Tasting: All 5 Whiskeys of the 2023 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection Ranked (Bourbon, Rye)
Photos via Buffalo Trace, Sazerac Co. Drink Features whiskey
We are now deep in the middle of limited release whiskey season for 2023, and as the heady and hyped bottles flow around us, there are still those occasional releases that make everyone stop and take notice. Chief among them is of course Buffalo Trace’s annual release of its five-bottle Antique Collection series (BTAC), which contain some of the most sought-after bourbon and rye whiskey products in the world. Every year, the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection is bound to make headlines: This year it again has the benefit of being at full strength following George T. Stagg Bourbon’s return in 2022 after it was held back from the collection in 2021.
What is there to say, by way of introducing these whiskeys? If you’re an American whiskey geek, then you’re likely intimately familiar with the details of bottles in the Antique Collection. They include the extra-aged expression of Sazerac 18 Year Rye, the cask-strength Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye Whiskey, the 17-year-old expression of Eagle Rare Bourbon, and the two bottles that are often the most sought-after: cask-strength George T. Stagg Bourbon and the wheated mash bill William Larue Weller Bourbon.
We were lucky enough to receive press samples for tasting this year, so let’s just dive in to evaluating this year’s collection. I’ve arranged them below in order of my least favorite to most favorite expressions in the 2023 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. All of them technically carry MSRPs of $125, though the omnipresent retailer price gouging will make finding them at that price an impossibility for almost all consumers. The most feasible way to taste these BTAC bottles is likely to be finding an (expensive) pour at your local bar.
5. Sazerac Rye 18-Year-Old
ABV: 45% (90 proof)
One gets the sense that Sazerac 18 is the bottle in the antique collection that tends to evoke the most polarized opinions in drinkers. It’s a brand of contrasts from the jump: Traditionally the oldest in the Antique Collection–though not this year–but also the lowest in proof at the same time. It takes Buffalo Trace’s rye whiskey mash bill in a direction of maturity that is pretty much impossible to find elsewhere, as no other rye from the distillery ends up being aged anywhere close to this long. With two ryes in the collection, this one obviously favors the flavors created by that kind of extra-aging, rather than the more assertive punch of the cask-strength Thomas H. Handy. Which you prefer tends to ultimately come down to a matter of personal taste.
The 2023 Sazerac Rye 18 Year Old was filled between fall 2004/spring 2005 and aged in Warehouses K, L and M.
On the nose, this release shows elements of fruit, herbal rye and intense oak. I’m getting traces of peach or apricot jam, along with orange citrus, herbaceous rye grain, cocoa, pine needles, tobacco, rye bread and heavy oak with a slightly tart, woody tang. On the palate, it offers strong herbaceous flavors that are both floral and on the savory side, with heavy tobacco, pepper, chile and paprika. Distinctly wood forward, the tannic nature here expresses itself with a fairly dry overall profile. Ethanol likewise seems to express itself curiously strongly for an only 90 proof expression. At the end of the day, I think this one expresses its oak to a point that it a little unbalanced, having taken over some of the underlying rye whiskey, leaving this one boldly woody and rather dry. Overall it’s just not quite my personal preference.
4. Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye Whiskey
ABV: 62.45% (124.9 proof)
The cask-strength rye expression of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection carries an age statement of “over six years,” and tends to have something of a cult following of specific fans among the Antique Collection bottles. Unsurprisingly, this expression is all about delivering the most robust flavors from Buffalo Trace’s rye whiskey mash bill.
On the nose, the 2023 Thomas H. Handy is giving me strong herbal and resinous notes, along with more vinous character: Rosemary, juniper berries, caramel, rye and caraway that evokes the likes of aquavit, are joined by citrus and pine resin. On the palate, this is intensely peppery in a way that is still appealing, with lingering black peppery spiciness that also evokes some of the fruitiness of freshly cracked peppercorns. I’m getting hints of dried fruit (prune and raisin), with slight licorice and grassy notes, as well as huge flavors of pure rye grain and pumpernickel bread. The heat level is dialed in pretty well, offering a strong backbone of warmth without seeming particularly bombastic.
All in all, this is a flavor profile that simply appeals to me more than the Sazerac 18-Year-Old. It certainly isn’t hurting for assertiveness.
3. George T. Stagg Bourbon
ABV: 67.5% (135 proof)
This year’s George T. Stagg batch was distilled in the spring of 2008, putting its age statement north of 15 years. Its barrels were subsequently aged in Warehouses C, I, K, L and M. Always a highly sought-after expression, one might consider the George T. Stagg brand to represent the pinnacle of Buffalo Trace’s mash bill #1, the same lower rye mash bill that also contains the likes of the flagship Buffalo Trace brand and the E.H. Taylor bourbons. George T. Stagg, on the other hand, is the most advanced combination of age statement and proof that you will find as a yearly release for this mash bill.
