Project Summary

The Buffalo Trace Oral History Project includes interviews with a diverse group of current and retired employees of the Buffalo Trace Distillery and its affiliated brands, whose positions range from warehouse foreman to master distiller to president and CEO of Buffalo Trace's parent company, Sazerac. Also interviewed are family members of two significant figures from the distillery's past, Col. Albert B. Blanton and Col. E.H. Taylor Jr.

The collection includes interviews that explore both the history and process of bourbon production. Historical topics discussed include the history of government regulation of bourbon, Prohibition, the history of the distillery site in Frankfort, the industry's economic struggles and successes, women and African Americans in the distillery, and the history of distillation in Kentucky. Production-related topics discussed include ingredient selection, fermentation, distillation, aging, bottling, quality control and marketing.