Founded in 1792, the Buffalo Trace Distillery is located in Frankfort, in the state of Kentucky. Owned by the Sazerac group, it has been known under several names including George T. Stagg and Old Fire Copper (OFC), and is thought to be the oldest distillery in operation in the United States. It produces an eponymous brand of bourbon, Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon, as well as numerous other brands including William Larue Weller, Thomas H. Handy, Georges T. Stagg and the famous Pappy Van Winkle.

A Stagg 18 Year Old bottled in 2011 for the Buffalo Trace Antique collection, a prestigious annual range composed of three bourbons (William Larue Weller, George T. Stagg and Eagle Rare) and two rye whiskeys (Sazerac and Thomas H. Handy). Stagg joined the range in 2002. Its connections to Buffalo Trace are nothing new, as, after the distillery went bankrupt under the management of Edmund Haynes Taylor Junior, it was bought by George T. Stagg in 1878, who managed it until his retirement in the 1890s. It took his name in 1904.