Buffalo Trace Reveals Limited Edition Prohibition Collection Whiskeys

By Jim Vorel  |  September 26, 2023 | 10:47am
Photos via Buffalo Trace, Sazerac Co.
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Buffalo Trace Reveals Limited Edition Prohibition Collection Whiskeys
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In an announcement that will send shockwaves through the whiskey hype-sphere, Sazerac’s Buffalo Trace has unveiled an entire new annual, limited edition collection of whiskeys known as The Prohibition Collection. This five-bottle series of 375 ml containers is sold as a set, commemorating five Prohibition-era brands from the distillery that have never existed in modern times, until now. Together, they come housed in their own book-shaped cases, each of which slide into a wooden display case, which is sure to be a whiskey collector statement piece that is direly sought by the most intense bourbon geeks. The asking price? A mere $1,000 MSRP. How much on the secondary market? We shudder to even consider the possibilities.

All of the new Buffalo Trace brands involved in The Prohibition Collection trace their histories back to that often misunderstood period in the American story between 1920 and 1933, when various factions of American society typically at war with one another came together in exceedingly unlikely fashion to support the banning of alcoholic beverages, each for their own very different reasons. One thing many don’t realize: Six major distilleries remained in operation through the entirety of Prohibition because they were granted licenses to bottle “medicinal” whiskey, a wink-wink, nudge-nudge endeavor that led millions of thirsty Americans to seek prescriptions for their doctors that they could really use a drink. One of those distilleries cranking out medicinal bourbon and rye? That would be the George T. Stagg Distillery of Frankfort, Kentucky, which we now know as Buffalo Trace.

“We stand behind our motto, ‘Honor Tradition, Embrace Change’,” said Harlen Wheatley, Buffalo Trace Master Distiller in a statement. “Each of these brands disappeared slowly in the years after Prohibition, but they were integral to our survival. Without them, today there would be no Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare or Weller bourbons. The Prohibition Collection is a tribute to these great whiskeys from our past.”

Members of the inaugural Buffalo Trace Prohibition Collection include the following:

Old Stagg: A barrel-proof (132.4 proof), uncut and unfiltered whiskey featuring an oaky, vanilla aroma; sweet and mellow taste with notes of leather and dark cherries and a smooth vanilla finish. Old Stagg was originally created in honor of former owner George T. Stagg and replaced O.F.C. Bourbon as the Distillery’s flagship brand. Today, the brand lives on as Stagg and George T. Stagg, both barrel proof whiskeys that have their roots in this Prohibition era brand.

Golden Wedding: A 107-proof rye whiskey that has heavy rye on the nose; a grainy, herbal taste with notes of dill pickle and rye; and a spicy, smokey finish with a hint of banana. The brand, which dates back to 1869, was originally produced by Schenley Distilling at the Joseph S. Finch Distillery in Pennsylvania. During Prohibition, its bottling was split between Schenley’s Pennsylvania distillery and the George T. Stagg Distillery. In the late 1940’s, the brand was moved to Schenley’s distillery in Canada and would become a Canadian whiskey before ceasing to exist in the late 20th century.

Three Feathers: A 100-proof, bottled-in-bond whiskey created by Buffalo Trace Master Blender Drew Mayville. Dating back to at least 1812, Three Feathers was first advertised as a luxurious rye before becoming a bonded and then a blended whiskey. Today’s recreation presents a vanilla, charred oak aroma with stone and light tropical fruit taste, and smokey, caramel and a slight cocoa finish.

Walnut Hill: A 90-proof high-rye bourbon featuring a slightly citrus aroma with light corn and oak notes; sweet molasses, stone fruit and vanilla taste; and a smokey, woodsy finish. This historic spirit was bottled by the George T. Stagg Distillery during Prohibition with production overseen by President Albert Blanton.

George T. Stagg Distillery Spiritus Frumenti: A 110-proof wheated bourbon honoring the medicinal whiskey produced at the George T. Stagg Distillery. “Spiritus Frumenti,” which translates as “Spirit of the Grain” in Latin, existed as a generic name for medicinal whiskey during Prohibition. Tasting notes include an aroma of caramelized brown sugar; fruity yet floral taste with notes of cherry and oak; and finishes with vanilla, wheat and citrus.

If we had to guess, we’d say that the Old Stagg and Spiritus Frumenti bottles are likely to be especially sought-after in this first release of The Prohibition Collection: The Old Stagg for its advanced proof point, and the Spiritus Frumenti for its wheated mash bill, which paints it as an obvious ancestor to the likes of W.L. Weller, William Larue Weller and Pappy Van Winkle.

According to Buffalo Trace: “The Prohibition Collection will be rolling out in limited quantities to its distributor network, which will ship to select retailers, bars and restaurants across the United States as of October 2023 at a suggested retail price of $999.99 (five 375ml bottles); state taxes will vary per market.” We’ll have to see what kind of pricing these will actually end up featuring in the wild, as package store owners may enter an arms race with each other to see how much they can charge for a trend-setting new limited edition series from Buffalo Trace. Regardless, these probably just became the ultimate Christmas 2023 gift item for whiskey geeks.

Jim Vorel is a Paste staff writer and resident beer and liquor geek. You can follow him on Twitter for more drink writing.

 
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