With 250 years of bourbon-making heritage, Buffalo Trace Distillery is a true custodian of America’s signature whiskey. From its famous Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey to the legendary expressions of the Van Winkle family, here’s your guide to the distillery’s best bourbons for every budget and every taste.
The world of bourbon’s a fascinating thing to explore. As America’s signature whiskey, it has an identity and flavour entirely separate from its Scottish contemporaries, thanks to a recipe that, by law, must be barrel-aged and made from at least 51 per cent corn, America’s favourite grain.
The result is a sweeter and richer approach to whiskey that’s deservedly been enjoying renewed attention over the last few years. In large part, this has been thanks to the efforts of Buffalo Trace Distillery, the most-awarded distillery in the world. For over 250 years, this Kentucky-based operation has been elevating bourbon, so if you’re looking for a new addition to your bar cart, what better place to start?
After all, Buffalo Trace Distillery creates world-class bourbon across a wide range of incarnations. From accessible, entry-level drops that are reliably delicious every time to rare, uber-premium icons that even collectors speak of with hushed reverence, the Buffalo Trace Distillery family tree boasts releases you’ll love at every tier. Let’s check them out!
Tier 1: The Best Place to Start
Buffalo Trace Bourbon
A popular staple around the Man of Many office, the whiskey that bears the Buffalo Trace Distillery’s name is an exceptional foundation, offering incredible flavours at an extremely generous price point.
Carrying over 200 years of heritage in every bottle, it’s aged in new, charred-oak barrels stored within century-old warehouses as it slowly reaches peak maturity. It’s worth noting that, unlike Scotch, bourbon can’t legally have any colours or flavours added to the mix. The only other ingredient is water, meaning everything you taste comes from an honest mix of the grain, the barrel, and time.
No matter how frequently you encounter Buffalo Trace Bourbon, it’s always a pleasure to do so. Plus, this particular drop also has a delightful sibling in the form of the Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cream, which is another essential addition to your whiskey shelf.
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Notes: Vanilla, mint, and molasses on the nose. Brown sugar, oak, toffee, dark fruit, and anise on the palate with a long, smooth finish.
Serving Suggestion: Buffalo Trace Bourbon makes a perfect club soda highball – delicious, refreshing, and elegantly simple. Or try a Buffalo Trace Bourbon and cola or dry.
Perfect Pairing: The barrel char of Buffalo Trace Bourbon complements a range of grilled and smoked meats, including barbecue pulled pork and brisket. Or, try a range of sharp and aged cheeses. These cut through the bourbon’s richness, bringing out hidden fruit notes.
Traveller Whiskey
A real celebrity of the American whiskey world, Traveller Whiskey is a collaboration between 12-time Grammy Award-winning musician Chris Stapleton and Buffalo Trace Distillery’s Master Distiller, Harlen Wheatley. These masters of their craft brought their unique artistry to bear, conjuring a whiskey that’s truly special: easy-drinking, delicious, and full of character.
Doing so must have been an arduous process (if you can describe sampling dozens upon dozens of custom blends from the world’s most-awarded distillery as arduous). It was only after sampling more than 50 that the pair settled upon Blend No. 40, which they found possessed the superb balance of smoothness, depth, and character they were looking for.
Notes: Vanilla, aged fruit, buttery shortbread, caramel, and oak on the nose. Sweetness, spice, toasted nut, and oak on the palate with a robust finish.
Serving Suggestion: Much like the Grammy winner who helped create it, we prefer to take our Traveller Whiskey neat. Just pour it into a glass, sip, and enjoy.
Perfect Pairing: Like the Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Traveller Whiskey pairs exceptionally well with grilled meats. Here, we’d recommend barbecued ribs, which sing alongside the vanilla and caramel notes.
Tier 2: Discover New Complexities
W.L. Weller Special Reserve
The ideal next step from Buffalo Trace Bourbon and Traveller Whiskey, W.L. Weller uses wheat rather than rye as its secondary grain, resulting in a softer, smoother bourbon flavour.
Named for the whiskey merchant and distiller William Larue Weller, who pioneered this use of wheat in his whiskey’s mash bill for a more subtle flavour, W.L. Weller Special Reserve is a sophisticated and sweet bourbon that we can’t praise highly enough.
While there’s a range of incredible expressions waiting to be discovered under the W.L. Weller masthead, we recommend the sought-after Special Reserve here, as it’s the one you’re most likely to find on Australian shelves.
Notes: Sweet caramel on the nose. Honey, butterscotch, and soft woodiness on the palate, with a finish of sweet honeysuckle.
Serving Suggestion: Add two to four drops of distilled water into your neat pour. It reduces burn while boosting vanilla sweetness, further unlocking butterscotch and honey notes.
