FRANKFORT, Ky. — Nearly one month after devastating flooding hit Frankfort, the country’s oldest operating distillery is fully reopened. Guests are once again encouraged to walk-in at Buffalo Trace Distillery, with no need for a reservation.
In and out, bourbon lovers walk through the gift shop at Buffalo Trace Distillery, looking to see which bottles are available for purchase. Matt Higgins, guest experience director at the distillery, said Monday was a return to normalcy for distillery staff.
“We love to say ‘yes’ to people, we love to be able to just welcome people out to the distillery, so it was hard the past few weeks to not be able to do that,” Higgins said.
Last month, most of the distillery’s grounds were underwater after near record crests of the Kentucky River in Frankfort. The distillery was forced to close for a week and eventually reopened on April 14 in a limited capacity.
“We had prepared for some flood activity, but the levels rose so quickly caught us to where we couldn’t do as much prep as we wanted to,” Higgins said.
Monday, the distillery welcomed guests back to shop with no reservation required.
“It was fun to come in and turn off the reservations required sign and take down the reservations required signs and get back to that 100% hospitality that we’re known for,” Higgins said.
Per usual, reservations are still required for guided tours of the distillery. Higgins said some parts of the tour are still off-limits.
“There’s still some repair and restoration work happening in the production areas across the distillery; I’d say we’re about 85% of the way down with the restoration efforts in the production areas,” Higgins said.
The distillery is working on a flood relief auction featuring some of its most sought-after bourbons to help Franklin County recover.