Buffalo, Barrels, & Bourbon The Story of How Buffalo Trace Distillery Became The World's Most Awarded Distillery

Learn about one of the most impactful distilleries in American history in this comprehensive tale 

Buffalo, Barrels, & Bourbon tells the fascinating tale of the Buffalo Trace Distillery, from the time of the earliest explorations of Kentucky to the present day. Author and award-winning spirits expert F. Paul Pacult takes readers on a journey through history that covers the American Revolutionary War, U.S Civil War, two World Wars, Prohibition, and the Great Depression.  

Buffalo, Barrels, & Bourbon covers the pedigree and provenance of the Buffalo Trace Distillery:  

• The larger-than-life personalities that over a century and a half made Buffalo Trace Distillery what it is today 
• Detailed accounts on how many of the distillery’s award-winning and world-famous brands were created 
• The impact of world events, including multiple depressions, weather-related events, and major conflicts, on the distillery 

Belonging on the shelf of anyone with an interest in American spirits and history, Buffalo, Barrels, & Bourbon is a compelling must-read.  

F. PAUL PACULT has been hailed in Imbibe magazine as “an all-knowing spirituous oracle, a J.D. Powers of liquor” and by Forbes.com as “America’s foremost spirits authority.” He is an award-winning educator and journalist, as well as the author of seven books, including American Still Life, A Double Scotch, and The New Kindred Spirits. For twenty-eight years, he was the editor of the widely acknowledged “bible” of spirits reviews, F. Paul Pacult’s Spirit Journal. He is a Life Member of both the Bourbon Hall of Fame and the Kentucky Distillers Association’s Order of the Writ.

Acknowledgments ix

Introduction xi

Glossary xv

1 “This River Runes North West and out of Ye Westerly Side . . .” 1

Sidebar: The Unforgivable Extermination of Tatanka 12

2 “This Map of Kentucke: Drawn from Actual Observations . . .” 15

3 “. . . As Crooked as a Dog’s Hind Leg . . .” 29

4 “. . . 10,530 bls. Flour; 1374 Whiskey; 1984 Beef and Pork . . .” 35

Sidebar: The Kentucky River’s Natural Wonders 41

5 “. . . The Machinery Is of the Best . . . for Making Copper Distilled Whisky.” 43

Sidebar: Kentucky Whiskey Production: Grain 49

6 “. . . Bourbon Production . . . Was at Best Crude and Unreliable . . .” 51

7 “. . . That in Consideration of Five Hundred Dollars . . .” 61

8 “Rev. Dr. McLeod Thanks God for Duffy’s Pure Malt Whiskey” 69

9 “The Most Valuable Assistance That We Got in St. Louis . . .” 75

10 “. . . An Early Nineteenth Century Residence Situated in the Middle of an Expansive Lawn . . .” 83

11 “. . . Raised the Daily Production from 400 to 600 Barrels . . .” 95

12 “Despite Many Salacious Rumors, He Is Mostly Remembered As . . .” 103

13 “Show Up Next Monday Morning . . .” 115

Sidebar: The Indelible Impact of American Whiskey’s Greatest Generation 127

14 Sazerac: The New Orleans Company and the Fabled Cocktail 131

Sidebar: The Sazerac Cocktail and Resurrection of Sazerac House 140

15 “Experimentation Is in Our DNA . . .” 143

16 “Resistance Is Futile” 153

Sidebar: Freddie Johnson’s Promise 167

17 “. . . Projecting Forecasts in 2020 for the Next 100, 120 Years . . .” 169

Appendix 181

Timeline 185

Notes 189

Bibliography 199

About the Author 203

Index 205

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