Perfect Pairing: A quality charcuterie board is a perfect fit for the Special Reserve. The sharpness of aged cheddar or Gouda plays against the whiskey’s sweetness, while cured meats highlight the bourbon’s caramel depth.
Buffalo Trace Single Barrel
Despite Australians’ deep passion for whiskey, the appearance of an Australian-exclusive release is a rare thing indeed, so this Buffalo Trace Single Barrel is a treat.
Taking Buffalo Trace Bourbon as a starting point, this limited-edition, single-barrel take was again hand-selected by Buffalo Trace’s Master Distiller, Harlen Wheatley. Each bottle features whiskey aged for eight years and sourced from one of the distillery’s five most celebrated warehouses (U, K, P, Q, and N, for those wondering).
This limited-edition release showcases the spectrum of flavours bourbon can offer, making it ideal for burgeoning fans ready to step beyond the core expression. Plus, keep an eye out for retailer exclusives across the country to explore a variety of hand-selected limited editions.
Notes: Varies by warehouse of origin, but expect a punchier, more robust experience than the classic Buffalo Trace Bourbon.
Serving Suggestion: To make the most of this Australian exclusive, we’d recommend taking it neat or on the rocks. Try it alongside Buffalo Trace Bourbon to explore and compare the nuances that make this such a special release.
Perfect Pairing: Thanks to its bold flavour, this release is crying out to be enjoyed alongside some spiced salami or chorizo. Alternatively, the intense cocoa of dark chocolate (we’re talking 85 per cent and up) beautifully showcases the whiskey’s oak and spice notes.
Tier 3: Aged to Perfection
Eagle Rare Aged 10 Years
We step up to whiskey’s next tier with Eagle Rare. There’s a whole host of expressions under this banner, but in this instance, we’re talking the delicious Aged 10 Years variety.
As the name suggests, this highly awarded expression (it’s scored five golds from international competitions in the last two years alone) is aged for a decade and crafted in small batches to reach the right depth and balance. Take the time to savour it properly, and you’ll find a mature bourbon that handsomely rewards your patience.
Also, keep an eye out for the 12-year-old incarnation of Eagle Rare, as we’ve heard whispers that it just might be making its way to Australia later this year.
Notes: Toffee, hints of orange peel, herbs, honey, leather, and oak on the nose. Bold, dry layers of candied almonds and rich cocoa on the palate, followed by a dry, lingering finish.
Serving Suggestion: Eagle Rare Aged 10 Years is a spirit that deserves to be enjoyed without any interference (at least at first). Once you’ve developed a sense of its properties, it also makes a great whiskey sour.
Perfect Pairing: Roasted pecans are a natural companion here. The whiskey’s sweetness complements the natural sugars in the nuts, and the smoky undertones enhance their roasted flavours.
Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey
Now that we’re deep into our bourbon journey, it’s time to introduce something a little different. Not technically a bourbon, as it swaps out corn for rye, but a close cousin that’s worth a look.
While the whiskeys we’ve already discussed have been Kentucky to their very bones, Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey is proud to rep New Orleans. A unique city due to its blend of French, Spanish, and Creole cultural influences, New Orleans produced its own signature rye whiskey during the 1800s, a time when saloons were a staple on just about every city street.
One of the most famous was the Sazerac Coffee House on Royal Street, known for serving toddies made with rye whiskey and Peychaud’s Bitters. This pairing became known as the “Sazerac,” one of the first truly American cocktails.
Taking this history as its inspiration, Sazerac Straight Rye is a drier, spicier whiskey with greater complexity and a savoury, structured flavour profile.
Notes: Clove, vanilla, anise, and pepper on the nose. Bold rye spice flavour with vanilla, clove, and subtle citrus notes on the palate, followed by a strong and smooth finish with a hint of liquorice.
Serving Suggestion: Try Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey poured over a single large ice cube to cool and subtly dilute it while you sip. This lets its bold spice and complexity shine. Or, for something a little more involved, try making the cocktail that gave Sazerac its name. You can find the Sazerac cocktail recipe here.
Perfect Pairing: Leaning into Sazerac Straight Rye Whiskey’s New Orleans heritage yields inspired food pairings. Try a Shrimp Po’ Boy sandwich, with its delicious fried shrimp and Cajun seasoning to echo the whiskey’s own spice without overpowering it.
Tier 4: The Crowning Glories
Buffalo Trace Antique Collection
As we approach the summit of Buffalo Trace’s bourbon mountain, our penultimate stop is Buffalo Trace’s Antique Collection: six rare, hand-selected whiskeys we love. Released every year during the northern hemisphere’s autumn, these whiskeys present a palette of fantastic flavours that show what’s possible with bourbon.
