Buffalo Trace gives lineup, release details for one of bourbon’s biggest cult favorites
Bourbon fans, fall means Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. Here’s what you might be lining up for this year: Five limited edition releases again, available in late September or early October, with a suggested retail price of $99.
The Antique Collection was introduced 20 years ago, and the releases have become cult favorites. Since 2000, they’ve won numerous awards.
Bourbon collectors often wait overnight for the chance to buy at their favorite liquor stores once word gets out that “the Antiques are in.”
Stores only get a handful, sometimes only one of each. Many stores hold lotteries to give bourbon aficionados a chance to buy a bottle.
George T. Stagg
The “powerhouse favorite of the Antique Collection,” according to Buffalo Trace. This year’s version is 130.4 proof, from barrels filled in the spring of 2005 and stored in warehouses L, K and Q. Evaporation loss was 59 percent, which is a bit higher than the last few years, according to Buffalo Trace.
Expect the familiar Stagg taste profile of cinnamon, caramel and cherries on the nose, creamy vanilla with smoked oak on the palate, finished with black coffee, dark cherries and herbs, according to tasting notes. That’s if you’re lucky enough to snag one.
William Larue Weller
This wheated recipe bourbon is uncut and unfiltered this year. Distilled in the winter of 2008 and aged in Warehouses I and C, it is 134.5 proof and has flavors of soft caramel, spearmint and cinnamon.
Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye
This collection’s uncut and unfiltered straight rye is Thomas H. Handy, distilled in spring of 2014, aged in warehouses K, M and N, with a proof of 129. The flavors including cinnamon, anise and honey, according to the tasting notes.
Eagle Rare 17 Year Old
Distilled in the spring of 2002 and aged on the first floor of Warehouse P, this release is 101 proof and has a nose of ripe cherries, vanilla cream and oak, followed by a taste of caramel and coffee, and a finish of oak, pepper and fresh herbs.
Sazerac Rye 18 Year Old
Buffalo Trace’s previous edition of Sazerac Rye 18 was named “Best Rye Whiskey Aged 11 Years and Over,” so this release is one to look for. Aged in the spring of 2002 and aged on the third floor of Warehouse K, it is 90 proof and has flavors of oak, caramel and dark chocolate, with a finish of coffee, black pepper and cherries.
This story was originally published September 9, 2020 at 11:37 AM.
