Rare, expensive: Buffalo Trace Prohibition Collection revives distillery’s past whiskeys
Buffalo Trace, known for producing pricey premium bourbons including Pappy Van Winkle, Blanton’s, Weller and others, is releasing a new collection that comes with a startling price tag.
The Prohibition Collection, an annual limited-edition multi-bottle collection of vintage labels, will be available for $1,000. (Well, the suggested retail price is $999.99 but who’s counting?)
This isn’t the most expensive Buffalo Trace release ever but it’s up there; in 2022, the distillery offered 199 bottles of Double Eagle Very Rare, a 20-year-old version of Eagle Rare in hand-blown crystal decanters for $2,000. And special bottles of O.F.C. Vintage have come with a suggested price of $2,500.
But this collection may be the first that will be an annual changing bottle release, although in limited quantities to buy at select retail stores.
What bourbons, whiskeys are in the Buffalo Trace Prohibition Collection?
They are based on whiskeys that were legally produced at the distillery during Prohibition (1920-1933) as “medicinal” whiskey.
The inaugural Prohibition Collection includes five brands that have not been produced for decades: Old Stagg, Golden Wedding, Three Feathers, Walnut Hill and George T. Stagg Spiritus Frumenti.
The crate of five 375ml bottles, featuring packaging inspired by Prohibition Era labels, will be available to buy in October.
Prohibition Collection proof, tasting notes
Here are details on the individual whiskeys and bourbons, according to the announcement from Buffalo Trace:
▪ Old Stagg, 132.4 proof, uncut and unfiltered whiskey featuring an oaky, vanilla aroma; sweet and mellow taste with notes of leather and dark cherries and a smooth vanilla finish. Old Stagg was originally created in honor of former owner George T. Stagg and replaced O.F.C. Bourbon as the distillery’s flagship brand. Today, the brand lives on as Stagg and George T. Stagg, both barrel proof whiskeys that have their roots in this Prohibition era brand.
▪ Golden Wedding, a 107-proof rye whiskey that has heavy rye on the nose; a grainy, herbal taste with notes of dill pickle and rye; and a spicy, smokey finish with a hint of banana. The brand, which dates back to 1869, was originally produced by Schenley Distilling at the Joseph S. Finch Distillery in Pennsylvania. During Prohibition, its bottling was split between Schenley’s Pennsylvania distillery and the George T. Stagg Distillery. In the late 1940s, the brand was moved to Schenley’s distillery in Canada and would become a Canadian whiskey before ceasing to exist in the late 20th century.
▪ Three Feathers, a 100-proof, bottled-in-bond whiskey created by Buffalo Trace master blender Drew Mayville. Dating back to at least 1812, Three Feathers was first advertised as a rye before becoming a bonded and then a blended whiskey. Today’s re-creation presents a vanilla, charred oak aroma with stone and light tropical fruit taste, and smokey, caramel and a slight cocoa finish.
▪ Walnut Hill, a 90-proof high-rye bourbon featuring a slightly citrus aroma with light corn and oak notes; sweet molasses, stone fruit and vanilla taste; and a smokey, woodsy finish. This historic spirit was bottled by the George T. Stagg Distillery during Prohibition with production overseen by president Albert Blanton.
▪ George T. Stagg Distillery Spiritus Frumenti, a 110-proof wheated bourbon honoring the medicinal whiskey produced at the George T. Stagg Distillery. “Spiritus Frumenti,” which translates as “Spirit of the Grain” in Latin, existed as a generic name for medicinal whiskey during Prohibition. Tasting notes include an aroma of caramelized brown sugar; fruity yet floral taste with notes of cherry and oak; and finishes with vanilla, wheat and citrus.
