The 2025 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection Is Here — With Its First New Addition in Nearly Two Decades

On Wednesday, Buffalo Trace Distillery announced the annual return of its highly anticipated Antique Collection, but this year, there’s a brand new bottling in the mix. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the collection, Buffalo Trace is debuting Colonel E.H. Taylor Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon, the first new addition to the lineup in 19 years.

The Buffalo Trace Antique Collection is the distillery’s most coveted release, with each bottle paying homage to the historic whiskey brands under the Buffalo Trace umbrella and the craftsmen behind them. First launched in 2000, the collection includes Eagle Rare 17-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon, George T. Stagg Kentucky Straight Bourbon, Sazerac 18-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey, William Larue Weller Kentucky Straight Bourbon, and Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Kentucky Straight Rye. Prior to the entry of Colonel E.H. Taylor Bottled-In-Bond, Thomas H. Handy was the last bottle to join the collection in 2006.

This new release honors Colonel E.H. Taylor, a figure widely regarded as the “Father of Modern Bourbon.” In fact, he founded the distillery that later went on to become Buffalo Trace. In 1869, Colonel Taylor purchased the distillery site, upgraded the existing facility with first-of-its-kind innovations (many of which are still in use today), and started distilling under the label O.F.C. Beyond his revolutionary impact at Buffalo Trace, Colonel Taylor also contributed heavily to the 1897 Bottled-in-Bond Act, which continues to define quality standards to this day.

Made from Buffalo Trace’s sour mash recipe, Colonel E.H. Taylor Bottled-In-Bond is aged for 15 years and 4 months before it’s bottled at 100 proof. According to the brand, the whiskey offers aromas of seasoned oak and warm vanilla with undertones of maple syrup and char. On the palate, the bourbon delivers a balanced sweetness, with gentle wood and baking spice flavors that give way to a long finish with lingering notes of oak, cherry, vanilla, and caramel.

“Colonel Taylor’s signature graced every bottle produced under his watch as a testament to its quality, a tradition we uphold today as a promise of integrity,” Buffalo Trace Distillery global brand director Andrew Duncan said in a press release. “Created in his honor, every sip of E.H. Taylor Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon offers more than exceptional flavor — it’s a taste of history and a reminder of his strict tenets that have safeguarded America’s world-leading whiskey quality standards for nearly 150 years.”

Also included in the collection is a new expression of Eagle Rare 17-Year-Old, which was matured beyond its 17-year age statement. While not quite as old as the 2023 release, this year’s expression aged for 18 years and 4 months before it was bottled at 101 proof in a salute to the original 1975 expression. The bourbon leads with aromas of dark tobacco, leather, and ripe cherry that give way to notes of caramel, leather, cherry, and vanilla oak on the palate.

This year’s George T. Stagg expression is one of the strongest yet, bottled at a whopping 142.8 proof. Matured for more than 15 years and 4 months, the bourbon is uncut and unfiltered, washing the palate with notes of ripe cherry, dark tobacco, vanilla, and oak. Also included in the collection is William Larue Weller Kentucky Straight Bourbon, bottled at 14 years. Coming in at 129 proof, the bourbon is layered, with balanced notes of vanilla, maple, tobacco, and ripe fruit.

Up next is the Sazerac 18-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey, which gets its name from New Orleans’ Sazerac House, where the classic Sazerac cocktail was first stirred up. Similar to last year’s bottling, the 2025 release was aged for 18 years and 5 months. Bottled at 45 percent ABV, the rye has aromas of seasoned oak and herbs with pops of spice, oak, and woody richness on the palate.

Rounding out the Antique Collection is Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Kentucky Straight Rye, named for the bartender who first used rye whiskey in the Sazerac. This year’s expression was aged for more than six years and bottled at 129.8 proof, a lift from last year’s 127.2. On the nose, expect aromas of rye spice, oak, and bright fruit followed by a palate with bold spice and a long, warming finish.

Each bottle in the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection is sold separately and available for a limited time nationwide for a suggested retail price of $149.99.

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