This fall, Buffalo Trace Distillery will release three vintage-dated bourbons honoring the National Historic Landmark’s original name – the O.F.C. Distillery.
The first vintages of O.F.C. Bourbon Whiskey coming in November are intended to be collector’s items and will be offered exclusively to non-profit organizations at no charge to raise money for their causes. Although these rare whiskeys will not be available in stores or bars and restaurants, later vintages will be released to the overall market starting in the Spring of 2017.
All of the O.F.C. collection releases will be vintage dated according to the specific year in which the bourbon was distilled at Buffalo Trace Distillery. Each hand-cut crystal bottle will feature the vintage year on the label.
The first release is comprised of only 200 bottles. It includes 100 bottles from the year 1980, 50 bottles from 1982, and 50 bottles from 1983.
Future releases will unveil whiskeys from the 1990s, including a 1993 vintage, and several consecutive vintage years thereafter.
Subsequent O.F.C. releases will follow year after year as vintages are produced and reach maturity.
During Colonel E. H. Taylor, Jr’s tenure, the O.F.C. Distillery was renowned for producing top class whiskey.
Recipe and age will vary by vintage, but many are expected to mature for twenty years or more. Barrels are evaluated regularly and some whiskey will be removed from the barrels as taste reaches the peak of flavor, the company says.
The line’s crystal bottles are a replica of an O.F.C. decanter dating back to the early 1900s found in the Buffalo Trace Distillery archives, the company says. And these whiskeys come in a dark wooden box prominently bearing the O.F.C. name in copper, along with a copper plaque depicting the year the bourbon was distilled.
Upon opening the revolving door on the wooden case, the bottle is displayed on a small riser. A provenance card is inside each display box. And each box is then packaged in a cream-colored bag to protect it from damage before placing it into the shipping boxes.
“We hope this O.F.C. collection can pay tribute to the many years gone by here at the Distillery. Each vintage has a story to tell indeed,” says Kris Comstock from Buffalo Trace Distillery. “We expect bottles to raise upwards of $10,000 each for worthy causes.”
