The 2024 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, Tasted and Ranked
American whiskey’s peak release season starts in September, with brands big and small trotting out their most premium, limited expressions. (Of course, not every brand is on that same cadence, but for whiskey reviewers, it’s undoubtedly the busiest season.) And no fall is complete without the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection — “BTAC” for short — one of the most sought-after lineups in the United States, if not the entire spirits world.
Normally, Kentucky-based Buffalo Trace releases five different bottlings in the collection. However, there have been notable exceptions. In 2021, Buffalo Trace declined to release a George T. Stagg bourbon, saying that year’s barrels weren’t up to the line’s normal quality standards.
Fortunately for whiskey hunters, in 2024, Buffalo Trace released all five expressions. The collection contains two rye whiskeys and three bourbons, one of which features a wheated mash:
Thomas H. Handy: Cask strength (127.2 proof) rye whiskey
Sazerac 18-Year-Old Rye Whiskey: 90 proof rye whiskey
George T. Stagg: Cask strength (136.1 proof) bourbon whiskey
William Larue Weller: Cask strength (125.8 proof) wheated bourbon whiskey
Eagle Rare 17-Year-Old Bourbon: 101 proof bourbon whiskey
Ranking a given year’s BTAC bottles is a fun, if difficult endeavor. After all, that means comparing various age ranges (typically 6 to 18 years), numerous proof points, and even different types of whiskey. And spoiler alert: All of this year’s expressions feel on a spectrum of quite good to truly excellent. It’s high-quality stuff.
To make things even trickier, in 2024, our three highest-rated expressions all tied for the same score on VinePair’s 100-point scale. Ranking them accurately took time, careful consideration, and a couple of extra pours from the sample bottles.
After several days of tasting, it’s time to reveal our rankings. Here are the five 2024 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection whiskeys, ranked from lowest to highest score.
5. Thomas H. Handy Rye
Thomas H. Handy Rye is one of BTAC’s most consistent offerings. Don’t let 6-year-old rye’s relative youth fool you: This is generally rich, flavorful, complex stuff, among the very best of cask-strength American rye whiskey.
This year’s offering was no exception. At just over 6 years old, the nose showed remarkable oak character with very little in the way of ethanol heat. Scents of lemon oil, grass, and light herbs balanced the wood nicely. And on the palate, spice hits hard, led by a bold cinnamon element that stays prominent through the finish.
Overall, while the 2024 Thomas H. Handy cask-strength rye is tasty, I found it lacked a bit of breadth compared to previous years, the spice coming across as slightly unrestrained at certain points. I’d basically never turn down a pour of this delicious whiskey, but of this year’s BTAC starting five, it’s my bottom pick.
Rating: 93
4. Eagle Rare 17-Year-Old Bourbon
The 2023 Eagle Rare 17 — actually a 19-plus-year-old bourbon — was VinePair’s top bourbon of last year. This year’s version has big shoes to fill, and truth be told, it came close. The nose leads with fruit, chocolate lava cake, and tart cherry juice; a little apple cider vinegar weaves in and out. The palate evokes baked apples with a cinnamon caramel drizzle, along with ripe melon and pipe tobacco. From the first to the last sip, it’s a borderline luxurious dram.
This year’s Eagle Rare 17 is clearly in the top tier of bourbon on the market today. However, it didn’t quite boast the incredible flavor range of last year’s version, and after tasting everything multiple times, three other BTAC expressions outranked it.
Rating: 95
3. George T. Stagg Bourbon
Seeing George T. Stagg in the middle of any list is sure to raise some eyebrows. Honestly, it should, but in a year where every BTAC expression is really, really good, we’ve got to split some hairs.
This punchy, cask-strength Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey actually got the same score as the two bottles that rank above it, so it really came down to a race of inches (if not millimeters). The 2024 George T. Stagg smells like walking into a Kentucky rickhouse on a cool fall morning, wood messing with black cherry, vanilla, and cinnamon sugar. The palate explodes with Luxardo cherry, dried figs, cinnamon, clove, and more vanilla.
This is a concentrated series of classic bourbon flavors from a 15-plus-year-old whiskey. A few drops of dilution bring out more chocolaty components, as well as a broader range of fruits.
It’s truly wonderful stuff. The fact two expressions rank higher is more a testament to their incredible character, and not any Stagg shortcomings.
Rating: 96
2. William Larue Weller Bourbon
Buffalo Trace’s 2024 Antique Collection press release made a striking claim: “William Larue Weller is the clear standout of this year’s exceptional lineup.”
After tasting this 12-year-old, wheated, cask-strength bourbon, that’s a tough point to argue against. While it was my least favorite of the 2023 lineup, this year, WLW is back in full force. Tannic leather and brown butter kick off the nose, followed by graham crackers and overripe fruit. That hallmark medicinal cherry eventually rises from the glass, like cherry cough drops coated in clove oil.
On the palate, William Larue Weller brings more cherry, strawberry shortcake, and even melted vanilla ice cream. That dessert-like sweetness is balanced by nearly a perfect amount of oak influence; these barrels were dumped at the exact right time, and one suspects an older version of this year’s William Larue would lose some of that harmony.
It’s exciting, captivating whiskey that would kick the pants off most other American offerings in a head-to-head. But this year’s BTAC brings something else quite special, meaning the undeniably delicious “clear standout” will have to settle for second place.
Rating: 96
1. Sazerac 18-Year-Old Rye Whiskey
Who says proof is everything? The best whiskey in this year’s Antique Collection is by far the tamest in terms of ABV: the 90-proof Sazerac 18- year-old rye.
Saz 18 is rarely a slouch, but over the past six or seven years, it’s tough to find an instance where it’s better than its BTAC brethren. But the tide turns in 2024. This is the rare rye whiskey that lives at the intersection of oakiness, sweetness, and earthy flavors. The nose harkens back to great American ryes from a bygone era, heavy on dark oak and cured tobacco without grating the nostrils. Concord grape and blackberry are up next, and small pops of multifaceted spice add further complexity. Burnt orange peel and spearmint make appearances just when you least expect them. I could nose this for days.
The palate is again earthy, semi-savory, and wood-forward. (Think pepper-crusted brisket.) Suddenly, a welcome hit of sweetness coats everything in brown sugar. Herbal notes are up next, including star anise, powdered ginger, and mint.
The finish lasts just about forever and leans into an herbal mint tea, with a backbone of even more oak.
Sazerac 18 built its reputation on a legendary run of releases from the mid-2000s through around 2015. That was tanked stock, originally distilled in the 1980s and then stored in steel containers; the distillery gradually released it as Saz 18 while newer distillate came of age.
I might not go so far as to say the 2024 Sazerac 18 is at the same level as those particular releases. But I do believe this year’s release is a step back toward greatness, a near-superlative rye whiskey that can stand up to the test of time.
Rating: 96
*Image retrieved from @buffalotraceau on Instagram
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