If and when you make the trek to do Kentucky’s Bourbon Trail, you’re more than likely going to make a stop at the Buffalo Trace Distillery. If you’re lucky, your tour guide will be Freddie Johnson, who was recently inducted into the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame.
Johnson began his tenure as a tour guide in 2002, leaving a successful career as a network/operations engineer in Atlanta to fulfill a promise made to his father, Jimmy, more than 20 years earlier. He 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. Johnson had been in and around the Distillery since he was five years old, coming to work with his father and grandfather and playing on the grounds and in the old warehouses.
Johnson weaves together his childhood memories with the Distillery’s rich history as he entertains thousands of guests each year on various tours. Johnson is a third-generation employee, by his paternal grandfather, Jimmy Johnson Sr., and father, Jimmy Johnson Jr., all working at what is now known as Buffalo Trace Distillery. This past April, Johnson carried on another family tradition by rolling away the Distillery’s seventh millionth barrel of bourbon produced since Prohibition, an honor his father started with the first millionth barrel produced, and continued until the sixth millionth barrel in 2008.
The Bourbon Hall of Fame honors remarkable achievements that continue to drive the bourbon industry’s new Golden Age. Recipients have world-class leadership, vision, dedication and integrity that has forever transformed this country’s signature spirit. The Kentucky Distillers’ Association created the Hall of Fame in 2001, in conjunction with the annual Kentucky Bourbon Festival, to recognize individuals and organizations that have made a significant and transformational impact on Bourbon’s stature, growth and awareness.
Being inducted to the Bourbon Hall of Fame is the highest honor given by Kentucky’s signature Bourbon and distilled spirits industry.
