The Ultimate Guide to Buffalo Trace’s Antique Collection

Although we never heard of any plans to expand the family, it did happen, with the arrival of George T. Stagg in 2002 and Thomas H. Handy in 2006.

It has also been reduced before. If Wheatley feels that the batch prepared for the annual release is not up to par, he has already made the difficult decision to forgo its inclusion; in 2021 it removed the Stagg from the BTAC range rather than lower its standards and diminish its reputation, for example.

In addition, the targets of these whiskeys continue to evolve. At the beginning, each year, these bottles were all 90°. This changed with the introduction of Stagg, which is barrel proof and varies each year, starting at 137.6 and with an age statement of 15 years. Even then, none of the other bottles exceeded 90 until 2005, when William Larue Weller jumped to 121.9.

These days, change is the norm, with three of the bottles varying each year depending on proof and age requirements, although they are high in both cases. The constants are Sazerac 18 year old, which is always at 90 proof, and Eagle Rare 17 year old which now hits a moderate 101 every year since 2018 after almost two decades at 90.

More changes are sure to come, but given how the Buffalo Trace Antique collection has evolved, it’s a safe bet they’ll be for the better.