Our tour guide was Niki. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour of Buffalo Trace Distillery. Niki's Hungarian heritage and her world history studies really enhanced the tour because of her vast knowledge of the long history of the distillery. She was genuinely a kind person. That kindness, along with her vast knowledge of the history of Buffalo Trace, made it a wonderful and worthwhile afternoon. read more

What a fun stop on the Kentucky Bourbon trail. Definitely a do Not miss! Buffalo Trace is a leader in the bourbon industry. They offer a wide variety of bourbons as well as a vodka, a bourbon lemonade and other fun drinks. We stopped on a Sunday afternoon- while the place was busy the help was friendly and relaxed- did not feel rushed at all. They offer free tastings and tours. You may want to book a tour ahead of time if you plan to go on a very busy weekend. The day we were there they had a great selection of some of their specialty bourbons to buy. read more

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The BT Distillery has been hosting tours and welcoming the public for 20 years or more, and every time, there seems to be something new. For Blanton's Lovers, visiting BT is a big deal. Do you feel lucky? If you visit on the right day, there are bottles aplenty to buy - but only one per person. If your timing is off, there is nary a cast iron thoroughbred to be found. But that just means you should return tomorrow. They have an extensive gift shop where rare whiskeys are available for alloted purchase (a bottle every 90 days for Blanton's, Eagle Rare, etc.), check the website for daily availability. Additionally, there are multiple touring options, and complementary tastings on the second floor. The grounds are very (VERY) hilly, but fully wheelchair accessible. I stop by almost yearly - every time I make a bourbon pilgrimage to Kentucky - to reload on Blanton's. read more

Buffalo Trace is an amazing stop on the Bourbon Trail! The atmosphere, incredible customer service, and huge gift shop all contribute to the experience. Basically, it is Disney for adults. This was our first visit and we were able to secure 5 Trace Tour tickets for our group, which worked out perfectly since two others opted not to go on a tour (they had craft cocktails in the bar area! Win-win). The tour gave a nice overview of the history and the bourbon process. I plan to take one of their other tours in the future for more in-depth knowledge. The tour is free and you get a tasting of 4 of their bourbons at the end (plus a piece of their amazing chocolate.) The gift shop has everything you could possibly want related to BT. They also have nice selection of bourbons available for purchase that I'm not able to easily find in PA. On the day we visited they were giving out samples of their new RTD bourbon lemonade and their bourbon cream with root beer. Needless to say, we purchased all three of these items! We did grab lunch at the John Carlise café on-site. It was delicious and affordable. We had the Bluegrass Melt which was loaded with meat and came with chips. Their chocolate chip cookies are also quite tasty. I recommend grabbing a bite to eat here. Overall, I was very impressed with the organization of the BT tourist operations. They efficiently moved hundreds of people through quickly, while still creating a welcoming place. The friendliness of all the staff is commendable. We will return in the future! read more

My wife has been in KY for just over 1.5 years and we hadn't been to a distillery. Not being a big drinker anymore... I'm just meh on it but I do feel living in KY requires certain requirements. And visiting, being a short-term bourbon alcoholic, or at least knowing a bit about bourbon is one of those things. Racking my brain for the best first, I went back and forth between a few of them. We will visit some of the others but I feel like Buffalo Trace is a good starter. It provides a bit of country, a bit of history, and there's a FREE tasting tour. It is crowded though. The bourbon craze last decade... Pappy, Eagle Rare, Blanton's, and a few other drinks put this place on the map for so many in the bourbon world. So it stays busy. It does get extra points for having a FREE tour and tasting but ultimately I think this tour focuses more on history. In my opinion, Buffalo Trace isn't the place/tour to come to to learn how it's made. There are far better distilleries for that. The tour is also a little disappointing. Like I said before, you learn a bit about history but even rickhouses... you step foot in one. It's a bit cramped and you don't get to walk around it. Again, there are far better distilleries that show off their rickhouses. It's the same with the tasting. I haven't done this tasting in a while but I was crazy surprised that they had samples of their vodka on their tasting. They did have Weller 107 on display for the tasting... and we were there when they were dropping bottles in the gift shop. I'm surprised it hasn't turned into every(almost) other product that Buffalo Trace has... it's allocated before it ever hits the shelves. Ultimately, I'd visit this distillery for the history. Just expect to visit other distilleries to learn how it's made, see the process, and in some cases, the others have grounds that are more beautiful. read more

