Buffalo Trace Distillery prepares for Bourbon Barrel Relay at Kentucky bourbon festival

FRANKFORT, KY. (WTVQ) — When you think of Buffalo Trace Distillery,  you think of quality bourbon but it’s not just the bourbon that makes the distillery special but also the people who make it happen.

“My oldest, she just come running up to me hugging me saying I’m so proud of you mama. It, it just melts my heart knowing that I can be like that for my kids,” said Krista Schartzer, a warehouse employee who also holds a World Championship record she obtained last year.

This weekend, bourbon will be taking center stage, and it will be no different this weekend at the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, where various distilleries will be competing in a bourbon barrel relay.

“The teams start practicing about eight months in advance of this event. The significance of the event itself is what they’re doing is they’re practicing putting the barrels into the warehouse.
So the competition from all the bourbon distilleries here in Kentucky is to see which team can put the barrels in the warehouse, the fastest with the little wooden plug called the bung, and it has to be on the top part of the barrel when it goes in,” said Freddie Johnson, VIP ambassador lead for visitors experience at the Buffalo Trace Distillery.

From individual to team competitions, Buffalo Trace carries a lot of pride with their team representing the distillery.

“I came out to the warehouse about seven years ago so I wanted to get out there show myself that I can be just like one of the guys and be a role model for my daughters,” added Schartzer.

For her, the competition is more than just an event, its a way for her show her daughters they can succeed in anything they do.

“I want them to know that they can do anything that they want. Just like I went into that job just knowing, you know, if I can prove that I can do this, just know that you can follow in your mom’s footsteps, be a role model to other women, just like I’m trying to be,” also said Schartzer.

She currently holds an individual world championship record and she’s ready to take on the competition again to defend her title this weekend.

“I love being able to represent my job and show what I can do,” she says.

The festival showcasing the individuals who make it happen day in and day out at the distilleries.

“We represent Buffalo Trace, we also represent a key component in the industry and how those barrels are being handled just so that you get the best taste profile out of that barrel,” said Johnson.

To learn more about the Kentucky Bourbon Festival, click here.

For more information on the Buffalo Trace Distillery, click here.