Buffalo Trace Distillery extends temporary closure to assess campus flood damage
A large bourbon producer in Kentucky has closed following severe flooding at its Frankfort campus, part of a major storm event that has left five people dead.
Buffalo Trace Distillery announced Tuesday it was temporarily closed due to flooding and will not be accessible to staff or the public. While it was originally set to be closed through Thursday, April 10, the distillery shared via social media Wednesday it will now remain closed through Friday, April 11 at minimum.
This weekend’s egg hunt event at the distillery has been canceled.
According to a Tuesday press release, a leadership crew went into the distillery Tuesday to check infrastructure, but couldn’t provide details because of the high floodwaters.
The Wednesday social media post said recovery efforts are expected to take a substantial amount of time.
“Though Buffalo Trace is still determining the final scale of total site infrastructure impact, early assessments indicate the damages are substantial and recovery efforts will be ongoing for some time,” the social media post reads.
Floodwaters in the distillery reached the second highest levels recorded in the facility’s history, the post said. Some of the campus remained under water Wednesday. Only permitted recovery experts and employees are allowed inside.
The distillery did not say how much product may have been damaged or which campus buildings were hardest hit.
“We can share that the flooding is extensive,” the press release reads.
“Due to the unprecedented and ongoing rain and flooding, we are not able to advise on the impact to our total distillery footprint,” an April 8 social media post on the closure reads. “We will assess those realities in the coming days as the facilities become safe to navigate and will make necessary adjustments to operations as required.”
The distillery was able to put an action plan into place before the flooding occurred, CEO and President Jake Wenz said in the press release, but even with those efforts, the company is expecting severe damage.
“We do expect the impact to be extensive and the recovery efforts to be significant and ongoing for some time,” Wenz said.
The multi-day rainfall has led to flooded waterways, covered roads, temporary business closures and mandatory evacuations. The Kentucky River has seen near-historic levels, reaching 48.21 feet in Frankfort Monday morning. The highest crest was recorded in 1937 at 48.47 feet.
As of Tuesday afternoon, April 8, the official death toll from the multi-day flooding stood at five.
“Our hearts are with the rest of the community that has also been impacted by this devastation,” Wenz said. “Buffalo Trace Distillery will support relief efforts in the coming weeks to help Frankfort residents through this difficult time.”
This isn’t the first time weather has struck the Buffalo Trace campus this year. In February, the distillery was the site of a weather-related mudslide. However, the mudslide did not affect production, so the distillery remained open while cleanup was done in the area.
Buffalo Trace is usually open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. A popular tourist destination, the distillery offers complimentary tours, as well as tastings.
Do you have a question about weather or storm impacts in Kentucky for our service journalism team? We’d like to hear from you. Email ask@herald-leader.com or fill out the form below.
This story was originally published April 8, 2025 at 12:57 PM.