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Buffalo Trace was just a quick but enjoyable stop for us. It's it far off the highway and has ample parking. They offer a quick guided free tasting on the second floor. If you won't drink, they have samples of a yummy root beer. Our tasting hosts super personable. There was additional sampling in the merch shop on the first floor. The Buffalo Trace lemonade cans were great as were the grown up root beer floats. We're from Chicago and we'd never seen an entire wall of Blanton's before. Very exciting. read more

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Buffalo Trace Distillery is a mind blowing experience for a first timer. The grounds are massive with historic buildings that have been distilling, aging and bottling bourbon over 200 years. The distillation aromas in the air are intoxicating. We arranged a tour of the facility in combination with a river cruise on the Kentucky River. We signed in for our tour early, so we could shop in the distillery gift shop. I spent several hundred dollars in the gift shop buying special bourbons that you can only purchase at the distillery. I even bought Buffalo Trace dog treats. Plan at least an hour for shopping as lines are long. Fred was our tour guide. Fred was knowledgeable, humorous, interesting and passionate about Buffalo Trace. We learned the history of the distillery, saw how barrels are made, transported and stored and saw the bottling process for the Blanton bourbons. We concluded our tour with a tasting of four bourbons and a sample Kentucky Bourbon Ball. Unfortunately, the tasting was a bit rushed for us. The bourbons were good and I would have liked to make additional purchases after the tasting, but we were not able to because of the timeline for the river cruise. Parking is free. The line to check ids is long but moves quickly. There are restrooms available. I'm told dogs and kids are welcome with some restrictions, but I didn't see any. The tour of Buffalo Trace should be on every bourbon drinker or history buff's bucket list. I want to go back. read more

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We enjoyed our morning spent at buffalo Trace. It is very clean and organized. I saw a gentleman washing the screens and windows on the mill. There were ladies cleaning the outside windows at the log cabin. The staff were very friendly, helpful, and seemed to like their jobs. They allow dogs on the property and inside when making a purchase/taste testing. They gave our dogs treats and the staff welcomed them in. The property is beautiful and great to take dogs on a walk. We enjoyed our day and may go back tomorrow depending on the specials!! read more

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I can't believe I have never reviewed Buffalo Trace before after many visits over the years. The first stop is to obtain a wristband. You need to provide ID, and you will be given a wristband (free) which allows access to the tastings. Tastings are offered in the building with the gift shop. The tastings are free and you don't have to take the tour for the tastings. The tour is interesting and enjoyable, but you might want to make advance reservations as it does sell out at times. The gift shop is excellent, featuring everything from glasses and coasters to all varieties of clothing. There are many collectible items. Perfect place to shop for anyone who loves bourbon. There are different varieties of bourbon available each day. Today I scored a bottle of Eagle Rare, yay! Limited to one per person. It is well worth the drive to experience Buffalo Trace. It is a little off the Bourbon Trail but easy to find. read more

Buffalo Trace Distillery - Distilleries Near Me - Frankfort, Kentucky

What a beautiful distillery! Kentucky was part of my husband's retirement trip and BT was outstanding! This place is huge! We had lunch starting our tour. Food was good people are hustling! Our guide Michael was excellent. Extremely knowledgeable and very informative. read more

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In my humble opinion, the Bourbon Trail should begin here. Based on all other distilleries we visited, Buffalo Trace is the most bourbon-centric, no frills, and no additives approach to both making bourbon and touring a distillery. It is just so simple, they don't even rotate their barrels or add any finishing touches to them. This is THE hardest tour to book. We ended up visiting on THE most crowded day they have ever experienced because they were releasing Weller CYPB (craft your perfect bourbon.) The lines were out on the roads. Even then, they proactively identified and emailed us additional parking and ran a shuttle efficiently so that all reserved tours could have expedited entry. As an event planner myself, I was so impressed by the smooth operations despite thousands of people lined up. I would suggest that you plan your visit around tour availability if needed. read more

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We had an amazing time on the Buffalo Trace Tour. Our guide was so nice as he guided us through in 100° heat. The grounds are beautiful and the gift shop is well stocked with all your favorites. We scheduled a tour so we bypassed a pretty long line. So I highly recommend you make a reservation if you want to do the tour. I heard you can do the taste testing without a reservation so check into that if that's more your speed. Also wanted to do a shoutout to all the staff. They were friendly and very helpful. read more

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Finally landed a EH Taylor Tour. Everything was sold out online. But when I was checking into the gift shop this morning, they had an opening, so I jumped on it for this afternoon. I hear this is the best tour in terms of history and tasting. I'm excited to see how this tour compares to the others. I really liked the Trace tour and I was very disappointed with the hard hat tour, which puts a lot of pressure on this tour to deliver. Ok, so this tour was awesome. So much history. Fun. Entertaining and great tasting experience. This is hands down the best tour I've been on at Buffalo Trace. read more

