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Buffalo Trace Releases 2024 Antique Collection
Buffalo Trace Distillery has unveiled the annual Antique Collection, with five whiskies ranging from the George T. Stagg uncut and unfiltered Bourbon to the Sazerac 18-year-old Rye whiskey.
This year’s release of William Larue Weller Bourbon also marks a milestone for the distillery. 25 years ago, Sazerac Company acquired the rights to the Weller brand. In a news release, Buffalo Trace Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley said “for more than two decades, we’ve worked hard to craft the signature flavors that whiskey enthusiasts love, both within the Weller brand and the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. Our commitment to this tradition is stronger than ever, and we look forward to carrying it well into the future.” The 2024 William Larue Weller Bourbon aged for more than 12 years on the lower floor of one of Buffalo Trace’s rickhouses, and is bottled at 62.9% ABV.
This year’s Eagle Rare 17-year-old Bourbon was distilled in the spring of 2007, making it 17 years and four months old at bottling time. It is bottled at 50.5% ABV as a tribute to the original Eagle Rare release in 1975.
The 2024 edition of Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye whiskey is a 6-year-old uncut, unfiltered rye bottled at 63.6% ABV, up from last year’s offering. It’s named for the bartender who first used rye whiskey in the original Sazerac cocktail.
The Sazerac 18-year-old rye is named after the official cocktail of New Orleans, and was bottled at 18 years and five months. Last year’s version was awarded the “Gold Outstanding” medal in the 2024 International Wine & Spirits Competition.
Finally, the 2024 George T. Stagg Bourbon is a 15-year-old whiskey bottled at 68.05% ABV, and is named for the original purchaser of what was then known as the O.F.C. Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky.
All five bottles are available in limited amounts nationwide with a recommended retail price of $149.99 each. However, local retailers are free to set their own pricing and frequently raise the price of the Antique Collection bottles.
Image courtesy Buffalo Trace Distillery.
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