On the nose, the 2023 George T. Stagg offers pronounced notes of oak-driven spice and caramelized sugars: Heavy baking spice notes of cinnamon and clove are present, along with caramel sauce, mocha char and flamed orange. Stem ginger suggests hints of ginger molasses cookie.
On the palate, big molasses and brown sugar sweetness fuses with ginger and explosive oak spice. The sweetness here is very considerable, perhaps even more expressively sweet than the William Larue Weller. With that said, it is tempered a little bit by oak tannin, but this effect is only modest. As the flavor develops on the palate, flashes of dark fruit, vanilla and the classic Buffalo Trace cherry-type note become more prevalent, with a melange of baking spice notes and barrel char. The mature oak flavors are probably the highlight, with a sweet roastiness and aromatic oakiness that has been dialed in to a near perfect level. The alcohol, meanwhile, is integrated quite nicely, and this drinks notably easily for the proof point–and more approachable than some of the other George T. Stagg expressions I’ve sampled in the past. All in all, this is extremely enjoyable, and it’s only the exceptional nature of the other two bottles that keeps it from being even higher on the list.
2. Eagle Rare 17-Year-Old Bourbon
ABV: 50.5% (101 proof)
Eagle Rare 17-Year-Old Bourbon is one of the two Buffalo Trace Antique Collection brands that may get left out of the conversation to some degree in any given year, because they don’t approach the cask strength level that is necessary to get a certain subset of the fanbase interested. This year should prove different, however, for the Eagle Rare brand in this collection because it has a special wrinkle to it: An even older age statement. Even though the product’s official name remains “Eagle Rare 17-Year-Old Bourbon,” meaning that 17 years is the minimum age statement for inclusion, this year’s batch actually weighs in at 19 years and 3 months old. That makes it the oldest release of the Eagle Rare spirit since its 23-year-old expression was included in the Antique Collection. This spirit was distilled in the spring of 2004, with barrels aged in Warehouses C, I, K, M, and Q. In terms of maturity, you’re not going to find anything that reflects it more in this year’s Antique Collection.
On the nose, this year’s Eagle Rare 17-Year-Old Bourbon batch features a lovely, oaky complexity to it–I’m getting notable clove and seasoned oak/woodpile, along with nutty cocoa, charred wood and buzzy cola spice/sweet spice. On the palate, it revels in the spicy oak–there are heaps of brown sugar present, with cherry cola and vanilla frosting, glazed nuts, into hints of tobacco and leather. The tobacco quality is far more subtle and delicate than in the likes of the Sazerac 18, which becomes a theme with this release: It is easily the most subtle and nuanced of the 2023 Antique Collection whiskeys. The balance is impeccable, swinging between dark chocolate and brown sugar, copious baking spices/cola, coffee and cigar wrapper, with delicate oak tannin providing a subtly dry finish.
This is extremely delicious, and an impressive feat of aging and blending. It’s obviously not as bold as the likes of the George T. Stagg, but this one is a joy to dissect and consider all its flavors.
1. William Larue Weller Bourbon 2023
ABV: 66.8% (133.6 proof)
Because it’s made from Buffalo Trace’s wheated bourbon mash bill–the same mash bill as the other W.L. Weller brands and the legendary Pappy Van Winkle–William Larue Weller is always among the most highly sought-after Buffalo Trace Antique Collection expressions, being to many the symbol of the BTAC collection as a whole. Unlike any of the Pappy expressions, though, William Larue Weller is bottled at full cask strength. This year’s expression was distilled in the spring of 2011, with barrels aged in Warehouses C, L, M and N, giving it an average age of 12+ years.
On the nose, 2023’s William Larue Weller Bourbon expression displays waves of deep caramel sweetness, vanilla cream and especially juicy red fruit. This is an extremely fruit-forward bourbon nose, with cherry juice and brighter raspberry tart, hints of fudge, old oak and char. On the palate, the first thing one notices here is textural: This is wonderfully silky and voluptuous in terms of mouthfeel, with the wheat in the grist having really modified the feel of this in the mouth. Huge red fruit notes are right up my alley, with expressive cherry preserves, raspberry and vanilla ice cream paired with chocolate pie crust, roasty char and caramel candies. Unsurprisingly, this one leans to the desserty side, while the modest heat for the advanced 133.6 proof keeps things in check, but isn’t nearly as present as one might expect from that number. Hints of maple and spice round things out. I can see why some tasters might think this was perhaps too one-dimensional or not as interesting as the Eagle Rare of George T. Stagg expressions in this year’s Antique Collection, but I happen to love the fruit-forward flavors here, making 2023’s William Larue Weller my overall favorite in the group. It’s every bit as rich as you would expect.
Jim Vorel is a Paste staff writer and resident beer and liquor geek. You can follow him on Twitter for more drink writing.