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Tours and tastings available, plenty of free parking. Large facility, we opted for the tasting without a tour. Immaculate facility, samples of four bourbons and a vodka, alternative was a root beer sample. General information about the facility and products. Next stop was the gift shop, with a large selection of bourbons, beverages, and accessories. It was worth our time to stop and visit. read more

Buffalo Trace Distillery - The mascot! - Distilleries Near Me - Frankfort, Kentucky

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Only able to stop here to go to the gift shop and keep it moving. Place is massive - lots of large buildings and lines for entry. The gift shop was nice but I felt like it didn't have a whole lot of high dollar bottles or offerings. I originally tried to book a tour and tasting but they were fully booked every day we were there. read more

We've been to Buffalo Trace more times than we can count, and somehow this trip we ended up there three times! Hunting down Taylor and Blanton's for Christmas gifts has kind of become our quest, and we're always the first ones in line. Honestly, that's part of the fun--we've met some of the nicest people just waiting together. The team at BT truly loves what they do, and it shows. Everyone is friendly, knowledgeable, and just great at their jobs. We were lucky enough to score a Hard Hat Tour, and Ron was a fantastic guide--engaging, informative, and made the whole experience even better. To top it all off, we had an unexpected encounter with Freddie, which was such a cool moment! Buffalo Trace continues to be a top-notch distillery with incredible people and, of course, some really great bourbon. Always worth the visit. read more

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Just visited Buffalo Trace Distillery during our cross-country road trip, and it was a highlight! The tastings were absolutely amazing--smooth, flavorful, and expertly guided. I could've stayed there sampling all day. Unfortunately, we didn't have time for a full tour, but the tasting experience more than made up for it. The line into the gift shop was a little long (as expected at a popular spot), but it was well organized and moved quickly. The staff was friendly and helpful throughout. I ended up leaving with several excellent bottles to haul back to California--definitely worth the drive and the extra weight in the car! If you're a bourbon fan, Buffalo Trace is a must-stop. Great atmosphere, fantastic products, and solid operations even on a busy day. We'll be back next time we're in Kentucky! Highly recommended. Cheers! read more

Buffalo Trace Distillery - Distilleries Near Me - Frankfort, Kentucky

Probably the best distillery I have ever been to. Everything is organized and run well. A lot of staff to help with questions, tastings, and checkout. Free samples in a big beautiful building with ac. My mil couldn't make the small walk. No problem, she got a ride on a golf cart. The best part, I love Buffalo Trace bourbon! This place has history and charm. The gift store is awesome. I probably spent too much! But I couldn't help it. I highly recommend checking this place out!! read more

Buffalo Trace Distillery - Distilleries Near Me - Frankfort, Kentucky

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Fantastice event for the Holiday season at Buffalo Trace! Easy access to tickets and the entrance was set up by timeframes to avoid confusion! The walkways were well lit, decorated tastefully and family friendly. Plenty of areas for photo-ops. All the staff were happy, cheerful and welcoming to help families/couples take photos. The Spirited drinks were wonderful- boozy hot chocolate had a hint bourbon, dark chocolate and hazelnut. The 3 drinks- one was an okd-fashion style with a hint of cranberries, 2nd was more on a heavy peated taste with oak char, and the third had a hint of pine with orange zest! read more

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This distillery is not only an historic site with cool early industrial age architecture and pretty grounds, but it is a fun place to visit for a tour and tasting. Book ahead, as it can get busy. The tour was interesting, especially the barrel aging warehouse. Our tour guide was very nice. We enjoyed all four of the distilled spirits we tasted (and of course bought some in the gift shop on our way out). Both the tour and tasting were free. We also had a great lunch at their cafe (called the John G. Carlisle Cafe). We had very tasty flatbreads loaded with burnt turkey ends in a sweet and tangy BBQ sauce that included bourbon mornay sauce and bourbon cherries. They got the amount of cherry exactly right, as you could definitely taste it, but it wasn't cloying or overpowering. It simply elevated the BBQ and bourbon mornay sauces. We also had their traditional Old Fashioned cocktail and a seasonal Old Fashioned that included blood orange. Both were excellent. Both the food and cocktails were reasonably priced. I highly recommend visiting the distillery, doing the tour and tasting and having lunch at the cafe. A great experience overall! read more

