Every fall the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection rolls out in limited quantities with a recommended retail price of $99 that rarely shows up on the shelf. Frustrated whiskey fans, eager to try these coveted bottles, line up outside liquor stores, try their luck at lotteries, or enter raffles to try to get their hands on one; others pay eye-popping sums to black market resellers. Are these efforts worth it? That’s up to the drinker.
If scores factor into your decision making, check out Whisky Advocate’s thoughts below. As usual, our panel of reviewers blind-tasted each bourbon and rye in a flight with whiskeys of a similar style and proof. You won’t find any surprises—they all scored well, with George T. Stagg and William Larue Weller at the top.
BTAC 2020: REVIEWS & SCORES
Eagle Rare 17 year old Kentucky Straight Bourbon (Buffalo Trace Antique Collection 2020)
92 points, 50.5% ABV, $99
A delightful mélange of flavors on the nose—new leather, orange peel, angel food cake, orange Creamsicle, cooked peaches, sweetened ice tea, dark chocolate, nutmeg, and allspice. A well-structured, full-bodied palate starts with earthy notes of warehouse and then lets fly with flavors of blackberry tart, nutmeg, pepper, and semi-sweet chocolate. A lighter but superbly balanced finish adds more dark chocolate, roasted pecans, cherry, tobacco, pepper, and beautifully integrated oak. —David Fleming
Thomas H. Handy Kentucky Straight Rye (Buffalo Trace Antique Collection 2020)
93 points, 64.5% ABV, $99
The nose has vanilla galore, along with nuts, milk chocolate, cooked cherries, orange oil, cinnamon, and iced tea; water highlights the grain to great effect. Chewy and textured in the mouth, with plenty of chocolate, peanuts, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, and cayenne pepper, plus lively orange zest. It finishes lengthy and satisfying: dark chocolate and that orange zest integrating seamlessly with cinnamon, brown sugar, and polished oak. —Susannah Skiver Barton
Sazerac 18 year old Kentucky Straight Rye (Buffalo Trace Antique Collection 2020)
94 points, 45% ABV, $99
Pure panache: roasted cinnamon, allspice berries, baking chocolate, dried cherries, grape jelly, and polished oak on the nose; with time, aromas of nougat and almond. More chewy dried cherries and grape fruit leather on the palate, along with zippy cinnamon, paprika, black pepper, and a hint of mint. Dark chocolate, tobacco, and plenty of oak add support, especially after water is added. More dark fruit and dark chocolate on the finish, as well as persistent oak that swerves, pleasantly, into leather. —Susannah Skiver Barton
George T. Stagg Kentucky Straight Bourbon (Buffalo Trace Antique Collection 2020)
95 points, 65.2% ABV, $99
Bakery notes, orange blossom, allspice, dark berries, raspberry preserves, butterscotch, chocolate, leather, and cedar chest integrate superbly on the nose. The show continues on a very full-bodied palate packed with dark fruit, orange slices, brown sugar, almond, cinnamon, and an overlay of allspice. A deliciously thick, viscous finish goes on and on, completing this tour de force with flavors of chocolate-covered marshmallows, cinnamon, more allspice, old leather, tobacco, and polished oak. —David Fleming
William Larue Weller Kentucky Straight Bourbon (Buffalo Trace Antique Collection 2020)
95 points, 67.25% ABV, $99
A complex nose of leather, cedar chest, black tea, cooked cherries, rich spice, and polished oak; water brings out bright citrus, green apple candy, and blackberry cobbler filling. Dark chocolate, cooked cherry, fresh ginger, licorice, black pepper, and nuts on the palate; spearmint, licorice, and tobacco appear once water is added. Extremely lengthy finish with licorice tea, caramel, dark chocolate, polished oak, and spearmint. You might want to tough it out at barrel proof, but water benefits this whiskey, and saves your taste buds. —Susannah Skiver Barton
