Description

Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection 19 Year Giant French Oak Barrels is a whiskey from Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. This 2012 release is the younger half of a paired Giant French Oak Barrels experiment – matched against the 23 Year sibling to isolate the effect of additional years in the same oversized 135-gallon used French oak (#3 char) barrels.

The Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection launched in 2006 as the distillery’s ongoing program of small-scale bourbon and whiskey experiments. Over 30,000 experimental barrels age in Buffalo Trace’s warehouses, each crafted with unique variations in mash bill, wood type, barrel toasting, char level, and aging conditions. Selected experiments are bottled and released in limited quantities in 375ml “lab-style” bottles, each labeled with detailed production notes – a direct window into how master distillers Harlen Wheatley and the BT team push the boundaries of American whiskey-making.

The oversized French oak barrels change the surface-area-to-volume ratio that drives wood extraction, allowing a longer, slower interaction with the wood than a standard 53-gallon barrel can deliver. Side-by-side with the 23 Year, this 19 Year shows how much character developed in the additional four years of barrel time.

Paired with the 23 Year Giant French Oak Barrels release in the 11th edition of the Experimental Collection. It drinks well neat or over a single large cube.

Size: 375ml
Proof: 90 (45% ABV)
Age: 19 Year Old
Origin: Frankfort, Kentucky
Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery