfort site.
- Cafe will offer lunch items and house cocktails using Buffalo Trace spirits.
- Venue honors historic figure tied to whiskey laws and distillery lineage.
Buffalo Trace is expanding again, but this time the addition isn’t a new bourbon.
The distillery is adding a restaurant to the Frankfort campus.
The John G. Carlisle Cafe is expected to open in spring 2026 on the first floor of the historic Elmer T. Lee Clubhouse. It will be a 4,900-square-foot restaurant will indoor and porch seating for up to 70 people.
The cafe will primarily serve lunch with a menu of fresh, made-to-order sandwiches, salads, soups and more, as well as a kids menu.
There also will be a cocktail menu featuring select Buffalo Trace bourbon and whiskey products.
“The John G. Carlisle Cafe is an exciting new addition to the Buffalo Trace Distillery visitor experience, allowing our team to connect with guests in a brand new way,” Tyler Adams, general manager of Buffalo Trace Distillery, said in a news release. “Offering permanent food and beverage options alongside our complimentary tours and tastings is a natural extension to the distillery’s legacy of hospitality and craftsmanship. The cafe will bring a welcoming space that celebrates our history and complements the authentic experience we are known for.”
The cafe will be open to the public, but visitors will still need to check in at the Freehouse welcome building in the visitor parking lot.
Who was John G. Carlisle?
Carlisle was a U.S. congressman who played a pivotal role in the passage of the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897, a landmark law that established quality and safety standards for American whiskey.
According to the release, Buffalo Trace Distillery forefather Col. E.H. Taylor Jr. named one of the two distilleries he built after Carlisle: Located alongide Taylor’s O.F.C. Distillery, The Carlisle Distillery was later managed by Albert B. Blanton, who renamed it the Kentucky River Distillery shortly before Prohibition. It was demolished in a 1936 expansion. The current mash house sits on the former distillery site.
This story was originally published August 12, 2025 at 8:55 AM.
