Buffalo Trace Distillery is one of the most famous distilleries in the U.S. Producing brands such as Col. E.H. Taylor, Jr., Blanton’s, George T. Stagg. and William Larue Weller, Buffalo Trace has undoubtedly had a long-lasting and far-reaching impact on bourbon culture in the United States. It follows, then, that the Buffalo Trace Distillery would not be what it is today without the efforts and dedication of some of the people in its history.
So, today, I will be taking a look at three key figures who shaped the legacy of Buffalo Trace Distillery, and how their presence can still be felt both at the distillery and in its bottlings even today.
Col. E.H. Taylor Jr. & The Origins of Buffalo Trace
Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor, Jr., often called E.H. Taylor, Jr., was a pioneering force in the whiskey and bourbon world. He is often referred to as the ‘Father of the Modern Bourbon Industry’, and for good reason.
Born in Colombus, Kentucky in 1830, Edmund Haynes Taylor Jr lived with his great uncle on a Louisiana plantation during his childhood after the untimely death of his father. His great uncle, rather incredibly, was none other than the 12th U.S. president, Zachary Taylor. Although, at the time, Taylor was a Colonel in the U.S. Army. E.H. Taylor, Jr. was also a descendant of the 4th U.S. president, James Madison (Zachary Taylor was James Madison’s second cousin).
After receiving an education Edmund Haynes Taylor, Jr., moved to Lexington in 1851, where he lived with his immediate uncle, also called Edmund Haynes Taylor. It was at this time that “Jr.” was added to Edmund’s name. It was here that Taylor, Jr. met his wife, Fanny Johnson, with whom he had seven children.
Taylor’s professional career began in banking. Through this practice, he forged close ties with those in the bourbon industry and was able to study their books. He discovered that bourbon was something of a lucrative business.
To begin learning more about the whiskey-making process, Taylor, Jr. spent the years after the Civil War traveling Europe, learning from distillers over there. Then, when he returned in 1867, he opened his first distillery named The Hermitage.
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In 1869, Taylor, Jr. purchased the Leestown Distillery and renamed it the Old Fire Copper (O.F.C.) Distillery. Using the knowledge he gained in Europe, Taylor made a number of changes and improvements to the distilling practices. This included using copper fermentation tanks, column stills, an efficient sour mashing technique, and a steam heating system. He also constructed state-of-the-art modernized facilities and equipment to process the grains.
In the late 1870s, Taylor was forced out of the bourbon game when he came very close to bankruptcy. The distillery was sold to George T. Stagg. Taylor remained active in operations for a while, but eventually, Taylor moved on to other projects.
Never one to be deterred, though, Taylor spent his later years as a prominent Kentucky politician and the Mayor of Frankfort. He was instrumental in the passing of the “Bottled-In-Bond Act of 1897,” which he believed would ensure higher-quality whiskey production and consumer confidence.
As of 2024, a “Bottled-In-Bond” whiskey or bourbon must meet the following requirements:
- Distilled in a single season at one distillery (January-June or July-December).
- Aged for a minimum of four years
- Bottled at 100-proof
Today, the Buffalo Trace Distillery produces the E.H. Taylor Jr series in honor of the “Father of the Modern Bourbon Industry”. Bottles include annual limited releases, barrel-proof expressions, and an expression that survived a tornado.
George T. Stagg & A An Aptitude For Business
George T. Stagg was born in December 1835 in Garrard County, Kentucky. In 1858, he married a local named Elizabeth Doolin and became a successful shoe salesman, proving his aptitude in business.
In 1861, he enlisted in the Union Army during the U.S. Civil War, ultimately becoming a Captain in 1863. When the war ended, Stagg found himself in St. Louis, Missouri, with his family. He became a whiskey salesman with a business partner named James Gregory, selling whiskey from the O.F.C. Distillery.
Soon enough, he had built a working relationship with E.H. Taylor Jr. Then, in the late 1870s, Stagg was able to step in and purchase the distillery when Taylor fell into financial troubles. The two established E.H. Taylor, Jr. & Co and Stagg acted as president. Together, the two established the O.F.C. Distillery as the American distillery, the most dominant in the country at that time. Stagg’s business acumen saw the company go from strength to strength.
