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 Thomas Handy distilled in 2007 and bottled in 2013 for the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, a range released annually that features three bourbons (William Larue Weller, George T. Stagg and Eagle Rare) and two rye whiskeys (Sazerac and Thomas H. Handy). Thomas Handy was a bartender and owner of the Sazerac Coffee House in New Orleans, which he purchased in 1869 after directing Taylor Sewell, notably the importer of the cognac brand Sazerac de Forge & Fills which leant its name to the Sazerac cocktail. The Phylloxera crisis in the late 19th century drained the stocks of cognac and Handy decided to replace it with rye whiskey. He died in 1893, leaving the business in the hands of C.J. O’’Reilly, who created the Sazerac brand of rye whiskey. The brand was revived in 2006 by the Sazerac group after it bought the Buffalo Trace distillery in 1992. The Thomas Handy brand joined the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection the same year.