Buffalo Trace Distillery released its first experimental whiskey for 2020, a wheat recipe bourbon aged for four years, cut with water, then re-barreled and left to age for another eight years.
The barrel, filled with Buffalo Trace’s wheat mash recipe and entered into the barrel at 114 proof, was put away to age in one new barrel on Dec. 10, 2007. After four years of aging in Warehouse C the barrel was removed, the bourbon was cut with water to lower it down to 100 proof, and then put back into the same barrel and left to age another eight years in the same warehouse.
Although unusual to interrupt the aging process, the distilling team at Buffalo Trace is pleased with the results. “We’ve always known water was a necessary component in making whiskey,” stated Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley. “This experiment helped us to understand how important a role water actually plays in whiskey production. The result of this experiment led us to a bourbon that is actually one of my favorite experiments.”
This is the 23rd experimental release from Buffalo Trace, having started with its first experimental release in 2006. In total, there are more than 25,000 experimental barrels aging in its warehouses, the largest number of experimental barrels ever held in inventory. Each experimental barrel has unique characteristics that differentiate them in distinct ways. Some examples of experiments include unique mash bills, types of wood, and different barrel toasts. Buffalo Trace also has an experimental warehouse, Warehouse X, designed to explore the environmental influences on the flavor profiles of whiskey.
Normally sold in small and limited availability, the Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection label includes all the pertinent information unique to that barrel of whiskey. These whiskeys retail for $46.99 each.
