FRANKFORT, Franklin County, Ky (June 23, 2016)
A little over a year ago, Buffalo Trace Distillery quietly purchased
an additional 293 acres of farm land adjacent to the Distillery, with
the intention of building more barrel warehouses to meet the growing
demands of bourbon. In the meantime while permits
were being secured for the new construction, Buffalo Trace decided it
would be “fun” to plant its own corn, with an idea of creating its own
farm to table “single estate” bourbon experience.
But it couldn’t be just any corn that was planted, the Distillery wanted
to plant something that had historical meaning to this 243-year-old
National Historic Landmark. Research began, and soon a strain was
identified that dated back to 1876, around the same
time E. H. Taylor, Jr.
was making his mark on Buffalo Trace. The strain originated from a
White Mastodon variety and through selection techniques in isolation it
became “Boone County White,”
after a farmer named James Riley coined the name. Coincidentally,
Harlen Wheatley, Master Distiller at Buffalo Trace, was born in Boone
County, Ky., making that strain even more fitting.
After planting 18 acres of the non-GMO white corn in the summer of 2015,
Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley and his team eagerly watched the corn
sprout up and begin to grow, and grow, and grow! And harvest time, the
stalks were well over 12 feet tall! The corn
was harvested in August of last year and the grain was processed to be
dried. After drying all winter, the corn was fermented and distilled at
Buffalo Trace on May 31, 2016. All told, 117 barrels of the Boone County
White Corn variety were distilled and are
now aging in Buffalo Trace’s warehouses, to be taste tested
periodically over the next few years to check on progress, and then
eventually released, provided the taste profile is up to Buffalo Trace’s
rigorous standards.
Now, in 2016, the cycle is beginning again, with Buffalo Trace planting
its second year of non-GMO corn, this time Japonica Striped Corn, a
strain originally from Japan and dating back to the 1890s. This variety
will have variegated leaves of green, white,
yellow and pink stripes with dark purple tassels and burgundy kernels.
Typically used as an ornamental corn, this variety will be a true
experiment to see how it tastes once fermented and distilled next year!
In addition to both the Boone County and Japonica
Striped corn being from E. H. Taylor, Jr.’s era, both are dent corn
varieties, which have a high starch content and are ideal for
distilling, unlike traditional sweet corn one might see in the grocery
store. Buffalo Trace uses a different variety of dent
corn in the distillation of the rest of the bourbons in its portfolio.
Buffalo Trace Distillery intends to plant a different
variety of corn each year at its farm so each year in the future there
will be a unique release. Name, age or price of this future bourbon has
not yet been determined.
About Buffalo Trace Distillery
Buffalo Trace Distillery is an American family-owned company based in
Frankfort, Franklin County, Kentucky. The Distillery's rich tradition
dates back to 1786 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 is listed on the National Register of
Historic Places. The Distillery has won seven distillery
titles since 2000 from such notable publications as Whisky Magazine, Whisky Advocate Magazine and
Wine Enthusiast Magazine. It was named Whisky Magazine
2010 World Icons of Whisky “Whisky Visitor Attraction of the Year.”
Buffalo Trace Distillery has also garnered more than 200 awards for its
wide range of premium whiskies. To learn more about
Buffalo Trace Distillery visit www.buffalotracedistillery.com
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