Phantom Encounters at America’s Oldest Distillery
Something strange happens when the sun sets over Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. The show’s two lead investigators, Jason and Grant, said Buffalo Trace was one of the few sites they had been to where all of the investigators on the team had a paranormal experience. This isn’t just local folklore anymore. According to Buffalo Trace, the ghost hunters reported more incidents there than any other site they investigated at the time. When professional paranormal investigators call your distillery one of the most haunted places they’ve ever visited, you know there’s more brewing than bourbon in those aging warehouses.
Over the years, Buffalo Trace has received visits from a number of paranormal investigators, drawn by claims that ghosts roam the distillery’s halls. Chief among them are the spirits of Colonel E.H. Taylor and Colonel Albert B. Blanton—Taylor was the distillery’s founder, and Blanton ran the distillery in the first half of the 20th century and died on-site in 1959. Imagine spending over fifty years working at the same place, only to discover that retirement apparently isn’t an option when you’re that passionate about bourbon.
The Colonel Who Never Clocked Out
One of the oldest paranormal legends at the distillery comes from the early 20th century when workers were doing some updates on the Warehouse C building. The foreman, who had dozed off momentarily while his worker labored, was awoken by a voice telling him to get his workers out. He couldn’t find anyone around, so fell back asleep. A short time later, the same voice let out a booming yell at him to get everyone out while he still could. Too frightened to sleep, the foreman did as this mysterious voice told him and evacuated his workers from the area. A few minutes later, the wall his men had been working on collapsed. If he hadn’t heeded the spirit’s warning, it is quite possible a few more ghosts would be lurking the grounds.
This protective spirit might just be Colonel Blanton himself, still looking after his workers decades after his death. It makes you wonder if some people are so dedicated to their jobs that even death can’t convince them to take a permanent vacation.
Security Guards See More Than They Bargained For
Security guard Zack Evans divulges that several employees have stories about ghostly encounters. He says he frequently sees ghosts. “On numerous occasions, I’ve seen a man who isn’t here,” Evans says. “It started one day when I was getting off the elevator. I saw this older gentleman. He had a moustache and a beard that was all grey and he’s dressed like a worker. He was just standing there looking at me through the door. Then he just walked off. We checked the video and there was no one there. After that, I saw him every day for a week.”
Security cameras don’t lie, but they apparently don’t see everything either. This gray-bearded worker seems determined to clock in for his eternal shift, making regular appearances to remind everyone that some employees never truly leave the company.
Louisville’s Whiskey Row Harbors Dark Secrets
Old Forester Distilling Co. is located on Louisville’s Whiskey Row, a hotbed for paranormal activity. Old Forester Distilling Co. is located on Whiskey Row, which is where Louisville’s historic Galt House Hotel originally stood during the Civil War. The hotel was the site of several deaths that are believed to haunt the area today. When you build your bourbon empire on ground that witnessed Civil War tragedy, you’re bound to inherit more than just real estate.
Other stories include people walking through walls, and visions of a woman in white. One person claims to have seen a ghost slowly drinking bourbon from a sealed bottle in an executive’s office. Even in death, it seems, some spirits appreciate good bourbon. At least this particular ghost has excellent taste, though their ability to drink from sealed bottles remains unexplained.
Wild Turkey’s Family Spirits
Wild Turkey Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky is said to be haunted by a Ripy family ghost. Could the spirits at Wild Turkey Distillery actually be Ripy family ghosts? According to those who have interacted with them, yes. The Ripy family founded what’s now known as Wild Turkey back in 1869. It’s believed that the ghost is a Ripy, or that of Bob, a deceased distiller employee who continues to haunt the grounds.
That same year, the SyFy Channel’s TV show Ghost Hunters showed up at Wild Turkey to investigate. When your family business is so important that you refuse to leave even after death, that’s what you call true entrepreneurial spirit. The Ripy family apparently takes “keeping it in the family” to entirely new levels.
Jim Beam’s Supernatural Workforce
In warehouse D, employees claim to have seen a figure walking up the stairs, and a man wearing overalls hiding between barrels. Sounds of footsteps and whistling on the floors above have been heard. And in warehouse K, sightings of a woman wearing formal clothing have been reported. The Jim Beam distillery seems to employ quite a diverse supernatural staff, from overall-wearing barrel inspectors to formally dressed supervisors.
In 2018, ghost hunters spent 72 hours confined to the distillery to investigate these claims on the TV show Paranormal Lockdown. Let’s just say that Bourbon isn’t the only spirit locked away at James B. Beam. Jim Beam produces more than half a million barrels of bourbon each year. With that kind of production volume, it’s no wonder they need extra help, even from the otherworldly kind.
Million-Dollar Tourism Fueled by Spirits
The Trail welcomed 2.7 million visitors from around the world in 2024. The Trail welcomed a record 2.7 million visitors in 2024 as it celebrated its 25th anniversary with an award-winning rebranding campaign and innovative digital tools to make it easier to plan the bucket-list adventure. Visitors were up from 2.5 million in 2023 – the third straight year topping the two million mark. These numbers suggest that ghost stories might actually be good for business, adding an extra layer of intrigue to the bourbon experience.