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We love stopping by Buffalo Trace Distillery to shop, tour, and/or taste their bourbon. Today was shopping and tasting. Due to the popularity of a few of their bourbons, this distillery has grown by leaps and bounds. They have a smooth process to check you in and get you moving along to your next stop. The folks at the welcome desk are very personable and helpful with any questions. Things are always changing here - they have rearranged their gift shop assuming to better handle the flow of shoppers. Each day, they announce what they are selling. Today is Blanton's and EH Taylor - both are typically hard to find. We also were told that their 3 month "jail" to buy Blanton's has been lifted due to the US tariffs and Canada boycotting US bourbon but they still have a daily limit of one. So, we'll be back tomorrow to see if they have it available again. We did the free tasting and since I'm driving, I passed so the nice gentleman offered me some root beer. I appreciated that because it's really good root beer! read more

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Free tour was great! Will was our tour guide; he was knowledgable and fun. Learned a lot! The tasting was enjoyable, and at the end there are $6 cocktails. read more

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What a beautiful distillery. I thoroughly enjoyed our bourbon tour, learned a great deal about fermentation and distillation as well as some fascinating history about the distillery. We sampled some bourbon, had some coffee from the coffee bar with bourbon cream, who knew this was so good! I really recommend this tour if you're in the area, it's definitely one I will remember. read more

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We didn't get to go on a tour but were able to procure a free ticket to visit the site, get some tastings and go to the gift shop. We went on a Wednesday on the road to Nashville. The tastings were great (bourbon, rye, rootbeer, ginger ale). We were lucky to get 2 great bottles to buy in their daily releases. We bought for my adult son who loves bourbon. These two (Eagle Rare and Blanton's Single Barrel) were on his list read more

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Beautiful location in Frankfort Ky. Although none of us are big drinkers, we wanted to check the place out and pick up gifts for the bourbon drinkers in our families. The distillery is very organized. Check in was easy and smoothly run. While my brother and I took the short, pleasant walk from the registration to the gift shop, the ladies took the trolley that goes around. Again we didn't take the tour, but they did have a couple of tasting tables set up, and the gift shop room was full of bourbon choices and related items. We all took advantage of the bourbons-of-the-day offers. Despite a lot of people buying things, check-out was a breeze. Everywhere the staff was friendly - all smiles, and professional as well. read more

Buffalo Trace Distillery - Gift shop mugs - Distilleries Near Me - Frankfort, Kentucky

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Heads up, it's a decent amount of walking! But lots of information about the process and the rich history. Allan was a real fine tour guide, as he used to be a teacher and did a fantastic job answering questions. Very delightful. I was surprised there was vodka as part of the tasting! I really liked the bourbon ball, as I had never had one before. I wasn't the one that booked the tour and tasting so maybe it's well advertised but there was also cream, root beer, ginger ale to try too, which was delightful for someone that doesn't love bourbon (but loves the person they came here with to celebrate a big birthday). Their gift shop was huge! Long check out line. read more

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We came from WI to check out "Night at the Distillery" and it didn't disappoint. First of all, Trace does a great job with everything they do. This event was well run with friendly people, beautifully decorated grounds and delicious cocktails. Seeing the distillery lite up with green lights was something I won't soon forget. The highlight for me was being able to walk in the rickhouses at night. This was a perfectly spooky addition to the event. We'll be back for sure read more

Buffalo Trace Distillery - Distilleries Near Me - Frankfort, Kentucky

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I've been to Buffalo Trace now more times than I can count and I've never been disappointed. Tonight was the "Night at the Distillery" event and what a treat! The evening began with a tasting, as we set on our path to walk the grounds to hear the spooky stories, enjoy more cocktails, a tasty snacks and to see the grounds transformed to a Halloween vibe. Check-in to the tours is always a breeze- fast & friendly. We've been on every (all free!) tour offered and each offer unique bits of history about the property and the business. The tastings and chocolate at the end of the tour are always appreciated but a tour isn't necessary for the free tasting if time isn't on your side. The store offers a wide variety of products, with options from each of the bourbons /products made at Trace. Checkout at the store is also fast & friendly. Parking is always ample, no matter how busy they are. A back lot is available for the extra busy events too. The processes at Trace have certainly been perfected for the best customer facing experience possible. When visiting bourbon country, a visit to Trace should not be missed! read more

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Booking, staff, gift shop, and grounds were all top notch. It was hot but our tour was great. We learned a lot. Super dog friendly. Our Great Dane met lots of friends. read more

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Very limited menu. They need to scrap the burnt ends. Not good. Does not seem to be a true kitchen. Very limited menu. You have to stand in line to get an entrance bracelet to enter the restaurant. Why? They know bourbon but not restaurants. read more

