The Buffalo Trace Antique Collection (BTAC) is the most sought-after annual collection of American whiskeys. The 2023 release saw bottles traded for upwards of 16 times their official $150 retail price. The chance to review the full Buffalo Trace Antique Collection 2024 is one we couldn’t pass up.
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What is the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection?
BTAC is designed to show the breadth of Buffalo Trace’s offering. This year’s collection features the usual line-up of labels: Eagle Rare 17 Year Old Bourbon, George T. Stagg Bourbon, William Larue Weller Bourbon, Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey, Sazerac 18 Year Old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey.
Each label has a distinct recipe and, more importantly, history. Their desirability varies hugely, with Eagle Rare and George T. Stagg being the most in-demand and the two rye whiskeys less so.
While every label has a distinct flavor profile, they are connected by their ultra-aged nature. Aged in brand-new oak casks in the heat of Kentucky, bourbon and rye whiskey takes far less time than Scotch to reach maximum maturity. Expressions like the Eagle Rare 17 Year Old and Sazerac 18 Year Old are up there with the oldest continuously released whiskeys. They are then all bottled at cask strength, usually above 120 proof, for maximum flavor.
Hugely in demand, Sazerac (Buffalo Trace’s owning company) forgoes the chance to cash in, instead offering them out at a tantalizingly low price. Finding a BTAC bottle at SRP, however, is a fool’s errand. Short of turning up at the distillery store at the right place, at the right time, you’ll have to suck up the premiums like everybody else. But if you’re not planning on dropping over $6,000 on a full collection at auction, which one should you go for? We’ve tasted them all and here are our thoughts.
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Eagle Rare 17 Year Old Bourbon
Eagle Rare bourbons are known for their reliably sweet and smooth texture, but this 17 Year Old is distinctive in its peppery spice. It’s still deliciously sweet on the nose, with caramel, toasted oats and lots of vanilla. You get much more peppery spice on the palate than usual, with the rye elements becoming notably prominent. It’s then onto the more traditional notes of an Eagle Rare BTAC, including caramel, worn leather and dried fruits. The finish is shorter, but there’s a pack full of flavor upfront. This Eagle Rare ticks all the right boxes for lovers of the brand with just a couple of pleasant surprises.
Proof: 101
Rating: 8/10
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George T. Stagg Bourbon
True to its origins, this George T. Stagg bourbon is a howitzer of a whiskey at 136.1 proof (68% ABV). The brand has always carried the heaviest of Buffalo Trace’s whiskeys, and this leaves that in no doubt. Curiously the nose does not give its strength away. It’s subtle with lots of vanilla and caramel. Blind tasters will get a rude awakening with the first sip, with an explosion of spice and oak influence. Naturally, this one needs a few drops of water, and it takes dilution very well. You can enjoy the more subtle fruit notes, like black cherry, cinnamon and caramel.
Proof: 136.1
Rating: 8.5/10
William Larue Weller Bourbon
Buffalo Trace has highlighted this as the star of the collection this year, coinciding with the Weller brand’s 25th anniversary under Sazerac’s umbrella. This is a complex wheated bourbon, offering a spectrum of notes, from fresh green apple skins to marshmallow fluff. There’s a hint of cigars, lemon, caramel and fresh leather as well. The cigars come to the front of the palate. Water brings out an unexpected umami quality with whisps of truffle. This won’t be to everyone’s palate, but there’s so much you can do with it, with the flavor profile evolving with each drop of water.
Proof: 125.8
Rating: 8/10
Sazerac 18 Year Old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
One of the three ever-presents in the Buffalo Trace Antiques Collection, the Sazerac 18 Year Old is as distinctive a rye whiskey as they come. You get a lot of candied pear and ripe stone fruits as well. An alarmingly light texture on the palate, this rye whiskey takes a bit of time to get going. When it does, you’ll get less of that sweetness and more bitter licorice. The fruit is there, but it takes some digging. Probably the weakest expression of the five, although that by no means qualifies it as a ‘bad’ whiskey. There’s still plenty to like about this, including a long and evolving finish that goes from spicey to sweet and then to charred oak.
Proof: 90
Rating: 6.5/10
Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey
The rye whiskeys are the least coveted in the collection and you can see why – they are hugely different to the bourbons on offer. This one is super spicy with notes of cloves and cinnamon. It’s bottled directly from the cask, unfiltered, so the spice is right on your face from the get-go, with lots more of those wintery spices on the palate as well. The recipe has a cocktail-inspired background; you can see how this might make a fine ingredient in a Sazerac or a Manhattan. For those who love spice over sweetness, this is one for you.
Proof: 127.1
Rating: 7/10
For more information on the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection 2024, visit buffalotracedistillery.com
Our ratings
– 10 A unicorn: Spend whatever it takes
– 8.5–9.5 Top shelf: Impress your fellow whisky geeks
– 7–8: Great: Buy two bottles – one to drink, one to keep
– 5.5–6.5: Good: Keep it on the shelf as a daily drinker
– 5: Not bad: There’s better out there for the same money
– Below 5 – Disappointing
