Buffalo Trace Unveils Two Experimental Whiskeys

Buffalo Trace Distillery has introduced two new whiskey releases this spring, drawing from long-running experimental programs designed to study how production variables influence bourbon flavor.

The new releases include Single Oak Rye Bourbon, from the distillery’s Single Oak Project, and Low Entry Proof Wheated Bourbon Whiskey, the 28th release in the Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection.

Both projects have been in development for more than a decade.

The Single Oak Project began in 1999 as one of the distillery’s most comprehensive research efforts, according to the distillery. The experiment used 96 oak trees sourced from the Missouri Ozarks. Each tree was split into top and bottom sections, creating 192 barrels. The distillery adjusted seven variables, including mash bill, barrel entry proof, wood grain, char level and warehouse type, to evaluate their effects on aging and flavor.

Consumers later participated in tasting and evaluating the barrels, selecting Barrel #80 as the preferred expression in 2011. That barrel has now been recreated as the inaugural release of the new Single Oak line, which Buffalo Trace plans to offer as a permanent, continuously released brand.

Single Oak Rye Bourbon replicates the conditions used for Barrel #80, including a rye mash bill, entry proof of 125 and aging in a concrete-floor warehouse for eight years before bottling at 90 proof. The 375-ml. bottles will be released in limited quantities beginning in April 2026 through Sazerac’s national distribution network and the distillery’s gift shop, with a suggested retail price of $74.99.

The second release, Low Entry Proof Wheated Bourbon Whiskey, comes from the Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection, which launched in 2006. This expression explores the impact of lowering barrel entry proof. The whiskey was entered into barrels at 105 proof, compared with the distillery’s traditional 114 proof for wheated bourbon.

According to the distillery, the experiment was inspired by historical records showing that entry proofs before Prohibition in the U.S were often lower than modern standards. The goal was to study how lower proof affects interaction between whiskey and wood during aging.

“Experimentation has always been at the core of what we do,” says Harlen Wheatley, master distiller at Buffalo Trace. “Each experiment helps us further our understanding of how individual variables shape flavor.”

Both releases reflect Buffalo Trace’s ongoing research into bourbon production and aging techniques, with results from long-term experiments now moving into limited commercial releases.

This follows the recent release of Daniel Weller Spelt Wheat.

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