Interview Date: October 30, 2008

Interview with Elmer T. Lee, Master Distiller Emeritus of the Buffalo Trace Distillery. Lee describes his childhood in Kentucky and the path that led him to become a master distiller. He describes how he began working at Buffalo Trace as an engineer, rose to the position of plant manager and later became the distillery’s first master distiller.

He tells us about how Buffalo Trace has changed over time and how it has survived many changes in ownership. Other changes he describes include the modernization of the plant and the addition of new brands to the distillery’s product portfolio. He explains how the distillery began making premium bourbons like Blanton’s Single Barrel his own brand, Elmer T. Lee. He talks about the nuances of the aging process and the art of tasting, explaining the work that goes into selecting the barrels for his Elmer T. Lee brand.

Lee talks about the obstacles he was up against as Master Distiller, describing the hard times Buffalo Trace faced in the 1970s and 1980s, years when the bourbon industry could not compete with other spirits. Finally, Lee gives his opinion about the direction the bourbon industry will take in the future.

About Elmer T. Lee

Elmer T. Lee was born in Frankfort, Kentucky in 1919. He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II and upon returning, earned a degree in Engineering from the University of Kentucky. He came to work at the distillery in 1949, became the plant manager in 1968 and retired in 1985, but has remained active in the distillery until the present.

Favorite bourbon: Elmer T. Lee

Link to full interview video and transcript on the Kentuckiana Digital Library

Choose Segment:

Interview Date: October 16, 2008

Interview with Jimmy & Freddie Johnson, a father and son who have both worked for the Buffalo Trace Distillery. Each Johnson talks about growing up in Kentucky and explains how he began working at the distillery. Jimmy describes what the distillery was like in the 1940s and 50s and talks about how he worked his way up to the position of foreman. Jimmy talks about his treatment at the distillery as an African American, explaining that racism was never tolerated during his time working at Buffalo Trace. Both Jimmy’s and Freddie’s remarks emphasize the continued importance of community at the distillery.

Jimmy describes Col. Albert Blanton, an important former president of the distillery as well as the namesake of Blanton’s Single Barrel, and his contributions to Buffalo Trace. The Johnsons make it clear that although there have been some changes to the distillery over time, the fundamental process of making bourbon whiskey remains the same.

About Jimmy Johnson

Jimmy Johnson, ninety-four years old, is a retired foreman who worked for many years at Buffalo Trace, primarily in the warehouses. Jimmy was born and raised in the Frankfort, Kentucky area. He followed in the footsteps of his father, who worked at the distillery before him. Jimmy has two sons and is also a veteran of World War II.

Favorite bourbon: “Whichever one he can get close to.”

About Freddie Johnson

Freddie Johnson, son of Jimmy Johnson, was also born and raised in Frankfort. Johnson moved away from Kentucky after graduating from college to work as a design engineer. He later moved back to Frankfort, where he became a tour guide at the Buffalo Trace Distillery, making him a third generation Buffalo Trace employee.

Favorite bourbon: Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare

Link to full interview video and transcript on the Kentuckiana Digital Library

Choose Segment:

Interview Date: April 20, 2010

Interview with Maxine Wiley, a long-time secretary for the Buffalo Trace Distillery who has recently retired. She describes her childhood on the farm and explains how she began working as a secretary at the distillery. She vividly characterizes life at the distillery in the 1950s and 1960s, telling us about what was and still is a colorful and exciting place to work.

Wiley explains the nature of the work she did and describes  the many bosses she had over the years, mentioning both Col. Albert Blanton and Elmer Lee. She shares entertaining anecdotes from the distillery and explains how the work culture and environment there have changed over time. Wiley discusses the distillery’s changes in ownership and describes the impact of these changes. Finally, she tells us how she would like to be remembered at the distillery in the future.

About Maxine Wiley

Maxine Wiley grew up on a farm in Woodford County, Kentucky. She retired in 2006 from her position as a secretary at the former Ancient Age Distillery, now Buffalo Trace, where she worked for fifty-four years. There is a garden honoring Mrs. Wiley’s loyal service to the company on the distillery’s grounds.

Favorite bourbon: Triple A, a former Ancient Age product

Link to full interview video and transcript on the Kentuckiana Digital Library

Choose Segment:

Interview Date: April 30, 2009

Interview with Mark Brown, President and C.E.O. of the Sazerac Company, parent company of Buffalo Trace. Brown describes his youth in England and explains how he ultimately came to work for Sazerac in the United States.

