Buffalo Trace Distillery Tasting with
Bourbon Hall-of-Famer Freddie Johnson (SOLD OUT)

Saturday, Sept. 27th | 6:30 PM | VIP Tasting Tent

By popular demand, we’re running it back one more time. Without a doubt, the VIP Session our riders have most requested make a return to Base Camp is Freddie Johnson and Buffalo Trace. We hear you and we couldn’t agree more:

The Burn Team is thrilled to welcome Buffalo Trace & Freddie Johnson back to the VIP Tent! Freddie, who is a member of the Bourbon Hall-Of-Fame, joined us in the tasting tent most recently in 2023 and his presentation brought down the house…er…tent serving up an hour of stories. whiskey wisdom, laughter and amazing pours from Buffalo Trace’s best known brands. Freddie’s past appearance at The Burn has been such a hit…that we’ve decided to do it all again!

As part of this experience, guests will enjoy tastings of products that all are distilled right down the road at Buffalo Trace’s historic Frankfort distillery. Freddie will guide riders through the tasting of each product, discuss how different grain recipes and aging techniques are used to create a variety of whiskeys all drop a few nuggets of whiskey philosophy (“An empty bottle of bourbon shared with friends is far more valuable then a full bottle sitting on the shelf”).

Freddie Johnson is a third generation employee at Buffalo Trace and serves as Distillery VIP Visitor Lead. Born right in Bourbon County in Paris, KY. Freddie often tells the tale of how he was in the middle of a successful career when he put all of it aside to fulfill a promise made to his father, Jimmy, more than 20 years earlier. He had promised his father that he would work at the Distillery during his lifetime so they could say they had three generations of the Johnson family that worked at Buffalo Trace.

Jimmy got him a job as a tour guide at the Distillery in 2002 but Freddie has been in and around the Distillery since he was five years old. Freddie has a unique knack for connecting those both new and old to the bourbon world in a meaningful and special way.

These days, Freddie is so beloved in the bourbon community, he even has a line of Root Beer named after him. How cool is that, Daddy-o? Grab your tickets early- an evening with Freddie and pours from Buffalo Trace always is a sell-out event!

A Kentucky Homecoming - Global Pours with Local Roots
with Phil Talks Whiskey (SOLD OUT)

Saturday, Sept. 27th | 8:30 PM | VIP Tasting Tent |

You may know some of your bourbon basics including the rule that, by law, all bourbon must be distilled, aged and bottle in America…but did you know it doesn’t always stay there? Did you ever wonder how the bottles that are made specifically by iconic distilleries and destined exclusively for markets like Japan, Western Europe, Australia are different? And, more importantly, what they taste like? Well, we’re gonna find out.

We’re ending our VIP Experiences on Saturday night with the perfect tasting event designed to spark your whiskey curiosity, generate lively discussion and open your eyes to bourbon’s global market.

Phil Kollin from Phil Talks Whiskey is back in the VIP Tasting Tent once again and this time he's really bringing a bit of international flair with a sensational tasting featuring pours of bourbon expressions that are distilled, aged and bottled in Kentucky...but only sold in international markets!

Think of it as a bit of distiller’s envoy as we take these bottles who have served as stint as Kentucky Diplomats by traveling form nearby distilleries to overseas and back again just for us to taste!

“Lost Children of Whiskey” who are back from the barrel yet differing significantly from their American counterparts in age, proof and flavor. The differences are eye opening. Plus, Phil has promised a few surprises from his oversized of tricks, a handful of tremendous giveaways and some chocolate treats that pair well with whiskey.

For seasoned whiskey sippers and bourbon newbies alike, this is chance to stamp your bourbon passport without ever leaving Bourbon Base Camp!

Join us and cap off your Saturday evening at The Burn with this raucous and fun event in our VIP Tasting Tent! And take advantage of your chance to try some whiskies you’ve likely never had before…and may never get the chance to try again!

“I pour out a shot of 1 oz. over ice cubes and a little bit of Seven Up or Sprite That’s the way I like it. There’s no “wrong” way to enjoy whiskey—as long as you’re enjoying it.”
— Elmer T. Lee - Buffalo Trace Master Distiller (1919-2013)