Buffalo Trace’s Prohibition Collection of Whiskeys Is Back, and We Got a First Taste
Are you thirsty for more Buffalo Trace news? If the release of the this year’s Antique Collection and Pappy Van Winkle series hasn’t been enough for you, not to mention the news about the distillery’s $1.2 billion expansion finally being completed, we’ve got some more for you. The second edition of the expensive, limited-edition Prohibition Collection will be released this week, and we got an early preview.
The Prohibition Collection first launched in 2023 to commemorate the time during the Noble Experiment when Buffalo Trace, then known as the George T. Stagg Distillery, was one of just a few that were granted a license to produce medicinal whiskey. This concept has long been disproven, although there are still more than a few brands that would have you believe that their particular alcohol is at least “better for you” if not actually healthy, but a century ago doctors believed that booze could cure a number of ailments. The distilleries that were granted these licenses managed to survive Prohibition for the most part, distilling their own whiskey and sourcing barrels from others that were forced to close.
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The first Prohibition Collection consisted of five different whiskeys that were unique to the Buffalo Trace lineup, although some bore similarities to brands produced there today like George T. Stagg, Sazerac, Eagle Rare, and W.L. Weller. This year’s series also consists of five expressions that vary in several ways from the inaugural collection. Anderson’s Belle is a bottled-in-bond wheated bourbon that clocks in at 100 proof, as is legally required by the BIB designation. The mashbill for this whiskey, like all the others, is undisclosed (try asking a Buffalo Trace rep to reveal a mashbill 100 times in a row, and you’ll get the same non-answer 100 times in a row). This was my favorite of the bunch, a sweet-ish bourbon that is reminiscent of a Weller release. Next up is Silver Wedding, a 125-proof rye whiskey that was the favorite of many at the tasting. Indeed, this rye is excellent, with equal parts spice, sweetness, and oak on the palate.
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The third release is called Mirror Brook, a name that dates back to 1932, according to the distillery. This is another bottled-in-bond release that is a blend of straight Kentucky whiskeys… so not a bourbon, not a rye, perhaps a combination of the two or there could be malt or wheat whiskey in the mix. The fourth whiskey is V.O.P., or Very Old Procurable, which was bottled but not produced by the distillery during Prohibition. This is a high-octane (135 proof), uncut, unfiltered straight Kentucky bourbon. While that proof is usually a bit hot for my taste, this expression drinks lower than its alcohol decibel level. Lastly, we have Old Fashioned Mountain Corn, a Kentucky straight corn whiskey bottled at 110 proof. This was my least favorite expression, but still a good one with big grain, fruit, and vanilla notes on the nose and palate.
While these are obviously not exact recreations of whiskeys produced during Prohibition, they are directly inspired by them, and according to master distiller Harlen Wheatley the same yeast has been used for about a century at the distillery. The new Buffalo Trace Prohibition Collection will be available this month as a complete set for $1,000, which is a steal once you see what the previous collection is going for on the secondary market currently (about three to four times that). The set of 375-ml bottles comes in a wooden display case with retro recreations of the original labels and cartons that include cut-outs that doctors once used to write whiskey prescriptions. Buffalo Trace also partnered with Scandinavian Tobacco Group to release a cigar set to pair with the whiskeys that will be available on January 15.
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