We Tried This Year's Buffalo Trace Prohibition Collection. Here's What We Thought
January 15, 2025 –––––– Sean Evans
George T. Stagg was one of six distilleries allowed to continue to produce alcohol during Prohibition. Between 1920 and 1933, people could visit a doctor, obtain a prescription for several pints of “medicine,” and legally procure America’s spirit. Today, Stagg is distilled at Buffalo Trace, and Buffalo Trace is honoring its legacy of helping all the ailing Americans during Prohibition by reviving labels and brands from the era.
This five-bottle set, aptly called Prohibition Collection, is now in its second edition of being an annual release. The full 2025 Prohibition Collection No. 2 lineup includes: Mirror Brook blend, Very Oldest Procurable (V.O.P.) bourbon, Anderson’s Belle wheated bourbon, Old Fashioned Mountain Corn whiskey, and Silver Wedding rye. All were originally produced at George T. Stagg Distillery, under then-president Albert B. Blanton’s leadership, and Buffalo Trace isolated and has used the same yeast strain since Prohibition, according to master distiller Harlen Wheatley.
How Buffalo Trace Created Prohibition Collection No. 2
Wheatley worked closely with Buffalo Trace’s bourbon archaeologist and lead archivist Nicolas Laracuente on digging up all procurable information of these defunct brands, a process Wheatley deemed vital to Prohibition Collection production. “Nick did research on the labels, and found all the clues he could from our records,” says Wheatley, “though we weren’t able to find any tasting notes on these. It would’ve been nice to have the actual bottles, but that wasn’t the case either.”
Laracuente and Wheatley combed through “a whole book of rescued [Stagg-era] labels,” which Wheatley demurs to elaborate on, citing that competitors could snag these brands, to settle on a list of viable Prohibition Collection options. “From there, it’s a bit of art and science,” says Wheatley. “We picked labels that have strong imagery that makes storytelling around the expression more robust. Then we came up with flavor profiles of existing barrels that best matched those labels, and that’s what’s in each bottle.”
For example, Anderson’s Belle (not to be confused with the Belle of Anderson brand), was a limited release meant to honor a woman. “There’s a [Scottish tartan] pattern, and there’s a silhouette of a woman, but we don’t know who that woman is; there’s a bit of mystery and intrigue there,” says Andrew Duncan, global brand director for Buffalo Trace Distillery. “It was originally a wheated bourbon, and we thought a wheated bourbon profile, bringing softer character, would gently match what that original label was trying to convey.”
None of the expressions have age statements, and Wheatley and Duncan declined to reveal any mashbills. Still, Buffalo Trace fans will likely be able to guess which existing products went into each blend.
2025 Prohibition Collection No. 2 Tasting Notes
Mirror Brook is a brand that first appeared in a letter written by Albert Blanton in 1932, in which he directed cases of O.F.C. bottled in 1919 to be rebottled as Mirror Brook to update obsolete pre-Prohibition labeling. This expression is a 100 proof, bottled in bond, blend of Kentucky straight whiskeys. “This was always a blend,” says Wheatley, adding that this offering is composed of “significantly aged whiskeys coming together.” The nose is complex, with hints of mint and pine, and some rye bread. It’s medium-bodied, and a little oily on the palate, balancing baking spices with sweetness. The long, drying finish starts with dark chocolate before moving into a vegetal note.
Very Oldest Procurable (V.O.P) was bottled by Stagg’s distillery, but not made there. This uncut and unfiltered barrel-proof Kentucky straight bourbon is around 135 proof, though it doesn’t nose nor drink anywhere near that hot. It’s supremely approachable, with dark unsweetened chocolate and stewed cherries on the nose, a rich and bold rye spice on the palate, and an extensive warm finish that trails off into molasses.
Anderson’s Belle is a 100 proof, bottled in bond wheated bourbon. This dark copper whiskey gives sweet toasted wheat notes for days on the nose, alongside Cinnamon Toast Crunch-steeped milk, and saltwater taffy. On the palate, sea salt caramel and sweet vanilla cream abound. It’s very juicy, and your mouth salivates a touch during the long finish that blossoms from caramel to chocolate-covered cherry.
Old Fashioned Mountain Corn was, per a letter penned by Blanton, owned and produced at the distillery. This 110-proof Kentucky straight corn whiskey doesn’t present as such. “You probably wouldn’t guess corn on the nose,” Wheatley correctly says. On first whiff, you get marshmallow, burnt caramel, and a hibiscus floral note. The palate is pure sweet buttercream and kettle corn. It’s the lightest of the set, both in color and liquid heft, but it stands up against its brethren.
Silver Wedding rye was originally made under Blanton’s watch, and is a nod to a 25th anniversary. This 125-proof Kentucky straight rye has a heavier body and a solid coating mouthfeel. It drinks a hair under its proof, and has a deep, rich complexity. Orange zest, cinnamon, and clove are prominent on the palate, before a shorter, spicier finish. There’s big heat up front that melts away into an oaky note, as the dryness creeps down the sides of your tongue.
Where to Find the 2025 Prohibition Collection
Sold only as a set of five 375ml bottles (bundled inside a bespoke wooden crate, meant to evoke a carrying case of yesteryear), the set is available through select retailers, bars, and restaurants starting in January 2025, at an SRP of $999.99. Launching concurrently is the Buffalo Trace Distillery Prohibition Collection Series No. 2 cigar set: five custom blended cigars meant to pair with each whiskey. Those are available online at Cigora.
