It’s been a rough couple of years for the whiskey industry. With everything going on in our world, from a society moving away from drinking to increased tariffs, we’ve seen the first consecutive annual declines in decades between 2023 and 2025. Luckily, Buffalo Trace is here to cheer you up a bit with their annual Antique Collection for 2025, featuring six remarkable whiskey offerings for you to pursue.
A Quarter-Century of Excellence
The Buffalo Trace Antique Collection launched back in 2000 with just three expressions — Sazerac 18, Eagle Rare 17, and William Larue Weller. George T. Stagg joined in 2002, followed by Thomas H. Handy in 2006, creating the five-bottle lineup we’ve come to know and love. For nearly two decades, that remained unchanged. Until now.
This year’s 25th anniversary brings E.H. Taylor Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon into the fold — the first new permanent addition since 2006. Colonel Taylor practically built modern bourbon as we know it. After purchasing the O.F.C. Distillery (now Buffalo Trace) in 1869, he revolutionized operations with copper fermentation tanks and steam heating systems that are still in use today. He also championed the Bottled-In-Bond Act of 1897, establishing America’s first consumer protection law for spirits, making the addition of his namesake label long overdue.
E.H. Taylor Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon
First up is E.H. Taylor Bottled-In-Bond, which sets itself apart as the collection’s first bottled-in-bond offering. Aged 15 years and four months from Buffalo Trace’s low-rye Mash Bill No. 1, it’s bottled at exactly 100 proof per federal standards. Most barrels came from Warehouse C, built during Taylor’s ownership. The older sibling to the standard E.H. Taylor Small Batch brings warm vanilla, seasoned oak, maple sweetness, and baking spices with a soft caramel-cherry finish.
Type: Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Age: 15 years, 4 months
Aroma: Warm vanilla, seasoned oak, maple, char
Palate: Balanced sweetness, baking spices, gentle wood, soft caramel-cherry finish
ABV: 50%
Eagle Rare 17-Year-Old
Eagle Rare 17 continues its tradition of exceeding expectations. This year’s bottles actually aged 18 years and four months — well beyond the age statement (legally though, a bottling can only claim its youngest liquid in the batch). At 101 proof (matching the original 1975 Eagle Rare), expect dark tobacco, worn leather, ripe cherry, and pepper on the nose, with caramel and oak dominating the palate.
Type: Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Age: 18 years, 4 months
Aroma: Dark tobacco, worn leather, ripe cherry, pepper
Palate: Caramel sweetness, leather, bright cherry, lasting oak finish
ABV: 50.5%
George T. Stagg
Like most years, George T. Stagg seeks to remains the powerhouse of the collection. This year’s 15-year, 4-month bourbon hits a hazmat-level 142.8 proof — one of the strongest releases ever, matching the 2012 edition. It’s uncut, unfiltered intensity in a bottle, with commanding oak, vanilla, dark tobacco, and cherry notes throughout.
Type: Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Age: 15 years, 4 months
Aroma: Deep oak, vanilla
Palate: Bold vanilla, dark tobacco, ripe cherry, long earthy finish
ABV: 71.4%
William Larue Weller
Representing Buffalo Trace’s wheated bourbon prowess, William Larue Weller is aged 14 years and bottled at 129 proof. The wheat creates that signature soft, smooth character with layers of vanilla, maple, tobacco, and toasted oak balanced by ripe fruit.
Type: Wheated Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Age: 14 years
Aroma: Vanilla, maple, tobacco
Palate: Sweet vanilla, toasted oak, ripe fruit finish
ABV: 64.5%
Thomas H. Handy
Thomas H. Handy is the youngest of the collection at roughly six years old, but it punches above its weight at 129.8 proof. This uncut, unfiltered Kentucky-style rye brings lively oak, spice, and bright fruit notes throughout.
Type: Kentucky Straight Rye
Age: ~6 years
Aroma: Lively oak, spice, bright fruit, apple
Palate: Bold spice, oak, gentle fruit, vanilla-forward finish
ABV: 64.9%
Sazerac 18-Year-Old
Sazerac 18 rounds out the collection as the oldest offering at 18 years and five months, and it’s also the most straightforward. Bottled at a more restrained 90 proof, this Kentucky-style rye delivers bright spice, herbaceous character, and supple leather with notes of caraway seed on the finish.
Type: Kentucky Straight Rye
Age: 18 years, 5 months
Aroma: Bright rye spice, seasoned oak, herbaceous notes
Palate: Balanced spice and oak, leather, caraway seed finish
ABV: 45%
Pricing & Availability
All six bottles carry a suggested retail price of $150, though secondary market reality tells a different story. Available starting this month through select retailers nationwide, these will disappear fast. A limited number will also be sold through Legacy de Forge, the digital platform run by Sazerac and Blockbar.
Recap
Buffalo Trace 2025 Antique Collection
Buffalo Trace just dropped its 2025 Antique Collection with six bottles instead of the usual five — adding E.H. Taylor Bottled-In-Bond as the first new permanent expression in nearly 20 years.
