Lexington
Bourbon
Breeding &
Brewing
By Norman Hill
W
e explored what
Lexington is famed for,
bourbon brewing and
horse breeding, in an
area known as the
“Bluegrass Region.” The hint of
aristocracy that goes with these
two specialties seems consistent
with Lexington once being described
as the “Athens of the West,”
(west of the Alleghenies, that is).
Distillery and Brewing
Jimmy emphasized one key point,
“All bourbon is whiskey, but not all
whiskey is bourbon.” By law, liquor
must conform to certain
requirements to be labeled
“bourbon”: At least 51% corn
ingredients; no artificial color; and
aged in a barrel from 3 to 23 years.
Other well-known whiskeys are
derived from rye and wheat grains.
The name, “Buffalo Trace,” is derived
from buffalo herds that once roamed
the Lexington area, just as they
dominated the Great Plains. Herds
crossing a river would congregate
where, today, four Kentucky roads
join, routes 60, 460, 421, and 127.
Today, the distillery is close to
this intersection.
The Buffalo Trace Distillery is one of
the oldest continuously operating
bourbon distilleries in the U.S. Our
guide, Jimmy Johnson, provided a
fascinating history of this
institution. Even during the
Prohibition of the 1920s, the
distillery was allowed to prepare
Johnson mentioned that during the
Civil War, two establishments were
protected from attacks by either
Union on Confederate troops. These
were hospitals and distilleries, as
both were considered a necessity.
against heat and keeps the aging
bourbon at desired temperatures.
The process uses white oak barrels,
using wood from the Ozarks. The
phrase, “Shot of redeye,” has always
meant a glass of bourbon. When back
in Phoenix, we were pleased to see
Buffalo Trace as one of the bourbons
being featured in the