All Five Buffalo Trace Antique Collection 2024 Whiskeys, Tasted and Ranked

All Five Buffalo Trace Antique Collection 2024 Whiskeys, Tasted and Ranked

Let’s cut right to the chase: The heart of limited release whiskey season is upon us, and that can only mean that anticipation of the annual release of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection has risen to a fevered pitch. Perpetually among the most sought-after bottles in the world of American whiskey, especially among collectors and flippers, the annual BTAC collection is a culture unto itself. The bottles are sold separately, at an MSRP that technically remains $150, but outside of liquor control states you won’t find anywhere selling them at those prices, thanks to the ever-present specter of retailer price gouging. If you do manage to find any of the 2024 BTAC collection, be ready to pay out the nose for it–particularly the bottles that tend to be viewed as its highlight, such as George T. Stagg and William Larue Weller.

As a special Halloween treat for the whiskey geeks, though, we have a full tasting of the 2024 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection lineup. I’ve ranked this year’s bottles from the venerable distillery, with somewhat surprising results. Much like last year, some unexpected bottles have risen to near the top of the list.

So with that said, let’s get right to the ranking of these bottles.


5. Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey

ABV: 63.6% (127.2 proof)

All of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection bottles have their fans and zealots, but I have often found that my opinion of the two rye whiskeys in the collection (Sazerac 18 Rye and Thomas Handy) has a particular tendency to vary more wildly on a yearly basis. This is par for the course with my taste in Buffalo Trace rye whiskeys in general, which I don’t tend to find as immediately appealing as the company’s bourbon. Thomas H. Handy is the cask strength rye representative of the BTAC collection, bearing a relatively lower 6 year age statement but a thunderous proof point. It provides a counterweight to the extra-aged but lower proof character of Sazerac 18, but in my experience Thomas H. Handy can often come off as bombastic or lacking structure.

This bottle, on the other hand, proves to be one of the most unique and unusual expressions that the series has seen in recent memory. On the nose, it’s driven by rye grain–grassy, a little minty and somewhat musty, with traces of brighter fruit that include strawberry and prominent citrus. I’m also getting toasted sugar in the vein of panela, along with cream soda. On the palate, this registers an immediate surprise: It has a very strong impression of bright citrus and resin/pine/herbaceousness that, more than any other rye I’ve ever tasted, called to mind the character of American hops as used in craft beer brewing. This was a radical sort of impression, one that took me aback when I first tasted it. It’s also an impression that fades a bit over time, but never entirely. That citrus/resin core is complemented by hot, tingling peppercorn and hot cinnamon, with an ethanol character that prickles aggressively at the tongue. This is a rowdy bottle, and a little rough around the edges for me, but the hop-like character is totally unique and fascinating.


4. Eagle Rare 17-Year-Old Bourbon

ABV: 50.5% (101 proof)

Last year’s 2023 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection was a big year for the Eagle Rare brand, which has a tendency to be among the less heralded BTAC bottles thanks to its lower proof point. The 2023 batch was entirely pulled from 19-year-old barrels, and it seemed to somehow transcend its typically boundaries–deeply rich and powerfully flavorful, while avoiding debilitating over-oakiness. It was a superlative expression that made the 2023 Eagle Rare 17 Year the #1 pick of the BTAC collection for quite a few spirits writers, which is a big accomplishment. This year’s 2024 expression, on the other hand, is still excellent but can’t quite keep up that particular level of unsustainable momentum. This one is 17 years, 4 months old, but it doesn’t read quite as richly alluring as last year’s bottling.

On the nose, this expression does display some of the fruity delight you’re often looking for in Buffalo Trace bourbon in this age and proof range, with lovely notes of cherry and plum, coated in molasses and some prominent dusty oak. There are hints of sweet barrel char and a little milk chocolate, with sweet cola spice. All in all, a very engaging and tempting nose. Unfortunately on the palate, the first thing one notices is that it seems texturally more thin than one would be expecting, lacking the fuller texture present in last year’s Eagle Rare expression. I’m getting prominent baking spice, barrel char, cola and cherry again, but there’s little heft to the liquid on the tongue, and the flavors don’t linger as perhaps you expect them to do. The fruit character here is on the brighter side, a little dried tobacco and modest drying tannin, coupled with a slightly prickly ethanol heat, keep it in check. To me, this release feels close to being something great, but it’s mostly the thin texture that is reining it in.


3. George T. Stagg Bourbon

ABV: 68.05% (136.1 proof)

The undisputed proof king of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, George T. Stagg always brings a bold, high-intensity and well-aged expression to the field every year–except in 2021, when this bottle was absent from the series. It has returned in every subsequent release, however. This year’s expression weighs in at 15 years and 2 months, and a commanding 136.1 proof.

