Buffalo Trace has spent the last decade building a strong reputation for innovation, experimentation and lab work, and this month they have two new experimental releases, one from the Single Oak Project and one from the Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection: Single Oak Rye Bourbon and Low Entry Proof Wheated Bourbon Whiskey. In particular, the Single Oak Project is now a permanent brand extension in regular release for the distillery.
(Credit: Buffalo Trace)
The Single Oak Project began in 1999 as an experiment comprised 192 unique bourbon barrels, each crafted from specific sections of hand-selected oak trees and filled with either a wheat or a rye recipe before undergoing varied maturation approaches. Consumers were invited to taste and evaluate the resulting bourbons, ultimately selecting Barrel #80 as the standout expression in 2011. Now Buffalo Trace Distillery has made Single Oak a permanent, continuously-released whiskey brand. Its inaugural release, Rye Bourbon, faithfully recreates the precise mashbill and barrel aging conditions that defined Barrel #80.
The Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection, begun in 2006, will make its 28th release with Low Entry Proof Wheated Bourbon Whiskey. As the name implies, this experiment addresses the chemistry of lower barrel entry proof and its influence on wood interaction over extended aging, with the wheated bourbon distillate entered at 105 proof – noticeably lower than its traditional 114 proof. Inspired by historical records indicating that pre-Prohibition barrel entry proofs were often lower than modern standards, and continues in the vein of previous experiments by the distillery with wheated bourbon and barrel entry proof.
“Experimentation has always been at the core of what we do at Buffalo Trace Distillery,” said Buffalo Trace Distillery Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley. “These releases represent years of patience, curiosity, and an unwavering commitment to learning. From the Single Oak Project, where we studied every detail of oak to better understand maturation, to our exploration of entry proof in the latest Experimental Collection, each experiment helps us further our understanding of how individual variables shape flavor and push the boundaries of what bourbon can be. We’re excited for fans to experience the results.”
