Description

Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection 1995 Vintage American Oak Chips Seasoned is a Bourbon from Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. This 2010 release was filled on April 7, 1995 with Buffalo Trace Rye Bourbon Mash Bill #2 into a used, charred American white oak barrel seasoned with toasted oak chips, then bottled on August 5, 2010 after fifteen years and four months of maturation.

The Experimental Collection is Buffalo Trace’s long-running program of one-off whiskeys exploring unique mash bills, woods, barrel toasts, and aging conditions, with more than 2,000 experimental barrels aging in the distillery’s warehouses. The American Oak Chips experiment was released alongside its companion 1995 Vintage French Oak release, pairing a used American oak barrel seasoned with toasted chips against a new French oak barrel filled from the same distillate on the same day, to isolate how chip seasoning compares against new wood.

On the nose, it shows smoky complexity with toasted-oak character. The palate brings lighter weight than its age suggests, with balanced sweetness and chip-driven smoke, and the finish carries a clean close with sustained oak character.

This bottling earned a 95-point score from Whisky Advocate for its balance, demonstrating how added oak chips can stand in for new-wood influence over long maturation. It drinks well neat or over a single large cube.

Size: 375ml
Proof: 90 (45% ABV)
Age: 15 Year, 4 Months
Origin: Frankfort, Kentucky
Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery