FRANKFORT, Ky. — Buffalo Trace Distillery is continuing to make strides toward returning to normalcy after historic flooding in early April. Teams are working to ensure the distillery can accommodate increased visitation during Derby week.

According to a news release, on Tuesday, April 22, the distillery moved its limited retail experience to the second floor of the Visitors Center, allowing regular check-in processes to resume inside the Freehouse building and providing guests with expanded retail and tasting options. The distillery is not currently offering walk-up retail or tour experiences.

“Welcoming visitors back to Buffalo Trace Distillery is more than encouraging, it’s an overwhelming joy we share with fans who visit us,” said Jake Wenz, Sazerac and Buffalo Trace Distillery CEO and president. “The support of the community has provided strength to our teams, and I am so proud of our team members’ hard work and dedication these past few weeks. As our teams and contractors make essential repairs, we are close to resuming normal operations.”

The distillery will be closed on Monday, April 28 to allow for retail operations to further expand into the first floor of the Visitors Center, the news release said.

Buffalo Trace said in a release on Tuesday, April 15, that the removal of floodwater debris and damage is more than 75% complete while power has been restored to key areas, allowing craft bottling inside Blanton's Bottling Hall and the main bottling hall operations to resume. The interiors of buildings have also been emptied of water.

The distillery, which had been closed to visitors since Sunday, April 6, reopened Monday, April 14 with a limited retail experience. This includes a small pop-up shopping experience inside the Freehouse building with opportunities to purchase select bottles and complimentary tastings in an outdoor canopy neighboring the building. This experience is available to those who previously held tour reservations; those eligible to attend will receive an email with instructions on how to book. 

If capacity allows, additional online reservations will be offered on a first-come, first-serve basis, Buffalo Trace added. All guests must have reservations for now; there will be no tours or walk-ups offered. 

“Thanks to the tireless efforts of our contractors and dedicated teams, we’ve made tremendous progress in the Distillery’s flood recovery plan," said Jake Wenz, Sazerac and Buffalo Trace Distillery CEO and president. "While there's still work to be done, the resilience and determination demonstrated this past week is truly inspiring."

"Each day, significant progress is made, allowing the distillery to return to normal operations. I am optimistic that, with this same spirit, we’ll be operating normally soon. We want to thank all of the contractors, our leaders and our team members for their hard work."

The distillery said it looks forward to sharing details on forthcoming relief efforts over the coming weeks. Visit Buffalo Trace's website for the latest information or to check for reservations.