Brown moved to Kentucky to get involved with Sazerac’s holding, Buffalo Trace. Brown describes how Sazerac invested in an ambitious restoration of the distillery, which had fallen into disrepair during the industry’s downturn in the 1970s and 80s. He proudly shares the news of Buffalo Trace’s recent success and the many awards and accolades it has garnered since Sazerac bought the distillery.

Brown describes the core values of the Buffalo Trace Distillery, which include innovation, history and tradition. He shares his ideas about Buffalo Trace’s future and the bourbon industry’s potential for success in international markets. Finally, he insists upon the vast benefits that bourbon tourism and the industry’s continued growth could have for the state of Kentucky.

About Mark Brown

Brown grew up in a small town in England where his parents owned a pub. He later came to the United States, where he took a position with the New Orleans-based spirits company, Sazerac, and was later offered the opportunity to run that company. Brown moved to Kentucky in 1992 and has lived there ever since, working closely with the Buffalo Trace Distillery.

Favorite bourbon: Buffalo Trace

Link to full interview video and transcript on the Kentuckiana Digital Library

Choose Segment:

Interview Date: October 16, 2008

Interview with Leonard Riddle and Ronnie Eddins, longtime warehouse managers at Buffalo Trace. In this interview, Leonard and Ronnie talk about early lives and explain how they came to work at the distillery in the 1960s. They discuss the evolution of the work environment at the distillery from the 1960s to the present. They also tell the surprising story of their first meeting at work and talk about the relationship they have since developed.

Leonard and Ronnie discuss the many products of the Buffalo Trace Distillery, explaining what makes each brand unique. They share some of the secrets behind their area of expertise: the complex process of aging bourbon whiskey. Aging a barrel of bourbon involves many factors–the barrel itself, the location of the barrel in the warehouse, the length of time the bourbon is aged–all factors which Leonard and Ronnie explain.

About Leonard Riddle

Leonard grew up in Frankfort, Kentucky. After graduating high school, he went to work for Buffalo Trace in 1964. He has spent nearly all of his forty-four year long career at the distillery working in the warehouses. Both of his parents worked for distilleries before him–his mother for Buffalo Trace and his father for Jim Beam. Leonard is married to Margaret Riddle and has seven children.

Favorite Bourbon: W.L. Weller

About Ronnie Eddins

Ronnie Eddins was born and raised on a farm in Henry County near Frankfort, Kentucky. Ronnie went looking for work as a young man and was hired at Buffalo Trace, where he has held many different positions, although he has worked longest in warehousing. Ronnie has also continued to farm while working for Buffalo Trace. Ronnie is married and has a son.

Favorite bourbon: Buffalo Trace

Link to full interview video and transcript on the Kentuckiana Digital Library

Choose Segment:

Interview Date: October 30, 2008

Interview with Harlen Wheatley, the current Master Distiller of the Buffalo Trace Distillery. Harlen describes his educational background and how he happened to begin working for Buffalo Trace. He gives us a look into the day-to-day life of a master distiller, describing his responsibilities in the distillery as well as in the public, promoting his products and educating people about bourbon.

Harlen also explains the origins of bourbon whiskey and the characteristics that distinguish it from other spirits. He outlines the bourbon-production process from beginning to end, including the selection of ingredients, cooking, distillation, aging and tasting. He explains how variables in the different phases of production affect the product’s flavor and talks about Buffalo Trace’s Experimental Collection of bourbons,  which is designed to explore the effects of such variables.

Finally, Harlen talks about the decision to rename the distillery Buffalo Trace, the birth of the Buffalo Trace brand, and its unique flavor profile. He also shares his opinions about the future of the distillery and the bourbon industry as a whole.

About Harlen Wheatley

Harlen Wheatley describes himself as a Kentucky boy through and through. Raised primarily in Florence, Kentucky, Wheatley came to work at Buffalo Trace in 1994 after receiving a B.S. in Chemistry from Northern Kentucky University and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Kentucky. He became Master Distiller in 2005, succeeding Gary Gayheart.

Favorite bourbon: Buffalo Trace

Link to full interview video and transcript on the Kentuckiana Digital Library

Choose Segment:

Interview Date: October 20, 2009

Interview with E. H. Taylor Hay Jr., a descendant of the great entrepreneur and Kentucky statesman, Col. E.H. Taylor Jr. Taylor owned the distillery at the Buffalo Trace site, where he made Old Taylor brand bourbon whiskey. Hay explains the Taylor family genealogy and speaks at length about Colonel Taylor, describing his personality, his successes and failures in the bourbon industry, and his life as a public figure. He tells us about Taylor’s contributions to the industry, especially his advocacy of the Bottled-in-Bond Act, which established the quality-control regulations to which companies must adhere in order to call their products  “bourbon whiskey.”

