‘Aqua Vitae’ is Latin for ‘Water of Life’. It is a term broadly used to describe distilled spirits or more specifically whiskey. It is that water that runs along the river’s edge and deep down in aquifers that is required to make the tasty whiskies that we know and love. That water of life that brings us so much joy can also bring heartache for those living and working along the water’s edge.
What we know today as Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, was built on the banks of the Kentucky River in the 1800s and is no stranger to flooding. It’s an event that happens periodically at the distillery and there is a preparedness plan in place as the river begins to rise. Those emergency plans were put into full force in April 2025 as Kentucky was hit with epic amounts of rain.
Drone Footage of Buffalo Trace Distillery Historic 2025 Flood
According to the National Weather service, the April 2025 rain in Frankfort, Kentucky was the second highest amount of rain ever recorded for the city. People often think that “The Great Flood of 1937” was the flood of all floods. That may be true when considering the entire state of Kentucky when the Ohio River crested on January 27, 1937, at an astonishing 85.44 ft. That flood left 70% of Louisville submerged. But Frankfort is just over 50 miles East of Louisville. The 1937 flood crested in Frankfort at 47.46 feet, but that record was broken during “The Great Winter Flood of 1978” when the Kentucky River crested at 48.47 ft., a full foot over The Great Flood of 1937.
The April 2025 flooding in Frankfort along the Kentucky River crested at 48.27 feet, making it the second worst flood in the city’s history.
Top 5 Historical Crests of the Kentucky River at Frankfort Lock
- 48.47 ft December 10, 1978 – “The Great Winter Flood of 1978”
- 48.27 ft April 8, 2025
- 47.46 ft January 25, 1937 – “The Great Flood”
- 45.22 ft March 3, 1997
- 44.17 ft February 16, 1989
A Timeline of Buffalo Trace Distillery 2025 Flooding
Here is a timeline of the April 2025 flooding that temporarily shut down Frankfort, Kentucky and Buffalo Trace Distillery.
April 15 Update
Nearly one week after flood waters reached their peak at Buffalo Trace Distillery, signs of normalcy have returned to the Distillery. Supported by cleanup and restoration efforts by hundreds of professionals, removal of flood water debris and damage is more than 75% complete.
- Power has been restored to key areas of the Distillery, which has allowed craft bottling inside Blanton’s Bottling Hall and the main bottling hall operations to resume.
- The interiors of buildings have been emptied of water and restoration efforts have begun.
“Thanks to the tireless efforts of our contractors and dedicated teams, we’ve made tremendous progress in the Distillery’s flood recovery plan. While there’s still work to be done, the resilience and determination demonstrated this past week is truly inspiring,” said Jake Wenz, Sazerac & Buffalo Trace Distillery CEO and President. “Each day significant progress is made allowing the Distillery to return to normal operations and 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”
Buffalo Trace Distillery Reopens to Consumer on April 14
Starting Monday, April 14, Buffalo Trace Distillery reopened to visitors with a limited retail experience. This modified visitor offering 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 modified experience is available to those with previously held tour reservations. Those who are eligible to attend this modified experience will receive an email with instructions on how to book. If capacity allows, additional online reservations will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis.
At this time, there will be no tours or walk-ups offered. We know our fans are eager to visit so we’re making every effort to return to normal tour and gift shop operations. Because we have limited capacity, unlike normal operations, reservations are required to attend the modified experience.
In the coming weeks Buffalo Trace looks forward to sharing details on forthcoming relief initiatives to further support the community. Should you want to support relief efforts in the immediate, the Franklin County Flood Relief Fund has been set up by the city to collect donations and offer aid to those who need it most.
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April 11 Update
The Kentucky River is returning to normal levels, and the Frankfort community is beginning to assess and understand the damage caused by flood waters across the region. At Buffalo Trace Distillery, flood waters have now completely receded, granting access and allowing for clean-up and recovery efforts to happen throughout the entirety of campus.
Distillery leadership teams, along with engineers and expert clean-up and restoration professionals, have begun performing detailed assessments and subsequent repairs for any of the buildings affected by flood waters. The amount of damage is still being determined.
