Buffalo Trace invites guests to apparent haunted grounds for a 'spirited' Halloween

FRANKFORT, Ky. (WDRB) -- Buffalo Trace invites guests to visit with its spirits this Halloween, but they're not the kind you're probably thinking. It offers year-round tours after experts in the ghost hunting business called the distillery one of the most haunted locations.

In the midst of modern day, Buffalo Trace is the oldest continuously operating distillery in the United States, with warehouses and ingredients dating back 200 years -- and some claim -- people.

"We get questions all the time about our hauntings," says Kristie Wooldridge, Public Relations Associate Manager of Buffalo Trace Distillery. "Depending on who's working late or who's had the most recent experience, you come in and often someone's got a new story to tell."

There were so many reports of sightings, injuries, accidents and deaths that the hosts of ghost hunters on the Syfy network launched a full investigation in 2011.

"In this building in particular, the ghost hunters heard voices, they heard footsteps and the two hosts were actually pinched simultaneously on two different floors," Wooldridge said.

According to Buffalo Trace, the ghost hunters reported more incidents there than any other site they investigated at the time.

"I'm on the watch for it, trying to explain things away," Wooldridge said.

The ghost hunters confirmed what workers suspected all along. "Employees have also reported seeing feet hanging from the top floor as if someone's sitting on the top rafters," Wooldridge said.

Another story that's been passed on through the years is something that happened on Floor 2. A group of warehouse workers were on a break outside when one of them said they heard a voice that told him to move. They listened and shortly after, a wall came crumbling down.

Many report seeing former distillery president Colonel Albert Blanton around the premises. He died in his mansion on the property. It's now office space.

"One of the most interesting stories I think for that building is our old PR manager was coming into work really early one morning and she saw the face of a thin, gray man looking out the window," Wooldridge said. "She looked away. When she looked back, the face was gone. Ever since then, she couldn't work by herself in that building anymore."

The 2011 investigation prompted the haunted tours in addition to their bourbon tours.

"We thought there's something here and people are really interested in it. So, we decided to open it up to the public so that everybody can come and see if they can have an experience,"Wooldridge said.

The year-round tours fill up fast in October, for a chance to see the unseen, offering a straight, spooky Halloween.

"There is a lot of opportunity I guess over the years for people to become attached to the place and maybe just not want to move on and leave their spirit with the other spirits that they worked so had to create," Wooldridge said.

The complimentary tours are offered Thursday through Saturday every week on a reservation basis.

The tours are followed by a free bourbon tasting.