The Latest Buffalo Trace Antique Collection Celebrates 25 Years

Back in 2000, Buffalo Trace introduced the first iteration of its Antique Collection. That inaugural release of three whiskeys—Eagle Rare 17 year old bourbon, Weller 19 year old wheated bourbon, and Sazerac 18 year old rye—were among the distillery’s rarest and oldest whiskeys, creating the blueprint for the annual series. In the years that followed, the Antique Collection expanded to include more expressions, and for the most part higher proof points; the 2025 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection (BTAC) further ups the ante, celebrating 25 years of releases with the first new addition to the collection in almost two decades.

The 2025 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection Newcomer

Joining the “usual suspects” of the modern Antique Collection—Eagle Rare 17 year old bourbon, George T. Stagg bourbon, Thomas H. Handy rye, Sazerac 18 year old rye, and William Larue Weller bourbon—is Colonel E.H. Taylor bottled in bond bourbon. The first new addition to the collection since 2006, it’s named after Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor, who’s unofficially known as the “father of modern bourbon,” thanks to his contributions to both the bourbon industry and Buffalo Trace. This new Antique Collection bourbon is a 15 year old 100-proof whiskey made with Buffalo Trace’s sour mash recipe. Take a sip, and you’ll get what master distiller Harlen Wheatley refers to as “a nice Kentucky kiss,”—a balance of recipe and age that yields flavors of baking spice, oak, cherry sweetness, and vanilla.

How Does the 2025 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection Taste?

Each of the other Antique Collection whiskeys offers something a little different for the discerning whiskey drinker. Almost all see slight variations in age and proof from year to year.

Eagle Rare 17 year old bourbon, 50.5%

This year’s BTAC Eagle Rare 17 year old remains at its 101 proof, but features one notable difference from the 2024 collection: The final blend of barrels includes some that are as old as 18 years and 4 months old. “We’re trying to see how far we can age this product, since mashbill #1 [Buffalo Trace’s low-rye bourbon recipe] takes on age so well,” says Wheatley. He points to the mellowing effect that additional age has on the whiskey, with this one eliciting notes of tobacco, leather, caramel, vanilla, and a crack of peppery spice.

George T. Stagg bourbon, 71.4%

The proof typically skyrockets with the George T. Stagg BTAC releases, and this one is no different, coming in at an especially eye-watering 142.8 proof. Wheatley notes that it’s the second-highest proof ever recorded for Stagg; the most hazmat came in at 144.8 proof, in 2007. Aged for 15 years and 4 months, this is also made from the distillery’s mashbill #1. Despite its high ABV, the whiskey drinks quite evenly and is filled with notes of oak spice, vanilla, chocolate, and red fruit.

William Larue Weller bourbon, 57%

Made from Buffalo Trace’s sole wheated bourbon mashbill, this year’s William Larue Weller is 14 years old—two years older than the 2024 BTAC release. While it entered the barrel at 114 proof, it exited the barrel at a considerably higher 129 proof. The result is a whiskey that’s concentrated with intense heat and comes in swinging with flavors of cherry liqueur, maple candies, flourless chocolate cake, oak spice, and plenty of vanilla.

Sazerac 18 year old rye, 45%

Produced from the same low-rye mashbill as the flagship Sazerac 6 year old, the BTAC Sazerac whiskey is the most unwavering year over year, staying locked in at 18 years of age and 90 proof. The cinnamon spice is pleasant, and it’s balanced by sweet oak and faint earthy flavors.

Thomas H. Handy rye, 64.9%

This year’s Thomas H. Handy rye is bottled at a higher proof than in past rounds of BTAC, but it holds that higher ABV so well—delicious rye spice mingles with bright berry fruit, plenty of chocolate, and vanilla cream. It’s the youngest whiskey of the bunch at just 6 years old, but boy does it shine.

Colonel E. H. Taylor bottled in bond bourbon, 50%

The first new addition to the BTAC lineup since 2006, this 15 year old sour mash bottled in bond bourbon is awash with toasted sugar, barrel char, baking spice, and a hint of red fruit. It's soft yet well-spiced all at once.

Where to Buy the BTAC

The price of each BTAC bottle is $150—keeping it in line with last year’s collection—though this is no guarantee of what you’ll see it out in the wild for, given that these releases are notorious for being sold on the secondary market at much higher price tags. In a change from years past, ten full sets of 2025 BTAC are being auctioned off on Sazerac’s Legacy de Forge website.