BTD named the American Distiller of the year by Whisky Magazine
During a recent ceremony in New York City, Buffalo Trace Distillery (BTD) was named the 2020 Distiller of the Year and Visitor Attraction of the Year at the Icons of Whisky America Awards by Whisky Magazine. The magazine also awarded E.H. Taylor, Jr. Straight Rye as the Best American Rye Whiskey of 2020.
Harlen Wheatley, Master Distiller, Buffalo Trace Distillery, says: “From our whiskies to our guest experience, our team at Buffalo Trace is focused on producing the very best, so we’re honored to be recognized in both respects. These awards encourage us to continue investing in the distillery, increase our whisky production, maintain our uncompromising quality standards, innovate through experimentation & win even more awards!”
Distinguishing it as the World’s Most Award-Winning Distillery, BTD focuses on producing great whiskies, which have garnered more than 1,000 awards over the years. As the popularity of its products continue to grow, the team has embraced an ongoing (USD) $1.2 billion investment to expand its distilling capabilities.
The Icons of Whisky Visitor Attraction of the Year award follows BTD’s recent announcement that the distillery welcomed nearly 300,000 visitors throughout 2019: a record-breaking 35% increase over the previous year.
In keeping with the BTD’s commitment to provide a top-notch visitor experience, Buffalo Trace has begun working to expand its Visitor Center further back into its existing building, which will ultimately triple the size of the current Visitor Center and allow the distillery to better accommodate the continued tourism growth.
In addition to the two Icons of Whisky America awards noted and the award for Best American Rye, five other whiskies from BTD received medals at the American 2020 World Whiskies Awards.
Gold Medal Winner:
Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Silver Medal Winner:
W. L. Weller 12 Year Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Elmer T. Lee Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Bronze Medal Winner:
W. L. Weller Full Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Whiskies in each category were subject to blind tastings in a three-round judging process to reward and promote the world’s best whiskies to consumers and trade shows across the globe. The winners from the Icons of Whisky Awards America & World Whiskies Awards 2020 will compete with international counterparts and global winners will be announced March 26 in London.