Absolutely an amazing history and place to see. The tour may be hard to get in. But worth the effort to try and make it in. read more

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This is a beautiful and historic distillery One amazing thing is they offer their tours for free- this is unheard of in the tour industry. They have many tours offered so be sure to check fully what tour you are taking to know what is included- I signed up for a tour that was in the end not what I wanted but I appreciate the care and compassion the manager took to listen to my thoughts on the experience- this shows a great business that cares The mixers and syrups here are also high quality versions that are hard to find at a very good price Thank you read more

Buffalo Trace Distillery - Distilleries Near Me - Frankfort, Kentucky

Buffalo Trace can't be beat- their grounds are beautiful, their free tours are awesome (the guides are so knowledgeable and I learn more every time I'm on one) and it is beyond fun awaiting the bottle of the day. If you visit, be sure to stop by their outdoor patio and get an iced coffee with bourbon cream- you won't regret it Oh and go check out warehouse X- it's cool! read more

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It's just a nice experience. It's nice to be able to find bottles I don't readily find at home. I would love to do the hard hat tour but it's next to impossible to schedule. I probably need to go through a tour company. Everyone that works there has been extremely nice and helpful. read more

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Did not take a tour, but stopped by for a sampling and a purchase. The curators here have made this experience seamless, especially for a weekday. After checking in and providing my age verification, I was granted a wrist band that allots a free sampling of what is for sale that day, and the opportunity to purchase up to 12 bottles. I wish I could describe the whole experience, but let's just say it was calming and fun. Lots of families with kids, but you didn't really notice them. I was I lived closer. I would buy all my bourbon straight from the source. read more

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Free Tours, Great Smells Love this place! One of the few (if not the only) distilleries around still offering free tours. The second I step out of my car and catch that whiff of the "angel's share," I know It's all good. Depending on the time you go (and your luck), there might be a bit of a wait to get in, but it usually moves quickly. The shop inside used to be a bit more organized ever since the flood, the layout feels a little congested, like they played retail Tetris and ran out of pieces. My only real wish? That you could actually enjoy more of what they make on-site. The limited patio area and small cocktail menu are fine, but imagine if they offered flights or a few more options to sip while soaking in that distillery vibe. Other spots have that Buffalo could totally level up here. Still, it's a solid visit every time. Friendly staff, great smells, and free whiskey tours Hard to complain about that. read more

Buffalo Trace Distillery - Distilleries Near Me - Frankfort, Kentucky

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Loved it. The grounds were beautiful. The tour guide, Jeremy was great. We had a good time.

Wow! We went on a Saturday in October and it was crazy busy! There was a line to get in - like at a club! We waited and they would let a small group go in every 10 minutes or so. Once we got through there, we went to the building where the tastings and merchandise are. We walked around a little and then went upstairs to do a tasting. There was a line there! We had to wait until there was an available tasting area. The tasting was lead by a knowledgeable staff member. We tasted three bourbons and a vodka. We went back downstairs and tried to shop, but there were so many people it was hard to even get to see everything. Also, the line to checkout was ridiculously long. We decided that if we did find something, we didn't want to stand in that line! I'd love to go back sometime when the crowds were a little less crazy! read more

Buffalo Trace Distillery - Distilleries Near Me - Frankfort, Kentucky

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I've been a fan of Buffalo Trace for quite some time. This includes Blanton's and Eagle Rare. I came to Buffalo Trace just to do a tasting. Somehow, I got lost making my way to the tasting area, but everyone here was extremely helpful and got me to the right place. I was really impressed that everyone was given a private testing. The tasting today happened to include Eagle Rare. I did my tasting with a great gentleman who was extremely knowledgeable. There was an incredible gift shop as well where I was able to pick up some Eagle Rare and Wellers. If you have any doubt coming here, put that aside and make your way to Buffalo Trace. I was concerned when I saw the number of cars here, but the place is so spread out that it never felt crowded. Even in the gift shop. If you're looking for a great tasting and I imagine a great tour, this is a must stop. In addition, be sure to have a drink at the bar behind the gift shop and look over the grounds. Enjoy! read more

Buffalo Trace Distillery - Old Fashioned - Distilleries Near Me - Frankfort, Kentucky

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This is an amazing property even if you're not a Bourbon drinkers. So much history. I missed the rour hours but was able to do a tasting and visit the amazing gift shop. Lots of bottles if your traveling remember to buy the bubble wrap bags they sell. But stop and buy more bubble warp just ro be save. They also give 20% military discount. And everyone at this distillery was so nice and help. read more

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