THE BOURBON BOOM

IT’S NOT JUST TEQUILA that’s in short supply. Bourbon whiskey consumption has been on a roll, and Kentucky’s bourbon distilleries are struggling to keep up with demand. Nowhere is this more true than at Buffalo Trace Distillery, producer of brands such as Blanton’s, Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, Elmer T. Lee, and Pappy Van Winkle. Buffalo Trace ages many of its barrels for eight to ten years, and some even as long as 23 years. That’s a long time to wait for a bottle of bourbon. Not to mention, with the amount of bourbon lost to evaporation each year a barrel is half empty after ten years. This is the price paid for well-aged whiskey, but not good news for a world thirsty for every drop of bourbon coming out of this 24O year old Distillery. Waiting for the bourbon to come of age is the hard part. While we wait, there could be temporary product shortages, even on favorites like Buffalo Trace and Eagle Rare,” said Kris Comstock, Bourbon Marketing Director. “What this means is that there simply may be times when some of our brands are missing from store shelves.” Comstock stresses that any bourbon shortages from Buffalo Trace will be temporary. He notes, “We just ask our fans to remember, aging good bourbon takes time, and we’re doing our best to keep up.” Buffalo Trace estimates the bourbon shortage could start at any time and may last a few years, based on current sales trends. Put it on your holiday wish list now!