On the nose, the initial surprise here is that this first seems a little bit muted for the proof and age statement. Even after resting in the Glencairn, this one takes longer to open up in terms of aromatics. Eventually, it becomes more rich in dark fruit, with notes of plum and fig, along with dark chocolate fudge and a little mocha. Toasted sugar and deeply charred oak round things out, but this just doesn’t register as an intensely aromatic dram to me for whatever reason.

Interestingly, the character that is less absent on the nose shows up significantly more vivaciously on the palate. This is heavy on spice character, both in the dimension of baking spice/cola and oaky, wood-derived spice. At the same time, the ethanol is pretty nicely integrated for 136.1 proof, feeling notably less hot than the Thomas H. Handy Rye did. I’m getting heavy brown sugar and black cherry here, along with polished antique oak, tobacco, pepper and stem ginger. There’s pretty significant drying tannin here as well, slightly evoking oversteeped tea, which gives this dram more than enough balance. This probably makes for a finish that is just a touch dry for some tastes, but I don’t find it to distract too much. One thing you’re certainly feeling in this expression is the full breadth of the age statement, particularly as it applies to oak tannin and wood-derived spice. This will perhaps be too spice forward in general for some, but I like its overall dimensions. I just wouldn’t mind the nose being a bit more engaging.


2. Sazerac 18-Year-Old Rye Whiskey

ABV: 45% (90 proof)

In previous lineups of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection that I’ve tasted, Sazerac 18 Rye has often been my least favorite of the group, a brand that has occasionally been overtaken by the barrels thanks to its lower strength. The fact that it’s landed at #2 in this ranking of the 2024 BTAC expressions speaks to the fact that this is an absolutely stand out bottling of Sazerac 18 Rye, one that is more enticing than any previous expression of this particular whiskey I’ve ever tasted. It weighs in at 18 years and five months for its age statement, and at a mere 90 proof it’s the most immediately approachable of the series.

On the nose, this one presents with a lovely mélange of dried herbs, dried fruit and a really pleasant cocoa note. I’m getting some very nice toasted oak and gentle oak spice, with darker fruit notes (plum, dates?) than I typically find in this rye. There are layers of honey and more savory elements, with prominent leather, earthy rye and fresher mint. This just has layers to it, layers that are easily accessed with the only 90 proof point. On the palate, meanwhile, where this immediately jumps out is texturally–I can’t believe how thick and syrupy this whiskey reads on the tongue at only 90 proof. It must be one of the most decadently textured whiskeys I’ve ever come across at less than 50% ABV. That texture carries notes of honey toffee into big herbal rye and slight dried herb/resinous nose, along with pepper and baker’s cocoa. I’m getting a slight root beer spice, with sweetly charred oak and delicate tannin. This whiskey comes across as both decadent and elegant, and I’m honestly shocked to find myself loving it this much. Definitely the most pleasant surprise of the 2024 BTAC lineup.


1. William Larue Weller Bourbon

ABV: 62.9% (125.8 proof)

William Larue Weller is so often the presumptive favorite of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection lineup, and this 2024 expression is a good indication of why that is. The only wheated bourbon recipe of the group has a reputation for often being the most rich and decadently sweet of the group, a profile that is favored by many BT enthusiasts, particularly those captivated by the mash bill it shares with the iconic Pappy Van Winkle. This year’s expression has an age statement of more than 12 years, at a cask strength of 125.8 proof.

On the nose, this one is really lovely and enveloping, with the kind of assertiveness that was more lacking in the 2024 George T. Stagg. I’m getting waves of deeply caramelized sugars here, with heady vanilla, toffee, maple and cherry compote, swirled in vanilla buttercream. There are layers of sweetness here on the nose, with brewing espresso and mocha. On the palate, I’m getting layers of toffee and a little butterscotch, with cherry and raspberry syrup–but with that said, the palate actually isn’t quite as sweet as the nose initially seems to imply. The sweetness is there up front for certain, but it’s balanced by a significant charge of barrel char and moderate drying tannin, flanked by fresh leather and pipe tobacco. The lovely “cherry cordial” character that is often present in some of my favorite BT bourbon expressions makes another closing appearance, segueing back into vanilla and dried fruit.

All in all, this is a lovely William Larue Weller expression, although I’d honestly say that the unexpected depth of the Sazerac 18 Year Rye gives it a serious run for its money. As always, your preference in any of these bottles will no doubt come down to personal taste, but one should probably be prepared to pay a king’s ransom for just about any of them.


Jim Vorel is Paste Movies editor and resident beer and liquor geek. You can follow him on Twitter for more film and drink writing.

 
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