What if your favourite bourbon started as a bold experiment?
That’s the idea behind the Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection, a series of limited releases that push the boundaries of traditional bourbon-making.
One of the rarest entries is the 1995 15 Year Old, bottled in 2010 after an unusually long ageing trial. It’s a standout from the series, and we have one available now for $724 on the Mark Littler Shop.
Here’s why this bottle, and the collection it comes from, matters more than you might think.
What Is the Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection?
Launched in 2006, the Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection is where one of America’s most respected distilleries lets curiosity take the lead. While most distilleries stick to tradition, Buffalo Trace has spent years trialling new mash bills, barrel treatments, toast levels, yeasts, aging environments, and more. Some use rice or oats instead of rye. Others play with French oak, toasted staves, or temperature-controlled warehouses.
Today, more than 30,000 experimental barrels are aging in the distillery’s warehouses.
The results are bottled in small 375ml “lab-style” bottles, each labelled with detailed production notes. Many are single-barrel or micro-batch releases that are designed not for mass appeal, but to push bourbon forward.
Several successful experiments have influenced how Buffalo Trace now makes its core whiskeys. It’s bourbon innovation with purpose, and for whiskey fans, a rare chance to taste the process in action.
Meet the Collection’s Crown Jewel: The Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection 1995 15 Year Old
One of the most fascinating entries in the Experimental Collection is the 1995 Buffalo Trace Experimental, bottled in 2010 after more than 15 years in the barrel. Released as part of a two-barrel experiment, this pair of whiskies explored how oak treatment alone can shape flavour over time.
Both were made from Buffalo Trace’s high-rye Mash Bill #2 and distilled in April 1995. They were matured on the 8th floor of Warehouse K, a location known for warmer temperatures and more active ageing. But from there, the paths diverged.
One barrel was filled with new French oak, while the other (the version we have available) used a second-fill charred white oak barrel, seasoned with toasted American oak chips. This was no ordinary experiment. The chips were added directly into the barrel to simulate new wood influence and boost flavour during the long maturation.
Details from the label reveal just how carefully it was constructed:
- Distilled: 6 April 1995 | Bottled: 5 August 2010
- Age: 15 years, 4 months
- Entry Proof: 125
- Evaporation Loss: 54.2%
- Final Strength: 45.2% ABV (90.4 proof)
- Filtration: Chill filtered
The result, according to the distillery, is a “lighter whiskey for its age,” with the chips adding “smoky complexity” and “good flavour without being heavy.” It’s a clear example of how subtle production choices can create something truly distinct, even from an identical base spirit.
Bottled in small 375ml format with a lab-style label, it’s both collectible and a genuinely revealing look at bourbon innovation in action.
What Makes This Bottle So Special?
What sets the 1995 Buffalo Trace Experimental apart isn’t just its age; it’s the clarity of the concept. This was a carefully controlled, side-by-side experiment designed to show how oak treatment alone can dramatically change a bourbon’s flavor.
The barrel used for the American Oak Chips release yielded just a few hundred 375ml bottles, making it a genuine collectible bourbon. Each label details the process: high-rye mash, second-fill barrel, toasted chips, over 50% evaporation, everything you’d want to know if you’re a serious enthusiast or a curious drinker.
It’s also one of the most celebrated entries in the series. Whisky Advocate awarded the American Oak Chips release a standout 95 points, praising its balance and flavor.
For collectors or anyone exploring the more experimental side of Buffalo Trace, this is one of the most revealing, rewarding bottles you’ll find.
How It Tastes: A Tale of Two Barrels
Same bourbon, same warehouse, 15 years. Two wildly different results.
The French Oak version turned out bold and brooding, full of dark spice, leather, and a dry, almost tannic finish. It’s a bourbon for lovers of deep oak influence, with layers of intensity shaped by the tighter grain and richer tannins of French wood.
In contrast, the American Oak Chips version is unexpectedly light and vibrant. Despite its age, it delivers fresh notes of mint, anise, and a touch of wintergreen, backed by gentle vanilla and a subtle wisp of smoke from the toasted chips.
Together, the two releases offer a rare opportunity: a direct comparison of how oak alone, not mash bill or warehouse, can steer flavor in completely different directions.
Why It Matters, and What It Tells Us About Bourbon
The Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection offers a fascinating window into how great whiskey is made. These small-batch experiments serve as a blueprint for the future of bourbon, showing how subtle changes in oak, aging, and technique can yield dramatically different results.
Many lessons learned from this series have gone on to influence Buffalo Trace’s mainstream releases. The collection has shaped how the distillery thinks about wood, blending, and long-term maturation in practice.
For whiskey lovers, tasting a bottle like the 1995 American Oak Chips release is a chance to experience the inner workings of one of America’s most respected distilleries, to see how innovation happens, one barrel at a time.
Buy The Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection 1995 15 Year Old American Oak Chips
Luckily for Buffalo Trace fans, we have the American Oak Chips bottle available on the Mark Littler Shop for $724. If you are lucky enough to find the French Oak version and compare, please let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Looking to explore some more entry-level Buffalo Trace bottlings? Why not give the flagship bourbon a go? It ranks on my personal list of bourbons for beginners, and is a fantastic place to start.
Read the full article at Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection: The Wild Whiskey Experiment You Can Actually Taste
