There’s been a lot of news coming out of Buffalo Trace over the past few months, mostly concerning the release of highly allocated unicorn whiskeys like Pappy Van Winkle, the Antique Collection, and the second edition of the Prohibition Collection. But today the Kentucky distillery announced the details of an arguably much more interesting release, the 26th entry in the Experimental Collection—and this new spirit was inspired by beer.
The Experimental Collection launched in 2006 with three whiskeys—French Oak Barrel, Twice Barreled, and Fire Pot Barrel—and over nearly 20 years it has included spirits made using intriguing maturation methods, finishes, and mashbills that deviate far from the Buffalo Trace norm. Recently the distillery announced that it would fill its 9 millionth barrel by the end of this month upon the completion of a $1.2 billion expansion, and there are more than a million barrels currently aging there. About 30,000 of those are experimental whiskeys, and the epicenter for those casks is the mysteriously named Warehouse X (really just a specific warehouse where climate can be controlled).
The 26th Experimental Collection release is called Spirits Distilled from Grain and Hops. That’s because master distillery Harlen Wheatley wanted to find out how hops, the bitter flower typically used to make beer, would affect an aged spirit. “Hoppy beers are a playground for brewers,” he said in a statement. “There are many techniques used to capture different flavors. It inspired us to play around with this essential beer ingredient as well. Thanks to the eleven-plus years of aging, the hop aroma and hop flavors are evident while providing a balanced bitterness that blends well with the spirit’s oaky whiskey character.”
To make this spirit (not a whiskey or bourbon because of the process used, according to a rep for the distillery), Wheatley infused two types of hops into the un-aged distillate for 30 minutes: “Saaz noble hops, a Czechoslovakian variety commonly found in Bohemian pilsners, and Zythos, an American hop with tropical and subtle herbal notes.” Then the whiskey was redistilled, and finally aged in new charred white oak barrels for 11 years and seven months. Buffalo Trace doesn’t disclose its mashbills, but this spirit was bottled at 90 proof.
We have not gotten to sample this new spirit yet, but we will update this story when we do. In the meantime, official tasting notes describe it as being “uniquely hoppy,” with citrus and herbal notes you might find in beer, along with vanilla, seasoned oak, lemon, orange zest, and herbs. Buffalo Trace Experimental Spirits Distilled from Grain and Hops will be available this week at the distillery’s gift shop with a price tag of $47 for a 375-ml bottle, but expect to pay much more than that if you find it on the secondary market.
