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.

An Eagle Rare 17 Year Old distilled in 1998 and bottled in 2014 for the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, an annual range featuring three bourbons (William Larue Weller, George T. Stagg and Eagle Rare) and two rye whiskeys (Sazerac and Thomas H. Handy). The Eagle Rare brand was launched by Seagram in 1975, inspired by Wild Turkey’’s success. At the time the bourbon was produced at Four Roses using Charles L. Beam’’s recipe. The brand was sold to the Sazerac group at the same time as Benchmark in the 1980s. Production was then moved to Heaven Hill, followed by Buffalo Trace from 1992. The 17 year old joined the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection in 2000. It is made from bourbon distilled at George T. Stagg, the distillery today known as Buffalo Trace.