Visitors spend between $600 – $1,400 during their trip on dining, entertainment, lodging and transportation. But last year, Bourbon Trail distilleries saw a surge of visitors from states outside that drive time, including California, Colorado, Florida, Louisiana, New York, and Pennsylvania. People are traveling thousands of miles not just for the bourbon, but perhaps for the chance to encounter something unexplainable in Kentucky’s haunted distilleries.
Television Fame Brings National Attention
Buffalo Trace Distillery was investigated by television’s number one paranormal reality series, “Ghost Hunters®” and the episode will air on Wednesday, Nov. 16th at 9:00 p.m. EST on the SyFy network. It is the first time the TV show had ever filmed at a distillery. Being the first distillery to catch the attention of professional ghost hunters on national television has certainly put Kentucky bourbon’s haunted reputation on the map.
The paranormal encounters at Buffalo Trace have been so common for so long, the area has recently garnered national television attention. In 2011, the distillery was featured on an episode of Syfy’s Ghost Hunters, and since then, has been an even more popular paranormal location. Television exposure has transformed these local ghost stories into national phenomena, attracting both bourbon enthusiasts and paranormal seekers alike.
Formal Ghost Tours Become Tourist Attractions
Now visitors can have their own experience as Buffalo Trace Distillery kicks off its Ghost Tours on Thursday, Nov. 17th at 7 p.m. The tours will run Thursday-Saturday evenings at 7 p.m. each evening, starting Nov. 17th and running indefinitely. The Ghost Tours will last approximately an hour, and follow the path as seen on “Ghost Hunters®,” including some rarely-toured areas of the Distillery.
The distillery has offered ghost tours for several years and is often very open about their ghost stories. The distillery has offered ghost tours for several years and is often very open about their ghost stories. Rather than hiding from their haunted reputation, these distilleries have embraced it, turning supernatural encounters into legitimate tourist experiences that complement their bourbon heritage.
Bardstown’s Historic Hauntings
Each Saturday, Certified Ghost Hunter Patti Star leads chill seekers to three of Bardstown’s most haunted historical places, starting with Talbott Tavern. Built in 1779, this former stagecoach stop is rumored to house the spirits of Jesse James and the infamous Lady in White. Bardstown, known as the Bourbon Capital of the World, apparently earned that title through more than just whiskey production.
In the hallways and room of the Jailer’s Inn, visitors have reported hearing sounds of footsteps and crying. Lastly, located directly behind Jailer’s Inn is Pioneer Cemetery. The caretakers of this final resting place, built in 1789, not only buried the dead, they buried the living – twice. When your cemetery has a history of accidentally burying living people, it’s no wonder the area has developed a supernatural reputation.
Economic Impact Beyond the Bourbon
Bourbon is a US$9 billion ‘economic and tourism powerhouse’, the KDA said, sustaining more than 22,500 jobs with an annual payroll topping US$1.23bn. The industry also pays more than US$285m in local and state taxes, and US$1.8bn in federal alcohol duty. These ghost stories aren’t just entertainment; they’re contributing to a massive economic engine that supports tens of thousands of jobs across Kentucky.
They spend between $400 and $1,200 during their stay, with more than 70% of visitors coming from outside of state and nearly half with a household income over $100,000. Bourbon tourism has brought $9 billion and more than 22,500 jobs to the Bluegrass State. The haunted history adds value to an already lucrative tourism industry, proving that sometimes the most profitable spirits are the ones you can’t bottle.
Professional Ghost Hunters Validate Local Legends
When I first got the call from Theresa, a former employee at Buffalo Trace, inviting us to investigate the distillery, I remembered that I had a student, Bobbie Vereeke, whose husband also worked there. Bobbie told me that her husband knew about the ghosts that haunt several of the buildings on the property. I organized a group of 40 ghosthunters from my organization to investigate the distillery.
After introducing myself and explaining the reason for my call, I was routed to Angela Traver, the public relations manager. Angela was attentive; once I asked her if she had experienced any type of paranormal activity, she was gracious enough to share her story with me. Angela’s office is located in the sunroom of Stony Point Mansion. It was a wintry morning, still dark, when she arrived at her office. Soon after entering the room, she sat her computer case on the floor beside her desk so that she could remove her coat and scarf. As she bent down, she saw a tall, dark figure pass by on her right side. She jerked round and quickly reached for the light switch to see who else was in the room. Even the public relations managers have become part of the ghost stories, adding credibility to the supernatural claims.
The Kentucky Bourbon Trail’s haunted reputation has grown from whispered employee stories to nationally televised investigations, transforming ghost sightings into tourist attractions. These supernatural encounters haven’t hurt business – they’ve enhanced it, adding mystery and intrigue to an already compelling bourbon heritage. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, there’s no denying that Kentucky’s distilleries offer more than just exceptional whiskey; they provide an otherworldly experience that keeps millions of visitors coming back for more.
