GETTY IMAGES DAVID WALL
Over the centuries, the distilling business has produced famous figures, legends, outright myths, and even ghosts—more than a few of them, in fact. Reports of spectral sightings and other phantom phenomena have occurred so often that they’re almost the rule rather than the exception. Some distilleries have conjured up so much spooky notoriety that paranormal experts have visited, often affirming suspicions that unseen forces are at play. To toast Halloween, we’ve rounded up a handful of distilleries around the world where spirits—the liquid and the otherworldly kind—are both part of the story.
Buffalo Trace Distillery
Over the years, Buffalo Trace has received visits from a number of paranormal investigators, drawn by claims that ghosts roam the distillery’s halls. Chief among them are the spirits of Colonel E.H. Taylor and Colonel Albert B. Blanton—Taylor was the distillery’s founder, and Blanton ran the distillery in the first half of the 20th century and died on-site in 1959. When the hosts of SyFy series “Ghost Hunters” visited in 2013, they recorded strange noises, unusual cold spots, and inexplicable phantom contact, in line with decades of such reports. After the show aired, Buffalo Trace added a ghost tour to its tour lineup, in which visitors took the same path as the Ghost Hunters did on their visit. The distillery eventually phased it out, but the spooky stories continue.
Old Crow Distillery
Just down the road from Buffalo Trace is Old Crow Distillery, which opened in 1882 as the original home to Old Crow Kentucky bourbon, Old Grand Dad, and other whiskeys. The distillery was left derelict in 1987 upon the sale of parent company National Distillers to Jim Beam. As it sat abandoned, its stone walls blackened and crumbling to the ground, some unusual things were going on. The Travel Channel’s “Ghost Asylum” sent a crew to investigate the derelict site. Over the course of their visit, the crew felt the presence of a spirit that they believe belonged to Andrew Trumbo, a distillery worker who died after stepping through an uncovered hole in a warehouse elevator platform, losing his leg in the fall and, soon thereafter, his life. The distillery remains abandoned to this day, and can be seen on the drive to working distilleries Castle & Key and Buffalo Trace.
Maverick Whiskey
In San Antonio, Texas, Maverick Whiskey Distillery’s tours delve into history, noting spooky circumstances that have occurred there over the years. The distillery is located within what was once the Lockwood National Bank. The bank was built in 1917, but the site has quite a history: As the home of Texas revolutionary Samuel Maverick, it was the scene of many a bloody battle that unfolded during the Texas Revolution. It also served as a secret hideout during Prohibition. These days, distillery employees have their fair share of spooky stories—unexplained noises, physical contact with phantoms, and more. Instead of fearing their ghostly housemates, Maverick celebrates them with tours that focus on the place’s haunted house stories. Halloween-themed cocktails are also on the menu throughout fall.
Southern Grace Distilleries
Like others on this list, Southern Grace Distilleries in Mount Pleasant, North Carolina is so notorious for its paranormal activity that television crews have visited there too. In this case, Steve Gonsalves of “Ghost Hunters” stopped by in 2022, and still comes to the distillery now for private tours. Before becoming a distillery, Southern Grace operated as Mt. Pleasant Prison, and many of its inmates were moonshine runners. While the prison closed in 2011, visitors to Southern Grace, and its employees, have described various hauntings at the distillery. The distillery offers a nighttime Convicted Spirits Investigations tour, led by an investigator of paranormal phenomena.
Jura Distillery
At this distillery, located on a 37-mile island off the west coast of Scotland, it’s rumored that two ghosts—both of them women—roam the grounds. The first appeared in the early 1800s—legend goes that she was furious that land owner Archibald Campbell had outlawed whisky production on the island back in 1781, hurting economic growth. Her visit gave Campbell such a fright that he built a new distillery in 1810, and buried a bottle of whisky beneath it to further appease her spirit. The second is a more recent, far friendlier apparition that was filmed by a distillery camera. Jura hired a local psychic to investigate further, who concluded it was likely the ghost of Elizabeth Quinn, a teacher who had once lived on the island and now purportedly haunts the distillery lodge—so much so that spooked employees refuse to sleep there.
Bowmore Distillery
Given that Bowmore is the oldest distillery on Islay, it has racked up plenty of lore over the years, and that includes its very own ghost stories. Among the most unusual is a tale about the Devil himself—he was apparently spotted in a nearby church and chased through town until he stowed away at the distillery within a whisky barrel, which was eventually shipped off to the mainland. Bowmore has commemorated this story through its Devil’s Cask single malts. Another local legend centers around Islay crofter Lachlan Bàn, who came home one night to a headless horseman galloping away from his house. The ghost had left the door open, and inside, an open bottle of Bowmore whisky on Bàn’s table (which he threw out, being too terrified to drink it).
Kilbeggan Distillery
Kilbeggan Distillery holds the distinction of being Ireland’s oldest-working whiskey maker—and the home to more than a few spirits, who’ve been known to whisper and walk loudly through its halls. Among them are Matthew McManus, the original Kilbeggan founder, and his son John. Psychic Derek Acorah, a regular fixture on Living TV’s “Most Haunted”, claimed to have made contact with them when he visited in 2007. Matthew McManus opened Kilbeggan in 1757 and ran it until his death. John took over from his father, but met an untimely end in 1798 when he was executed for rebellion against English rule.
