Buffalo Trace Distillery Releases Single Oak Rye Bourbon
Buffalo Trace Distillery has announced the latest release in the Buffalo Trace Single Oak Project: Single Oak Rye Bourbon.
The Single Oak Project began in 1999, marking the distillery’s first and most comprehensive experiment to date as it explored the impact of seven variables including mashbill, entry proof, aging location, and barrel construction. The experiment comprised 192 unique bourbon barrels, each crafted from specific sections of hand-selected oak trees and filled with either a wheat or a rye recipe before undergoing varied maturation approaches. Consumers were invited to taste and evaluate the resulting bourbons, ultimately selecting Barrel #80 as the standout expression in 2011.
Buffalo Trace Distillery builds on this experiment with the introduction of Single Oak as a permanent, continuously-released whiskey brand. Its inaugural release, Rye Bourbon, faithfully recreates the precise mashbill and barrel aging conditions that defined Single Oak Project Barrel #80.
Single Oak Project Barrel #80 entered the barrel at 125 proof and was aged in oak harvested from the bottom half of the tree, featuring average grain wood, staves seasoned for 12 months and charred at a level four. The bourbon was aged in a concrete floor warehouse for eight years before bottling at 90 proof (45% ABV).
Buffalo Trace Single Oak Rye Bourbon is described as having aromas of “caramel and vanilla, layered with light baking spice, toasted oak, and subtle hints of orchard fruit.” The palate is “rich and beautifully balanced, unfolding in layers of toffee, vanilla cream and honeyed sweetness, accented by seasoned oak and baking spices.” The finish is “long and elegant, lingering with warm oak, soft spice, and a mellow caramel sweetness.”
Buffalo Trace Single Oak Rye Bourbon will be available in highly limited quantities beginning this month and carries a suggested retail price of $74.99 for a 375 mL bottle.
Source: Buffalo Trace Distillery.