Buffalo Trace Root Beer Renamed For Beloved Guide

The root beer sold at Buffalo Trace Distillery is getting a new name. The Distillery is re-branding its Dr. McGillicuddy’s Root Beer in honor of its famed tour guide Freddie Johnson.

Freddie’s Old Fashioned Root Beer will be the exact same root beer it has always been and the price will remain unchanged. What is new is the name and label, which depicts Freddie’s image and his well-known catchphrases, like “Isn’t that neat?” and “What’s up daddy-o?” The six bottle carrier depicts scenes of the Distillery and Freddie fishing along the banks of the Kentucky River. The new orange bottle cap features Freddie’s signature thumbs-up.

Freddie, whose father and grandfather both worked at the Distillery before him, has worked as a tour guide at Buffalo Trace for 17 years and is well known for delighting guests with his fun personality and fabulous story telling.

The Distillery decided to make this branding change to celebrate Freddie and the Johnson family ties to Buffalo Trace. The Dr. McGillicuddy brand has no historical connection to the Distillery, but Freddie Johnson has three generations of history at Buffalo Trace Distillery.  Freddie was recently inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame and his “bubbly” personality is a natural fit for this old fashioned root beer.

The root beer continues to be made with the same natural herbs, real oil of birch and imported vanilla. Guests of all ages can sample the root beer at the end of each complimentary Distillery tour in Frankfort. For adults, it mixes great with Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cream to make a fabulous root beer float.

The first cases of the newly branded root beer arrived in the Gift Shop this week. The root beer will maintain its price of $1.25 per bottle.