buffalo trace distillery flood kentucky bourbon.

Bourbon production at Buffalo Trace Distillery has been connected to the Kentucky River for decades. A plaque at the distillery in Frankfort sums up the connection as a blessing and curse. The river once served as a floating highway to bring in grain for production and to ship whiskey. River water still cools production equipment. But the river showed its destructive side in April. A massive flood sent floodwaters surging over its banks, inundating most of the distillery grounds. Nearly every phase of production was impacted. Five months later, production is back to normal, and few visible reminders exist of the mud-caked, debris-strewn mess.