He shares his delight that Colonel Taylor’s name will  continue to live on as Buffalo Trace resurrects the Old Taylor brand, which is now being produced at their distillery. Taylor’s legacy also endures as his descendants continue to live in the beautiful historic home, Scotland Farm, which was built with Taylor’s whiskey fortune.

About E.H. Taylor Hay Jr.

Hay is originally from San Diego, California, but he grew up primarily in Kentucky. As a young man he attended the Virginia Military Institute and served in the United States Air Force before returning to live in Kentucky, where he still lives today.

Favorite bourbon: Old Taylor

Link to full interview video and transcript on the Kentuckiana Digital Library

Choose Segment:

Interview Date: April 30, 2009

Interview with Marsha Wiechman, a bottling supervisor for Blanton’s and an employee of Buffalo Trace for twenty-two years. Marsha shares stories from her childhood and describes her education and professional training, as well as the jobs she had prior to signing on to work in the warehouse department at Buffalo Trace. She lists positions she has held there, including many of the most difficult and physically demanding jobs at a plant, and explains some of the jargon that distillery workers use. She also explains how their bourbon is tasted by a panel which checks it for quality, a process in which she is proud participant.

Other topics she discusses include workplace safety and the attitude towards female workers at the plant. She compares the distillery work environment in the 1980s, when Buffalo Trace had fallen on hard times, with the work environment of today, which she considers to be outstanding and a real improvement. She specifically mentions the fact that Elmer T. Lee contributed to her very positive overall experience working for Buffalo Trace.

About Marsha Wiechman

Marsha was born in 1947 and grew up on a farm in Washington County, Kansas, where she went to school and lived for many years before leaving Kansas to find work. She had many professions before she signed on as warehouse worker at Buffalo Trace in 1987. To name a few, she has worked as a hairdresser, a welder and a carpenter and a construction worker.

Favorite bourbon: Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 20-year-old

Link to full interview video and transcript on the Kentuckiana Digital Library

Choose Segment:

Interview Date: April 20, 2010

Interview with Julian Van Winkle III, President of the Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery, which produces premium bourbons at the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort. Julian explains the history of the Van Winkle family and its involvement in distilling, which goes back to his grandfather, Julian “Pappy” Van Winkle. He describes how his father, Julian Van Winkle Jr.,  began Old Rip Van Winkle and explains how the company operates and what makes its products extraordinary. He discusses some of the challenges he has faced while running the business himself and explains how  Old Rip Van Winkle’s business relationship with the Buffalo Trace Distillery has changed the nature of the operation.  He talks about the history of the bourbon industry, its future, and the future of the Van Winkle brand.

About Julian Van Winkle III

Julian Van Winkle III is from Louisville, Kentucky. He has worked for the Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery since 1977 and took over the business in 1981 following his father’s death. He is currently teaching the trade to his own son, who will become the fourth-generation distiller in the Van Winkle family.

Favorite bourbon: Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 15-year-old, Old Fitzgerald 15-year-old (Stitzel-Weller Distillery–closed in 1992)

Link to full interview video and transcript on the Kentuckiana Digital Library

Choose Segment:

Interview Date: October 30, 2008

Interview with Alice Bacon Blanton, niece of Col. Albert Bacon Blanton. Blanton describes her Uncle Albert, talks about the Blanton family home, and recalls playing on the grounds of the distillery as a child. She also tells us about the education she received at the University of Kentucky.

Her stories vividly bring to life the town of Frankfort where Buffalo Trace is located. Most remarkable are her descriptions of the impact that Prohibition had on Frankfort’s citizens. She describes the financial hardship that Prohibition caused for Kentuckians living in a town that was economically dependent on the bourbon industry.

About Alice Blanton

Alice Blanton was born in Frankfort in 1918. She is the daughter of James Bacon Blanton and the niece of Col. Albert Bacon Blanton, who was president of the Buffalo Trace Distillery when it was known as the George T. Stagg Distillery. After earning a degree in mathematics from the University of Kentucky, she worked for her father’s construction company in Frankfort and managed the company following his death.

Link to full interview video and transcript on the Kentuckiana Digital Library