Two of Buffalo Trace Distillery’s most ambitious and long-running experimental programs – the Single Oak Project and Buffalo Trace Distillery Experimental Collection – are debuting new releases this spring: Single Oak Rye Bourbon and Low Entry Proof Wheated Bourbon Whiskey.
More than a decade in the making, these releases reflect the Distillery’s commitment to studying the variables that shape bourbon’s flavor as they “Honor Tradition, Embrace Change” in pursuit of creating the “world’s best whiskey.”
The Single Oak Project began in 1999, marking the Distillery’s first and most comprehensive experiment to date as it explored the impact of seven variables including mashbill, entry proof, stave seasoning, wood grain size, barrel char level, tree cut and aging location. The experiment comprised 192 unique bourbon barrels, each crafted from specific sections of hand-selected oak trees from the Missouri Ozarks and filled with either a wheat or a rye recipe before undergoing varied maturation approaches. Consumers were invited to taste and evaluate the resulting bourbons, selecting Barrel #80 as the standout expression in 2011. That bourbon entered the barrel at 125 proof and was aged in oak harvested from the bottom half of the tree, featuring average grain wood, staves seasoned for 12 months and charred at a level four. It was aged in a concrete floor warehouse for eight years before bottling at 90 proof.
Buffalo Trace Distillery has decided to build on that experiment with the introduction of Single Oak as a permanent, continuously-released whiskey brand. Its inaugural release, Rye Bourbon, recreates the mashbill and barrel aging conditions that defined the celebrated Barrel #80.
The Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection, first introduced in 2006, will debut its 28th release with Low Entry Proof Wheated Bourbon Whiskey. This expression explores how lower barrel entry proof influences wood interaction over extended aging, with the wheated bourbon distillate entered at 105 proof instead of its traditional 114 proof. Inspired by historical records indicating that pre-Prohibition barrel entry proofs were often lower than modern standards.
Buffalo Trace has several thousand experimental barrels that are currently aging at the distillery, but only the most compelling results are selected for bottling and released periodically in limited quantities. This offering represents a first of its kind innovation, examining the impact of barrel entry proof on flavor development. While previous Experimental Collection releases present at 90 proof, Low Entry Proof Wheated Bourbon Whiskey is bottled at 107 proof.
“Experimentation has always been at the core of what we do at Buffalo Trace Distillery,” said Buffalo Trace Distillery Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley. “These releases represent years of patience, curiosity, and an unwavering commitment to learning. From the Single Oak Project, where we studied every detail of oak to better understand maturation, to our exploration of entry proof in the latest Experimental Collection, each experiment helps us further our understanding of how individual variables shape flavor and push the boundaries of what bourbon can be. We’re excited for fans to experience the results.”
Single Oak Rye Bourbon will be available in limited quantities through Sazerac’s national distributor network as well as the Buffalo Trace Distillery Gift Shop for $74.99. Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection: Low Entry Proof Wheated Bourbon Whiskey will be available through the Buffalo Trace Distillery Gift Shop in limited quantities for $46.99.
