The Whiskey Reviewer A World of Whiskey, Poured Every Weekday
This summer Buffalo Trace Distillery replaced one of its grain dryers that dated back to the 1950s. However, removing the dryer and inserting the new one was no small feat. In order to install the new, 63,853 pound dryer, the Louisville Dryer Company had to hoist the massive dryer over the Kentucky River and into the Distillery’s Dryhouse, using a large crane.
Now in place among four other dryers in use at Buffalo Trace Distillery, the new dryer, though the same size as the one it replaced, is capable of handling 30 percent more work. The Distillery uses these grain dryers to dry the spent grains that were used in the whiskey-making process, then sees that all of its distilled dried grains are recycled and put to use in other ways, specifically by shipping them off to local farmers for feeding livestock and making a variety of food products, like biscuit and pancake mix.
The Distillery keeps its dryers busy six days a week to keep up with its bourbon production, and sends off roughly 750,000 pounds of distilled dried grains each week to farmers who then reuse that dried grain. Buffalo Trace even sells some of the products made with its recycled grain in its Gift Shop.
“Everything has a purpose around here,” Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley said. “Nothing goes to waste. Once our grains serve our intents in our whiskey making process we’re happy to be able to support our local farmers and give that spent grain another purpose.”
The new dryer installation took place during Buffalo Trace’s annual summer shut down, which typically lasts from about mid-June through the beginning of August. The Distillery uses that time to deep clean all facets of the distilling process and make necessary repairs in order to keep things running efficiently and to get the most use out of its equipment. It’s safe to say that each dryer at Buffalo Trace sees its fair use, as it still has two dryers in place that date back to the 1940s. These old faithful machines will likely be replaced in the coming years as well.
