Buffalo Trace’s Coveted Antique Collection Is Back—and We Tasted Every Expression

Jonah Flicker
·4 min read

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Whiskey fans are still anxiously awaiting news about the 2023 Pappy Van Winkle release, and that should arrive soon so let’s all take a deep breath. But the details about another unicorn whiskey collection has arrived—the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection—and we got to sample all five expressions.

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BTAC has been around for more than 20 years, but these whiskeys have increased exponentially in popularity (and price) over the last decade. The set consists of three bourbons and two rye whiskeys that are sold separately, each commanding prices well beyond the $125 SRP listed for these bottles. Why do whiskey fans freak out over BTAC? Well, the collection includes high-proof and older versions of some classic Buffalo Trace brands like Sazerac and Eagle Rare, and each year brings differences in age and strength of the whiskeys. While dedicated fans always have favorites and disappointments in this annual collection, overall these are usually pretty excellent whiskeys if you’re willing to shell out ten times the listed price. We got to sample this year’s collection, which includes the oldest Eagle Rare bourbon to date, and the details are as follows.

Eagle Rare 17-Year-Old Bourbon

As mentioned before, this is the oldest version of this beloved bourbon to date, at just over 19 years old. That’s very, very old for a bourbon, and while that registers on the palate, this is a rich, complex, delicious whiskey. It was distilled in the spring of 2004 and bottled at 101 proof. There are notes of deep burned caramel, butterscotch dip, vanilla, oak, and baking spice, and the ABV is low enough that neat sipping without water added will work just fine here.

George T. Stagg Bourbon

This is a beast of a bourbon bottled at 135 proof. It was distilled in the spring of 2008, making it almost 15 and a half years old. This is classic George T. Stagg, with notes of dusty leather, must, tobacco, sour cherry, and dark chocolate on the palate. Try this one side by side with a bottle of Stagg (formerly Stagg Jr.) if you have a bottle handy to see how the two compare.

William Larue Weller Bourbon

This is the sole wheated bourbon in the collection, which according to Buffalo Trace was created due to “consumer request for more well-aged and barrel-strength whiskey.” It was distilled in the spring of 2011, putting it over the 12-year mark, and at 133.6 proof it’s nearly ten degrees higher than last year’s release. This whiskey is hot but tasty, with notes of grape jelly, hot honey, wet oak, espresso beans, and dark chocolate on the palate, all undercut by a layer of sweetness.

Sazerac Rye 18-Year-Old

Now we’re getting into the rye whiskeys in the collection. Regular Sazerac Rye is a good budget option, but this much older version brings entirely new flavors to the palate. This whiskey was distilled between the fall of 2004 and spring of 2005 and bottled at 90 proof. There’s a softness to the palate, with a little bit of spice and heat and loads of dried fruit, coconut, banana, and vanilla.

Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye

The last whiskey in the lineup, this was aged for a little more than six years and bottled at 124.9 proof–basically, a robust, uncut version of Sazerac Rye. That higher proof turns the notes of fruit into some leather (maybe fruit leather?), along with fresh tobacco, black pepper, and crisp apple notes. Give this a try in a Manhattan if you’re feeling frisky–you bought this bottle, you can do whatever you want with it.

The entire Buffalo Trace Antique Collection is available now, but as mentioned earlier expect to pay well over the $125 listed price for these bottles—and I mean much, much more. Try your local liquor store (hopefully you’re friends with the owner and he or she will put a bottle aside for you), or peruse websites like ReserveBar to find these bottles now. Happy unicorn hunting.

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