Buffalo Trace Announces 2020 Antique Collection

The 2020 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection.

It wouldn’t be Bourbon Hunting Season without the annual Buffalo Trace Antique Collection.

The industry’s marquee release this time of year, the 2020 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection — also known as BTAC — contains five highly allocated whiskeys of various ages, recipes and proofs. These are extremely sought after by collectors, light up the secondary market and are considered among the best whiskeys released, globally, each year.

The five whiskeys in 2020 are as follows:

The 2020 George T. Stagg bourbon comes in at 130.4 proof. Fans will find the familiar Stagg taste profile they know and expect, the company says, with cinnamon, caramel and cherries on the nose, and a creamy vanilla with lightly smoked oak on the palate. The finish is black coffee, dark cherries and herbs. This year’s release contains bourbon from barrels filled in the spring of 2005. Storage location of these barrels varied across warehouses L, K and Q.

William Larue Weller is an uncut, unfiltered wheated bourbon. The 2020 release was distilled in the winter of 2008 and aged in warehouses I and C. This bourbon registers at 134.5 proof. Flavors of a soft caramel chew, spearmint and cinnamon are present on the palate, the company says.

Thomas H. Handy is the uncut and unfiltered straight rye whiskey. This year’s Handy was distilled in the spring of 2014, aged in warehouses K, M, and N and weighs in at 129.0 proof. Distillery-provided flavor notes include cinnamon, anise and honey.

Eagle Rare 17 Year Old: This 101-proof whiskey was distilled in spring of 2002 and aged on the first floor of warehouse P. This bourbon has a nose of ripe cherries, vanilla cream and oak, the company reports, followed by a taste of caramel and coffee, and a long finish of oak, pepper and fresh herbs.

The 2020 Sazerac Rye 18 Year Old is a straight rye whiskey with flavors of oak, caramel and dark chocolate, according to the distillery (which has reopened for visitors), with a finish of coffee, black pepper and cherries. The barrels for this whiskey were filled in the spring of 2002, and rested on the third floor of warehouse K. This whiskey is bottled at 90 proof. 

The Antique Collection first launched two decades ago and has become a cult favorite. The 2020 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection whiskeys will be available in limited quantities starting in late September or early October. The suggested retail price is $99 each.

Searching for rare whiskeys during Bourbon Hunting Season 2020? Other recent releases include:

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