The 2020 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection Is Here

Labor Day is behind us and that means special release season is in full swing. Diageo already unveiled details on its limited-edition single malt scotches for 2020, and now Buffalo Trace has disclosed details of this year’s Antique Collection.

There aren’t any surprises here, though Eagle Rare 17 year old technically has an extra year of age on it, having been distilled in 2002. As usual, George T. Stagg, William Larue Weller, and Thomas H. Handy Sazerac are both bottled at barrel proof, while Eagle Rare is at 50.5% ABV and Sazerac 18 year old is at 45% ABV. The retail price for all five whiskeys is steady at $99, although anyone lucky enough to pay that amount should consider buying a lottery ticket.

The Buffalo Trace Antique Collection (BTAC) whiskeys remain some of the most sought-after bottles in America, and prices on the secondary market regularly exceed several times the recommended retail price. (William Larue Weller, for example, recently averaged $725 across several secondary market groups.) You can thank flippers for driving up the price so much; we spoke to several of them in our investigative report on the bourbon black market.

Full details on the collection, including Whisky Advocate scores for each of the 2019 releases, are below. If you’re planning to try to snag one this year, good luck!

BTAC 2020: Key Info

George T. Stagg
Style: Straight bourbon
Age: 15 years old
Proof: 65.2% ABV
Price: $99
2019 Score: 94 points

Distilled in the spring of 2005, this bourbon aged in warehouses K, L, and Q. The batch’s overall evaporative loss was 59%, higher than average for the last few years.

William Larue Weller
Style: Straight bourbon
Age: 12 years old
Proof: 67.25% ABV
Price: $99
2019 Score: 95 points

Distilled in the winter of 2008, this bourbon aged in warehouses C and I.

Eagle Rare 17 year old
Style: Straight bourbon
Age: 17 years old
Proof: 50.5% ABV
Price: $99
2019 Score: 93 points

Distilled in the spring of 2002, this bourbon matured on the first floor of warehouse P, just like last year’s release.

Thomas H. Handy Sazerac
Style: Straight rye
Age: 6 years old
Proof: 64.5% ABV
Price: $99
2019 Score: 92 points

This whiskey was distilled in the spring of 2014 and aged in warehouses K, M, and N.

Sazerac 18 year old
Style: Straight rye
Age: 18 years old
Proof: 45% ABV
Price: $99
2019 Score: 90 points

This whiskey was distilled in the spring of 2002 and aged on the third floor of warehouse K.

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