Full Breakdown
Buffalo Trace Launches Adult Bourbon Summer Camp
7/14/2026, 6:21:47 AM
Camp Buffalo Trace: An Immersive Bourbon Experience
Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky is converting its historic campus into “Camp Buffalo Trace,” a bourbon-themed adult summer camp for participants 21 and older. The program runs on two Saturdays—August 29 and September 5, 2026—and combines daytime workshops with optional overnight “luxury camping” in air-conditioned canvas tents that include indoor furnishings, robes, slippers and a stocked mini-fridge.
How to Attend: Sweepstakes Mechanics
Entry to the camp is through an online sweepstakes that opens on July 14 at noon Eastern Time and closes on July 21 at 11:59 a.m. ET. A total of 200 winners will be selected at random: 90 will receive day-camp tickets for each date, and 10 will be granted the day-plus-overnight package per session. Winners are not provided travel; all on-site activities and accommodations are free. The official rules are posted at www.buffalotracedistillery.com/camp.
Activities and Experiences
Selected campers will rotate through four hands-on experiences:
- Whiskey Woodcraft Workshop – participants craft a cocktail muddler from authentic barrel staves while learning about white oak’s role in bourbon production.
- Bung Driving Relay – a competition focused on the stopper that seals whiskey barrels.
- Blind Tasting & Buffalo Trace Trivia – a test of bourbon knowledge and sensory skills.
- Single Barrel Challenge – tasting three barrels of the same bourbon at different ages to illustrate how time, warehouse placement and maturation affect flavor.
Official Statement from Buffalo Trace
Tyler Adams, General Manager of Buffalo Trace Distillery, said the camp “offers an opportunity to celebrate the fun and connection that make summer so special” and that it “creates a one-of-a-kind program designed to help guests make lasting memories at the Distillery.”
Verbatim Quotes
- “At Buffalo Trace Distillery, we’re always looking for new ways to create memorable moments for our guests, and Camp Buffalo Trace offers an opportunity to celebrate the fun and connection that make summer so special,” — Tyler Adams, General Manager, Buffalo Trace Distillery
- “By bringing together interactive activities, bourbon education and overnight camping accommodations, we've created a one-of-a-kind program designed to help guests make lasting memories at the Distillery.” — Tyler Adams, General Manager, Buffalo Trace Distillery
- “Campers will get to make their own cocktail muddler (a tool used to press fruit or other drink ingredients) from "authentic barrel staves while learning firsthand about the role white oak plays in bourbon making," according to Buffalo Trace.” — Buffalo Trace Distillery (press release)
- “how time, warehouse placement and maturation influence a whiskey's final character,” — Buffalo Trace Distillery (press release)