To start, there’s the uncut and unfiltered George T. Stagg; William Larue Weller Bourbon’s rich, full-bodied wheated whiskey; and the Thomas H. Handy Sazerac (named for the New Orleans bartender who first crafted the Sazerac with rye whiskey), which is bottled straight from the barrel, just as it was over a century ago.
Next, we have the limited Eagle Rare 17 Year-Old, which undergoes a prolonged ageing process in oak barrels, resulting in an almost wine-like aroma; the Sazerac Rye 18-Year-Old, widely regarded as one of the finest whiskeys money can buy thanks to its refined flavour profile; and finally, the E.H. Taylor Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon, which is the latest addition to the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, aged for a very specific 15 years and 4 months before being hand-bottled at 100 proof.
Notes: George T. Stagg — dates, tobacco, dark berries, spearmint, and a hint of coffee
William Larue Weller Bourbon — marshmallow, salted almonds, nougat, figs, and dates)
Thomas H. Handy Sazerac — toffee, fig cake, and candied fruit
Eagle Rare 17-Year-Old — leather, vanilla and tobacco
Sazerac Rye 18-Year-Old — mint, eucalyptus, cinnamon, vanilla, and pepper
E.H. Taylor Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon — sweetness, baking spices, and a gentle hint of wood
Serving Suggestion: When you get to the pinnacle of the whiskey mountain, you should definitely be enjoying your pours neat. Maybe with a couple of drops of water. Anything else is sacrilege.
Perfect Pairing: Dried cherries, figs, and apricots pair well with a variety of whiskeys, equally effective at complementing the dark fruit notes in Stagg as the floral character of the Sazerac 18. Fresh pear or apple slices also cleanse the palate between pours — handy if you find yourself sampling multiple selections from this esteemed collection at once.
Van Winkle Whiskeys
We’ve finally reached the whiskey peak with Van Winkle, the most legendary label of all time, celebrated for its meticulous ageing and selection.
From its association with Anthony Bourdain, who said, “If God made bourbon, this is what he’d make,” to auctions that have seen bottles exchanging hands for as much as a whopping AUD$251,875, Van Winkle holds a special place in our popular culture, and with good reason.
As founder Julian P. “Pappy” Van Winkle Sr. said in 1935, “We make fine bourbon at a profit if we can, at a loss if we must, but always fine bourbon.”
Currently, there are six whiskeys that fall under the Van Winkle umbrella. The first is the Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year. A whiskey with depth matched only by its smoothness, it spends a decade ageing before it’s bottled at very close to barrel proof — only a touch of Kentucky limestone water is added.
The second release is the Special Reserve 12 Year. After slowly ageing over a dozen years, this bourbon is bottled at 90.4 proof, securing the perfect balance of depth, maturity, and smoothness that made the Van Winkle name famous.
Third, we have the Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye, one of the oldest ryes money can buy. Balancing spice and smoothness, it’s not technically a bourbon, but it is a stone-cold masterpiece of the distilling arts.
Finally, we have the holy trinity of bourbon whiskeys: Pappy Van Winkle 15 Year, 20 Year, and 23 Year. These are the kind of bourbons you’d tell stories of for years if you merely inhaled a whiff of their aroma, such is their status among the bourbon faithful.
Each of these three is carefully selected from barrels at a particular point of the ageing process to ensure an unparalleled depth and character, paired with a long finish that gives you just enough time to wrap your mind around the fact you’re drinking one of the most exceptionally rare bourbons on the planet.
Notes: Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year — wheat, cherry, and oak
Special Reserve 12 Year — honey, oak, tobacco, and a balanced and dry tingling finish
Van Winkle Family Reserve Rye — cocoa, vanilla, spice, white pepper, and a long, warm, complex finish of caramel, spice, and dry oak
Pappy Van Winkle 15 Year — leather, oak, and complex fruitiness with a spice and oak finish
Pappy Van Winkle 20 Year — notable citrus zest with notes of sherry, dried fruits, vanilla, and a long, elegant finish
Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year — caramel, ripe apples, cherries, oak and tobacco with a hint of chocolate leading to a long, sweet caramel finish
Serving Suggestion: Our sentiment around the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection is even more applicable here. The Van Winkle range is so sought after and has such limited availability that to consume them in any way other than neat risks angering whiskey lovers everywhere.
Perfect Pairing: It takes very little to make a Van Winkle whiskey shine, but if you feel compelled to pair these drops with something snackable, you can try dry-aged steak for its intensity of flavour, which matches the bourbon’s sweetness and oak notes. Follow this with dark chocolate cake for dessert to bring out the sweeter side of the Van Winkle experience, coaxing notes of cherry, butterscotch, and spiced vanilla.
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