“I am grateful for the excellent preparation work that our teams completed in advance of the flood, which mitigated the extent of the damage we might otherwise have sustained. Similarly, based on previous floods, our full-scale recovery plan is underway. We are confident we will be back up and running shortly. As of this morning we started shipping our finished goods again and we expect to resume bottling sometime next week,” said Jake Wenz, Sazerac & Buffalo Trace Distillery CEO and President. “Restoration of this National Historic Landmark is our top priority to ensure a quick return to making quality, award-winning whiskey and welcoming guests from around the world. Our hearts remain with the rest of the community who are also dealing with the aftermath of this flood.”
Whiskey Barrels Touched by Flood Waters Will be Assessed
Inspection of any barrels touched by the flood began Thursday, April 10 and will be ongoing until all have been appropriately assessed. This is a very involved process, including both barrel inspection as well as the same rigorous quality testing every bottle of whiskey undergoes at Buffalo Trace Distillery.
Based on historical knowledge from previous floods, Buffalo Trace has been successful in recovering any barrels that might have been affected by flood waters; the Distillery is confident in its process. Inspection is expected to take several weeks, however, any loss of barrels is not expected to be meaningful.
“A lot of heart and soul goes into every product we make, which is why our team is dedicated to testing with heavy scrutiny each barrel possibly affected by flood waters to ensure there are no issues,” said Harlen Wheatley, Buffalo Trace Distillery Master Distiller. “We have never, nor will we ever, compromise on the quality or safety of the whiskey we make.”
Teams also started clean-up inside the Buffalo Trace Visitor Center, which saw flooding on the first floor and will require a period for repair. Teams are working diligently to re-open the Visitor Center in a modified manner as soon as possible. As of now, the Distillery will be closed to visitors through Sunday, April 13th.
Additional updates regarding visitor access are as follows:
- As a first step, the Distillery expects to operate a greatly modified retail experience early next week from the “Freehouse Building” – aka the visitor check-in center directly adjacent to the visitor parking lot.
- This will be made accessible via an email reservation system available first to tour reservation holders whose visits were interrupted by the flooding.
- More details will be shared as they are available on Buffalo Trace Distillery’s social media pages.
- Until the Distillery fully reopens to visitors, only select team members, recovery experts and guests are permitted on-site.
“We know it is disappointing to have the Distillery closed and it is our top priority to welcome guests again as soon as possible. Recovery and clean-up teams at Buffalo Trace Distillery will continue to work diligently to prepare the grounds for reopening and the facility for operation,” said Wenz. “We also want to again say a heartfelt thanks to our team who has been tireless in their support, and the Franklin County community as well as our fans and vendor partners for their support and understanding during this time. We look forward to welcoming you back soon,” said Wenz.
In the coming weeks Buffalo Trace looks forward to sharing details on forthcoming relief initiatives to further support the community.
Should you want to support relief efforts in the immediate, the Franklin County Flood Relief Fund has been set up by the city to collect donations and offer aid to those who need it most.
April 9 Update
Flood waters in the Frankfort community continued to recede on Wednesday and, as such, Buffalo Trace Distillery has begun in earnest the assessment, clean-up and recovery process required due to this historic event.
At their peak, flood waters reached the second highest recorded levels in the Distillery’s 200 plus year history, with the Kentucky River cresting at 48.24 feet. Though Buffalo Trace is still determining the final scale of total site infrastructure impact, early assessments indicate the damages are substantial and recovery efforts will be ongoing for some time.
While the flood waters have started to subside in certain areas of the Distillery, a significant amount of the campus remains under water. Expert teams have begun the clean-up process in areas where it is safe and accessible to do so.
Additional updates:
- Buffalo Trace Distillery will be closed to visitors through at least Friday, April 11th with an aim to re-open to visitors in a modified capacity as soon as possible.
- The “Easter at the Trace Easter Egg Hunt” event planned for this weekend has unfortunately been cancelled. Ticket owners have also been contacted via email.
