Buffalo Trace Unveils Paris Pop-Up Ahead Of The Olympics

Just in time for this year’s Summer Olympic Games in Paris, Buffalo Trace Distillery is unveiling a pop-up retail shop in the City of Light, complete with an on-site lounge for whiskey tastings. The upscale store, which opens on Friday, July 19 for a five-week stint that coincides with the 2024 Olympics, offers a variety of Buffalo Trace whiskeys and custom merchandise.

The shop is located at 36 Rue Etienne Marcel in Paris’ Les Halles District. Its whiskey selection includes Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, and W.L. Weller 12 year old bourbons, as well as Sazerac rye (prices range from €36-€49/$39-$53 a bottle). These are the only labels that can be purchased in Paris because they’re currently the only Buffalo Trace products available in France.

Behind the retail store in the same space, the bespoke lounge 12 Gold boasts a Weller-focused menu, allowing guests to sample a variety of the brand’s whiskeys. The tasting selection includes pours of Special Reserve, Weller 12 year old, and the new luxury Millennium label. Millennium is a rare release, and the sampling opportunity at 12 Gold is one of only a few places where consumers in Europe can try the whiskey. Entrance into 12 Gold is free, and to be considered guests must follow Buffalo Trace’s new Instagram handle @buffalotracedistillery_UK_EU, then like the post that highlights 12 Gold and tag someone they’d want to bring to the tasting experience. 12 Gold is open for a shorter period than the store, from July 26 through August 11, and winners who interact on social media will be chosen at random to participate in a tasting.

Along with the Paris retail and tasting experiences, visitors to The City of Light can visit the nearby Experimental Cocktail Club bar to try specialty drinks made with Weller 12 year old. The venue will host a two-week residency, beginning July 26, during which bartenders from across France will work at the bar and create new drinks that feature Weller 12.

This Paris pop-up is the second European Experience for Buffalo Trace this year, following the brand’s now-permanent Buffalo Trace Distillery London concept. The Kentucky brand put down roots in London earlier this year as part of its effort to expand its global footprint and reach new consumers in the UK. The London space is Buffalo Trace’s first international brand experience and was chosen because, according to the company, the UK is the top American whiskey market outside of the U.S. Buffalo Trace Distillery London offers a retail component, complete with a variety of Buffalo Trace labels and merchandise, as well as an on-site tasting experience.

Both the London concept and the Paris space are designed to give global visitors an experience like they’d get at Buffalo Trace’s Frankfort, Kentucky home. However, sad news for stateside Buffalo Trace fans, it has no plans to create similar pop-up stores or tasting experiences in the U.S.