However, relations between the two soured very quickly, and by the late 1880s, Taylor was desperate to exit the company. What followed was a series of hotly contentious lawsuits regarding Stagg’s usage of Taylor’s name on his products. Stagg believed that Taylor’s widely-known name was an indicator of quality, but Taylor did not want anything else to do with the company. Eventually, in 1890, the company was renamed George T. Stagg & Co.
Following Taylor’s departure, however, Stagg struggled to manage the company on his own. Whiskey prices were also dropping across the country. George T. Stagg’s health began to rapidly decline, and he died in 1893 at just 58 years old.
Nevertheless, George T. Stagg’s entrepreneurial spirit and aptitude for business helped to establish what is now the Buffalo Trace Distillery as the foremost whiskey distillery in the United States. In 1900, the distillery was renamed the George T. Stagg Distillery in his honor.
Today, the annual high-proof George T. Stagg releases from Buffalo Trace are very highly sought-after. The multi-award-winning expression is available in limited quantities every year and has become a marker of quality for the Buffalo Trace Distillery.
Elmer T. Lee & The First Single Barrel Bourbon
Jumping forward in time, we have Elmer T. Lee. Lee was born in Franklin County, KY in August 1919. He was raised by a single mother following the death of his father when Lee was a baby. Following a high school education in Frankfort, he enrolled at the University of Kentucky. However, after the U.S. declared war on Japan in December 1941, he volunteered in the U.S. Army as a radar bombardier in Guam. After the war, Lee traveled to the UK to acquire a degree in engineering.
In 1949, armed with his degree, Lee approached the George T. Stagg Distillery looking for work. It was located just down the street from his house.
Albert B. Blanton, the distillery’s manager at the time, initially turned him away, stating, “Son, we’re not hiring any hands today.” However, at the urging of Orville Shup, the supervising engineer, Lee returned the following week and was hired as a maintenance engineer.
Lee’s early years at the distillery were spent under the tutelage of the formidable Albert Bacon Blanton, who greatly influenced his understanding of the bourbon industry. Over the years, Lee advanced through the ranks, holding positions such as Plant Engineer, Plant Superintendent, Plant Manager, and ultimately Master Distiller in 1981.
In 1984, a year before his retirement, Lee crafted a bourbon in honor of Blanton—Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon. Lee recalled that Blanton, when hosting guests at the distillery, would select “honey barrels” and bottle the bourbon one barrel at a time. Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon was presented in a striking decanter featuring horse and jockey stoppers, a nod to Kentucky’s thriving thoroughbred industry. This practice of bottling from a single barrel was groundbreaking, and Blanton’s became the first single-barrel bourbon to hit the market. Lee also oversaw another period of expansion and modernization at the Buffalo Trace Distillery.
After retiring in 1985, Lee remained involved as Master Distiller Emeritus at Buffalo Trace. He was honored when the distillery launched another single barrel bourbon brand, Elmer T. Lee, named after the legendary distiller.
He was later inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame and received the “Lifetime Achievement Award” from both Whisky Advocate and Whisky Magazine before his passing in 2013 at the age of 93.
Buffalo Trace Distillery Today
Today, Buffalo Trace Distillery is one of the largest and most renowned distilleries in the USA. Currently, the distillery operates under the expertise of Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley. It produces a variety of highly sought-after brands, including Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Eagle Rare, and Pappy Van Winkle, as well as the acclaimed W.L. Weller and Blanton’s.
With a production capacity in excess of 2 million gallons of whiskey annually, Buffalo Trace is a powerhouse in the bourbon industry. Its extensive facilities continue to expand to meet the growing global demand for its products.
Buffalo Trace has earned countless awards and accolades, solidifying its place as a cornerstone of American whiskey craftsmanship. Its historic roots and modern achievements make it a leader in the world of bourbon.
There is no doubt that Col. E.H. Taylor, Jr., George T. Stagg, and Elmer T. Lee steered the distillery toward both nationwide and global success with their experience and tenacity. Of course, there are many other figures who were instrumental in the success of Buffalo Trace. Watch this space for more on those bourbon legends.