Review: Buffalo Trace Antique Collection 2024 Edition
Arguably the most unicorny of unicorn annual releases is here: Buffalo Trace’s five-whiskey Antique Collection release, spanning its best and brightest bourbon and rye offerings, all offered with either advanced age, at cask strength, or both.
Regular readers know we’ve been doing this for a while — this is year #17 for us and the series — so you know the drill. Check out the reviews from 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, and so on… all the way back to 2008. One item of note: This year, Buffalo Trace hasn’t provided any specific warehousing information for each of the whiskeys, so if that’s something you’ve been tracking over the years, well, perhaps it’s worth a call to Buffalo Trace HQ.
Let’s dig in!
Sazerac Rye 18 Years Old 2024 Review
Bottled at 18 years and five months of age. Huge caraway notes on the nose, with a grind of black pepper — though it’s not at all hot (remember this is bottled at a very tame 45% abv). Elements of black cherry and kalamata olives merge fitfully but ultimately in complementary fashion with the heavily herbal attack. On the palate, the overwhelming flavor of dill dominates, almost the the exclusion of anything else, though in time more pepper, barrel char, and some licorice come into focus. Cherry unfolds later, allowing some much-needed sweetness and fruit into the picture, and by the time the finish arrives, the fruit is on full display, evoking apple cider amidst all the spices in the mix. The massive bite of dill pickle makes this a distinctive sip, but otherwise it fits right in with the Sazerac house style. 90 proof. B+ [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]
Eagle Rare Bourbon 17 Years Old 2024 Review
As always, the 101 proof offering is a tribute to the original Eagle Rare brand, which launched in 1975. This year’s bottle was distilled in the spring of 2007, making at 17 years, 4 months old. Last year’s Eagle Rare was a showstopper, but this is one of the most sedate bottlings of Eagle Rare 17 that I can recall encountering. The nose has a touch of spice, but it’s extremely quiet and rather sweet — cinnamon and brown sugar are more present than pepper and char — and the whiskey only gets softer after seeing some airtime in the glass. The palate continues the theme: Quiet, chewy, and almost doughy, this is an easy sipper that offers soothing baking spices, brown butter, and a slight edge of candied licorice chews. As the finish builds, the whiskey reminded me strongly of fresh cinnamon rolls, eventually layering in notes of weak tea and Almond Joy candies. Purists may find this too tame to get excited about, but I can’t imagine a sunnier whiskey. 101 proof. A- [BUY IT NOW FROM RESERVEBAR] [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT]
George T. Stagg Bourbon 2024 Review
15 years, two months old. At last it’s time for some grown-up bourbon, and Stagg as always does not disappoint. The 68% abv whopper evokes the aroma of a rickhouse the moment you pour it into a glass. While boldly woody on the nose, it’s not overbearing but rather quite engaging, more saddle leather than wet horse, polished banister over lumberyard. A layer of mint underlies the wood. And, if you dig deep, fruit awaits — cherry and blood orange peel. The palate proves the cherry aromatic isn’t in your head: There’s a powerful red berry fruit here, making for a much more vibrant and juicy expression of Stagg than you might be used to. 2023’s Stagg had a similar fruit-forward profile, though it was more bent toward apple and peach notes. Is this the beginning of a new Stagg profile? Time will tell, I suppose. Continued exploration unearths more of that mint, bittersweet chocolate, and just enough lingering creosote to keep things interesting. It’s hot but also easygoing somehow, with an easygoing sweetness, and I never felt compelled to add water to the experience. I tried it with water anyway, and it was just as good — bringing out significantly more baking spice character. If this is what the new Stagg is going to taste like going forward, well, sign me up. 136.1 proof. A [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT] [BUY IT NOW FROM THE WHISKY EXCHANGE]
William Larue Weller Bourbon 2024 Review
Sazerac has now owned Weller for 25 years, which means at 12 years of age, this whiskey spent nearly half that time lingering on a low floor of a warehouse, entering the barrel at 114 proof. Now at 125.8 proof — far lower than last year — the wheated bourbon entices the nose with notes of creamy nut butter — peanut, yes, but also walnut and almond. Layers of dried apple rings, cinnamon, and some brown sugar add to the pastry shop vibe. The palate is warming but approachable, running with the nut butter theme and adding in some notes of maple, vanilla custard, and a touch of lemon peel. Gently floral as the finish builds, culminating in a significant punch of cinnamon and a not insignificant barrel char quality. Versatile and lively, particularly with a splash of water, but it doesn’t reinvent Weller’s well-worn wheel. 125.8 proof. A- [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT] [BUY IT NOW FROM THE WHISKY EXCHANGE]
Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye 2024 Review
Six year old Handy Rye, ever the outlier against a quartet of senior citizens. This is an aggressive and pungent rye, which is often the case with Handy, pouring on the greenery from the outset. Pepper, tobacco, cloves, and cut grass all dominate a very green, herbal nose. Time in glass takes things on a ruddier, leathery journey — almost coming across as muddy, and laden with barrel char. The palate slugs you right in the face. Again, it’s aggressively herbal, heavy on black pepper, dill, and more char. Water helps to tame the beast, but it also dulls its senses, leaving behind a vaguely nougaty experience that finds mint, dill, and lemon peel all in a somewhat haphazard swirl. Regular readers know that Handy has never been my jam, but this year’s comes across as particularly bizarre — yet ultimately harmless. 127.2 proof. B [BUY IT NOW FROM FROOTBAT] [BUY IT NOW FROM THE WHISKY EXCHANGE]
each $800ish / MSRP is $150 each [BUY THE COLLECTION FROM FROOTBAT]
Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Rye 2024
$800
