For more than two decades, Buffalo Trace has been experimenting with all facets related to distillation and spirit production. Sometimes, when those tests go exceedingly well, the Frankfort distillery offers these happy accidents (in 375 ml bottles) for sale. Such was the case for Buffalo Trace’s 26th Experimental Collection release: Spirits Distilled from Grain and Hops. We got a rare taste, which we’ll get to in a second. But first, here’s how the spirit—it’s not a whiskey—was conceived and made.
How Buffalo Trace Made Experimental Collection: Spirits Distilled from Grain and Hops
A decade ago, master distiller Harlen Wheatley was pondering the effect of melding hoppy IPA beer notes (then surging in popularity) with raw whiskey distillate. Specifically, he sought to discern how the floral and herbal aromas from the hops would play with the base whiskey, a rye. “Our distilling team discussed which hops to consider for this experiment many times,” Wheatley tells Whisky Advocate.
The team ultimately decided on Saaz noble hops, a Czechoslovakian variety commonly found in Bohemian pilsners, and Zythos, an American hop with subtle herbal notes, “because they represent two extremes,” says Wheatley. “Saaz is an earthy and spicy old-world Noble hop, and the Zythos blend is a tropical and citrus hop, used in U.S. IPA and pale ales.”
Wheatley tells us his team “experimented with the Saaz and the Zythos barrels individually and didn’t consider blending the two until later. The individuals were great, but the blend created something unique and special.” After this process, the blend of hops and rye spent 11 years and 7 months in charred white oak barrels.
As for the duration of maturation for experiments, Wheatley says they’re ready when they taste ready. “Aging spirits takes time, and that allows our distillers, blenders, and tasters to react when we see the peak,” says Wheatley. “Too much more oak and gained character as a function of age would have removed this spirit's hop and grain balance rather than complemented it. We sampled this spirit many times, which helped us understand its progression. It’s also important to note that the closer we believe a spirit is to being ready for release, the more frequently we taste it to prevent over-aging.”
What Does Buffalo Trace Experimental Spirits Distilled from Grain and Hops Taste Like?
In a nutshell, pretty great and very fun. This 90-proof spirit gives you hoppy beer notes on the nose, toward the back of a deep inhale. Also on the nose is a light pop of citrus, from the Zythos hops, and some earthiness, like root cellar must. Plus, there’s a bit of rye toast, with burnt sugar and maple syrup. And there’s a heavy amount of char on each whiff.
On the palate, the Zythos hops show up first, with a heavy amount of citrus arriving quickly, then notes of dustiness and white pepper come in, which is likely attributed to the Saaz hops. It’s full-bodied, decently oily, and has a lot of complexity in each sip, along with more sweetness than you’d expect, including some notes of vanilla syrup and molasses.
The extensive finish fluctuates between the hops flavors and rye spice. When the hops punch through, you get a hit of orange zest or tobacco leaves; when the rye rises, you get some wood sugars and baking spices. In the end, the victor is the hops, and the final flavor is purely hoppy beer. It’s a very lively pour, evolving with every sip. No one will have buyer’s remorse here, even if you’re not into hoppy beer.
Will Buffalo Trace Create More Hopped Spirits?
Since this is a success, the natural question is whether we can expect to see more hopped spirits from Buffalo Trace. “If—and this is a big ‘if’—we were to do a hopped spirit again, we might play with the addition point to achieve different characters out of the hops, similar to what brewers do,” says Wheatley. “Depending on when we add the hops, we might get more or less hop aroma, we might change the hop aroma character, or we might alter the bitterness.”
Here’s hoping. (Here’s hopping?) For now, though, Buffalo Trace Experimental Spirits Distilled from Grain and Hops is available in limited quantities on select days at the Frankfort distillery at $46.99/375 ml. While you can try it neat or on the rocks, Wheatley suggests the spirit lends itself particularly well to cocktails, particularly a Manhattan.
