Buffalo Trace Antique Collection 2022 is here!

Buffalo Trace whiskey knows how to get us really excited. The Buffalo Trace Antique Collection 2022 has arrived at MoM Towers and we’re here to tell you how to get some. 

Look, you know all about The Buffalo Trace Distillery’s Antique Collection. So let’s cut to the chase. The 2022 collection is in our hands. It’s all the classic names: George T. Stagg Bourbon, William Larue Weller Bourbon, Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye Whiskey, Eagle Rare, and Sazerac Rye Whiskey. You might recall you couldn’t get any George T. Stagg from the 2021 collection because Buffalo Trace felt the whiskey did not meet the distillery’s standards for the brand. Not this year, though. Stagg is back and the BTAC is looking full, rich, and enticing as always.

It’s lottery time!

But we can’t just lob these on our site, because if we’re all being honest with ourselves, that would be chaos. Like launching a loaf in the middle of Venice’s St. Mark’s Square for all pigeons to swarm around. In response to such high demand, we want to keep things fair and square. So, we’re going to hold a lottery and the winners get the opportunity to buy a bottle at RRP. Simply head to the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection 2022 page and then choose which to enter. It will ask you for your email and name. The lotteries will close at 10m on 27 Monday, after which winners will be chosen at random to have a chance to purchase these exciting whiskeys. 

Best of luck, and there’s an idea of what to expect from The Buffalo Trace Antique Collection 2022 below.

George T. Stagg Bourbon

Starting with the returning hero, George T. Stagg Bourbon was actually created back in 2002 at the request of a fan for a well-aged and barrel-strength whiskey. It’s now become one of the most beloved and in-demand American whiskies on the market. This year’s offering was distilled in the spring of 2007, making it 15 years and 5 months old at bottling. As mentioned, after the barrels were aged in warehouse K they were popped into bottles at 69.4% for the brand’s highest ABV strength in six years. That means that we can expect lots of lovely bold notes like “toasted pecan and chocolate sauce on the nose, a rich blend of baking spice, vanilla and cherry pie on the palate, and a robust finish of black coffee, molasses, and oak”. Delightful.

William Larue Weller Bourbon

Now onto The Antique Collection’s uncut, unfiltered, wheated recipe bourbon, the difficult to say while sucking on a Polo Mint, William Larue Weller. The previous release of this wheated bourbon was honored with a Double Gold medal at the 2022 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, so the gauntlet has been thrown down. And then taken for a night on Valencia Street. The 2022 release that aims to meet such lofty heights was distilled in the spring of 2010 and its barrels were aged in warehouses C, K, and N. This bourbon registers at 124.7 proof, or 63.8% ABV, and is said to possess “a nose of toasted coconut, butterscotch, and caramel, followed by a touch of mint, dark cherry and molasses on the palate and a full-bodied finish with hints of leather, nutmeg, toffee, and vanilla”. Wonderful.

Eagle Rare 17-Year-Old Bourbon

Our first age statement of the bunch comes from Eagle Rare, a whiskey that becomes as rare as an eagle with a mohawk once it’s released as, like the rest of these rascals, it sells out so quickly. This 101-proof (50.5% ABV) whiskey was distilled in the spring of 2005 and barrels were aged in warehouses H, K, and L (warehouse K is getting a real runout this year). Buffalo Trace dutifully informs us that this bourbon has “a nose with a hint of tobacco, chocolate covered cherries and a touch of oak, followed by caramel, vanilla bean, dark chocolate and oak on the palate and a full-bodied finish with baking spice, vanilla, and butterscotch”. Excellent.

Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye Whiskey

Into our double bill of rye whiskies now, first from Thomas H. Handy, the uncut and unfiltered straight rye whiskey. Last year’s release earned 97 points and was named in the top 100 spirits by judges at the 2022 Ultimate Spirits Challenge. More medals than Secretariat these BTACs. This year’s Handy was distilled in the spring of 2016 and aged in warehouses I, L, and M before being bottled at a hearty 130.9 proof (65.5% ABV) making it the highest proof for this whiskey since 2012. The flavor profile includes “a nose with floral notes, anise, marmalade and meringue, followed by a palate with baking spice, a burst of orange peel and subtle dark chocolate, and a long finish of cinnamon, praline, and candied orange”. Splendid.

Sazerac Rye 18-Year-Old Whiskey

Last, but not least, is Sazerac Rye 18-Year-Old Whiskey. The barrels for this whiskey were filled in the spring of 2003 and 2004 and rested in warehouses K, M, and P before it was bottled at 45% ABV. Buffalo Trace tells us that previous releases of Sazerac Rye 18-Year-Old were named in the top three finest whiskeys in the world by a book that shouldn’t be featuring in press releases still, and also says that this 2022 straight rye whiskey release has “a nose of orange peel, lemon zest, and molasses, a palate with a bold blend of black pepper, coriander seeds, and maple syrup, and a well-rounded finish with mint, tobacco leaf, and oak”. Stupendous.