If you spend enough time around whiskey enthusiasts, you’ll hear the legends. People talk about the great "Dusty" bottles found in basements or the time a warehouse collapsed under the weight of its own history. But lately, a specific question keeps popping up in forums and distillery tours: did Buffalo Trace get flooded?
The short answer is yes, but it’s not exactly the disaster movie scenario you might be imagining.
Kentucky and water have a complicated relationship. You need that limestone-filtered water to make the bourbon world-famous, but when the Kentucky River decides to climb its banks, it doesn't care about your Pappy Van Winkle or your Eagle Rare. Buffalo Trace sits right on the edge of the Kentucky River in Frankfort. It’s a beautiful, historic spot. It’s also incredibly low-lying in certain areas.
Honestly, the "Big One" everyone remembers isn't from last week—it goes back to 1937. But even in the modern era, the threat of rising water is a constant shadow over the distillery’s daily operations.
The Ghost of 1937: When the Bourbon Stayed Dry (Mostly)
Let's talk about the Great Flood of 1937. This wasn't just a "wet basement" situation. This was a catastrophic, once-in-a-century event that leveled parts of the Ohio River Valley. In Frankfort, the Kentucky River went absolutely berserk.
At Buffalo Trace—which was known as the George T. Stagg Distillery back then—the water didn't just reach the gates. It swallowed the lower grounds. Albert Blanton, the man whose name is now on the most famous circular bottle in the world, was the distillery president at the time. There’s a famous story—documented in the distillery's own archives—of Blanton and his crew literally rowing boats into the warehouses.
They weren't just saving themselves; they were saving the barrels.
Imagine rowing a small wooden boat through a dark, echoing warehouse filled with thousands of gallons of aging whiskey. They worked around the clock to secure the inventory. They knew that if those barrels started floating and knocking into each other, the structural integrity of the racks could fail. If the racks fail, the building fails.
They kept the pumps running. They fought the mud. They survived. But that event permanently changed how the distillery looked at the river. It's why, if you walk the grounds today, you'll see high-water marks that seem impossibly high up on the brick walls.
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Why People Think Buffalo Trace Flooded Recently
So, why are people asking did Buffalo Trace get flooded right now?
It’s likely because of the devastating floods that hit Eastern Kentucky in July 2022. Those floods were horrific. They destroyed entire communities and took lives. Because Buffalo Trace is the most recognizable name in bourbon, people naturally worried. When the news shows Kentucky underwater, whiskey collectors immediately check their "investment" portfolios.
During that 2022 event, Frankfort saw significant rising water. The Kentucky River crested at levels that made the distillery leadership very nervous.
However, the distillery was mostly spared from the catastrophic damage seen further east. They have sophisticated flood walls and pumping systems now. It’s not the 1930s anymore. They have a playbook for this. When the river starts to swell, they move equipment, they seal the lower doors, and they wait.
You also have to remember the "Great Bourbon Flood" of 2019, though that wasn't water. That was the Jim Beam warehouse fire where bourbon spilled into the river. People often conflate these "river disasters" in their heads. One year it’s a fire, the next it’s a flood, and suddenly everyone thinks Buffalo Trace is underwater.
The Geography of Risk: Why Frankfort is a Target
Frankfort is basically a bowl. The Kentucky River winds through it in a tight "S" curve. Buffalo Trace is located at a bend in that river.
When heavy rains hit the mountains in the east, all that water has to come down through the Kentucky River. It’s like a funnel. By the time it reaches Frankfort, it’s moving with incredible pressure.
- The distillery sits at an elevation that makes the lower warehouses vulnerable.
- The soil is dense clay, which doesn't absorb water quickly.
- The historic architecture, while beautiful, wasn't built with modern flood mitigation in mind.
Is the bourbon safe? Generally, yes. The barrels are heavy. A full 53-gallon barrel weighs about 500 pounds. It takes a lot of moving water to displace thousands of those stacked in a rickhouse. The bigger danger isn't the whiskey getting wet—it’s the structural damage to the old wooden ricks. If the wood rots or shifts due to water saturation, the whole "house of cards" can come down.
