Saturday, May 27, 2017

Kentucky Bourbon - Buffalo Trace

Buffalo Trace

A recent trip to the Lexington, Kentucky area to tour some of the bourbon distilleries, especially some of the lesser known ones.  Buffalo Trace was a nice tour, great facility and very generous pours. Thankfully I was designated driver and I'm not much of a bourbon fan, therefore some of the other guests enjoyed my unwanted shots.  



The bottling line - done by hand









 Each barrel is charred to a #4 and purchased from the Independence Barrel Company. Barrels for bourbon can only be used once.  They are then sold on the aftermarket (for $150 and upwards) to wineries or breweries. 


To be considered a bourbon, the product must have a recipe that calls for at least 51% corn, then the rye and wheat percentages vary per distillery.  It ferments for a number of days then is transferred into the oak barrels, labelled and allowed to work its magic.  The barrels are stored in mammoth sized warehouses called rickhouses.  





The original owners house still sits on the property.


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