- Though roads opened earlier today, only select team members and recovery experts are permitted on-site. The outpouring of support from Buffalo Trace’s community of dedicated team members, consumers, city and county officials, and vendor partners has been incredible and offers to lend physical support to the cleanup efforts are greatly appreciated. However, at this time only approved personnel are able to access the site.
- In the coming weeks Buffalo Trace looks forward to sharing details on forthcoming relief initiatives to further support the community. Should you want to support relief efforts in the immediate, the Franklin County Flood Relief Fund has been set up by the city to collect donations and offer aid to those who need it most.
April 8 Update
As of Monday evening, the Kentucky River crested and it is expected that water levels will soon start to recede across the city of Frankfort. An initial leadership crew entered Buffalo Trace Distillery on Tuesday morning to begin assessing the overall impact to the total distillery infrastructure. At this time, the flood water levels are too high to provide a detailed assessment, but we can share that the flooding is extensive.
“Because Buffalo Trace Distillery has survived in its location on the Kentucky River for over 200 years, we have, unfortunately, experience in flood management and recovery. We initiated a preparation flood plan ahead of the surge. We were able to implement that plan late last week and are hopeful in doing so we will have mediated at least some of the damage. That said, we do expect the impact to be extensive and the recovery efforts to be significant and ongoing for some time,” said Jake Wenz, Sazerac & Buffalo Trace Distillery CEO and President.
It is expected that Buffalo Trace Distillery will be closed through Thursday, April 10th at a minimum. However, as this is a developing situation, visits may be impacted beyond that time. Information will continue to be provided as a clearer picture becomes available.
“Our hearts are with the rest of the community that has also been impacted by this devastation. Buffalo Trace Distillery will support relief efforts in the coming weeks to help Frankfort residents through this difficult time,” said Wenz. “We also want to say a heartfelt thank you to our dedicated team members, consumers, city and county officials, and vendor partners who have offered an incredible amount of support during this time. And finally, please accept our regrets to our fans that planned visits to the Distillery this week.”
April 6 Update
Buffalo Trace Distillery is closed to Consumers and Team Members
The State of Kentucky and the Frankfort area, where Buffalo Trace Distillery resides, have seen historic levels of rain this week resulting in severe floods and weather-related emergencies.
As of today, Buffalo Trace Distillery is closed and will not be accessible to either consumers or team members. We will be closed through Thursday, April 10th at a minimum. As this is a rapidly unfolding situation, visits may be impacted beyond that time, and we will continue to provide updates as they are available.
April 5 Update
Buffalo Trace Distillery is Closed to the Public
The Buffalo Trace Distillery Visitor Center and Gift Shop are closed April 5th-April 7th, due to flooding. Our thoughts are with the local community and all those impacted by the severe weather.
Due to the unprecedented and ongoing rain and flooding, we are not able to advise on the impact to our total distillery footprint. We will assess those realities in the coming days as the facilities become safe to navigate and will make necessary adjustments to operations as required.
Our thoughts are with the local community and all those impacted by this natural disaster.
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The Complete Buffalo Trace Distillery Timeline – 1773 to Today – Dec 2022
Buffalo Trace Distillery is an American family-owned company based in Frankfort, Kentucky. The Distillery’s rich tradition dates back to 1775 and includes such legends as E.H. Taylor, Jr., George T. Stagg, Albert B. Blanton, Orville Schupp, and Elmer T. Lee. Buffalo Trace Distillery is a fully operational Distillery producing bourbon, rye and vodka on site and is a National Historic Landmark as well as listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Buffalo Trace Distillery has a deep commitment to supporting charitable initiatives. Nonprofit organizations interested in learning more about the Distillery’s efforts are encouraged to register their charity with Buffalo Trace.
Learn more about Buffalo Trace Distillery.
View all Frankfort Area Distilleries.
View all Kentucky Distilleries.
View all U.S. Distilleries.
How much rain did Kentucky get in April 2025?
Month | 30-Year Ave | 2025 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
April | 4.79″ | 9.18″ | +92% |
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