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Modern Protections: How They Keep the Pappy Dry
Buffalo Trace hasn't stayed successful for 200+ years by being stupid. They’ve spent millions on infrastructure.
They use a mix of permanent and temporary barriers. When the National Weather Service issues a flood warning for the Kentucky River at Frankfort, the distillery goes into a specific lockdown mode. They have heavy-duty pumps that can move thousands of gallons of seepage per minute back over the walls.
They also have the advantage of "The Hill."
If you’ve ever done the "Hard Hat Tour" or the "Expansion Tour," you know that Buffalo Trace has been building massive new rickhouses on the higher ground overlooking the main campus. These new warehouses are nowhere near the flood zone. While the historic heart of the distillery remains by the river, a huge portion of their aging stock is now safely tucked away on the hilltop, far out of reach of even a record-breaking flood.
What Happens if a Warehouse Actually Floods?
Let’s say the worst happens. The river tops the wall. The water gets into a lower rickhouse. What then?
Bourbon is a resilient spirit. It’s aged in charred oak barrels that are tightly sealed. A little bit of external river water isn't going to seep into a barrel that is under internal pressure from the spirit and the wood.
The real issue is the mud.
Floodwater is disgusting. It’s full of silt, sewage, and debris. If a barrel gets submerged in floodwater, it has to be painstakingly cleaned. The TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) has very strict rules about "adulterated" products. If they can't prove the whiskey stayed pure, they might force the distillery to dump it or distill it into industrial alcohol.
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Luckily, we haven't seen a "mass dumping" event at Buffalo Trace in the modern era. They are too fast on their feet for that.
Real-World Impact on Tours and Availability
When the river rises, the first thing that happens is the tours get canceled.
If you’re planning a trip to Frankfort, you need to watch the weather. If the Kentucky River hits the "Action Stage" (usually around 31 feet in Frankfort), parts of the distillery grounds might become inaccessible to guests. They don't want tourists wandering around while they’re trying to move heavy machinery or sandbag a doorway.
- Check the USGS gauges. Look for "Kentucky River at Frankfort." If it’s over 35 feet, call the gift shop before you drive out there.
- Look at the roads. High Bridge Road and parts of Wilkinson Blvd can flood long before the distillery itself is in real trouble.
- Don't panic about the whiskey. Even if the lower grounds get soggy, the supply chain for Buffalo Trace is so massive now that a localized flood isn't going to cause a global shortage. The shortage is already here because everyone wants a bottle, not because the river rose!
The Verdict on the Buffalo Trace Flood Rumors
So, did Buffalo Trace get flooded? In 1937, yes, it was a disaster. In recent years, they have dealt with high water and minor seepage, but the distillery has not been "underwater" in the way social media rumors often suggest.
They are experts at managing the river. It’s part of the price they pay for having such a historic, water-adjacent location. The limestone water that makes the bourbon great is the same water that occasionally tries to take the distillery back.
If you’re worried about your favorite bottle, don't be. The "Bourbon Pompeii" (the excavated remains of an older distillery on the site) actually survived for over a century underground precisely because it was covered in silt and forgotten. These buildings are tough.
Actionable Steps for Bourbon Fans
To stay informed and protect your "bourbon tourism" plans, follow these steps:
- Monitor the Kentucky River Gauge: Before any trip to Frankfort, check the NOAA River Forecast. Anything near 35-40 feet means the distillery is likely in "flood prep" mode and tours may be limited.
- Verify Social Media Claims: If you see a photo of "Buffalo Trace Flooding," check the date. People love to recirculate photos from 1937 or 1978 and claim they are happening today.
- Support Local Recovery: If a flood does hit the region, the best way to help is to donate to the Kentucky Red Cross or the Team Kentucky Flood Relief Fund. The distillery usually survives, but the people who work there and live in the surrounding hollows are often the ones who lose everything.
- Visit the "Bourbon Pompeii": When you visit, book the "Botanical Tour" or "Heritage Tour." You can see exactly how the distillery has built up its defenses over the centuries and see the high-water marks for yourself. It puts the power of the river into a very sobering perspective.