BUFFALO TRACE SPIRITS SHINE

[jbutler]

Contact: Angela H. Traver

Public Relations Manager

atraver@buffalotrace.com

502-696-5957

For Immediate Release

BUFFALO TRACE SPIRITS SHINE

Sazerac Rye named "Best American Whiskey"

Franklin County, Kentucky-Buffalo Trace Distillery took home the gold, in some cases the "Double Gold!" The 2005 winners of the San Francisco World Spirits Competition were announced this week and several spirits from the Buffalo Trace family have topped the list. The following products were recognized at this year's competition:

* Sazerac Rye Whiskey, 18 year named "Best American Whisky." -Double Gold Medal

* Eagle Rare Single Barrel Bourbon, 10 year.-Double Gold Medal

* Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve Bourbon, 20 year.-Double Gold Medal

* RAIN Vodka-Double Gold Medal

* Buffalo Trace Bourbon-Silver Medal

* W.L. Weller Bourbon, 12 year.-Silver Medal

Eagle Rare Single Barrel is the only spirit to earn the competition's highest honor of "Double-Gold" three years in a row, while Sazerac Rye has been the proud recipient of the award for the past two years. "I'm very proud of the great range of whiskeys we produce at Buffalo Trace," said Kris Comstock, Bourbon Brand Manager. "The fact that Eagle Rare Single Barrel has earned three consecutive "Double Gold" medals is a true testament to quality and constancy."

RAIN Vodka was also honored this year. This unique vodka is made from scratch at Buffalo Trace Distillery using 100 percent white organic corn. "It's nice to be recognized for all the hard work that goes into making RAIN. It is truly a unique vodka," said Elizabeth Cawood, Vodka Brand Manager. "The distillery is often commended for the high-quality bourbon we produce, but we're also quite proud of our vodka and to win a "Double Gold" medal is really a validation of all the effort that goes into every batch of RAIN."

Buffalo Trace has garnered more awards since 1990 than any other North American distillery-over 140 awards for more than15 different brands. Whisky Magazine recently named Buffalo Trace "2005 Distiller of the Year," the first only American distillery to receive the prestigious award.

About Buffalo Trace

Buffalo Trace Distillery is a family-owned operation based in Franklin County, Kentucky. The distillery's rich distilling tradition dates back to 1787 and has included such legends as E. H. Taylor, Jr., Albert B. Blanton, Orville Schupp and Elmer T. Lee. Buffalo Trace is a fully operational distillery producing bourbon and vodka on site, and was recently named to the National Historic Register. The distillery is also part of the Sazerac family of companies, which has operations in New Orleans, Louisiana; Franklin County, Kentucky, Fredericksburg, Virginia; and Loomis, California. For more information, please visit www.buffalotrace.com.

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