Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection 7 Heavy Char Barrel Bourbon Whiskey 375ml

Description

Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection Heavy Char Barrel is a Bourbon from Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. This 2013 release was one of two bottles in the 12th edition of the Experimental Collection (alongside the Hot Box Toasted Barrel), built on BT Rye Mash #2 distilled and barreled in January 1997 in barrels charred for 3 minutes 30 seconds to a #7 char – compared with about 30 seconds for the standard #4 char used in most bourbon production.

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 deeper char penetrates further into the wood and caramelizes more of the oak’s natural sugars before aging begins, producing a noticeably darker, smokier profile than standard #4-char bourbon at the same age. The release was part of Buffalo Trace’s exploration of how extreme heat treatment on oak barrels can reshape bourbon character.

After 15 years and 9 months of aging, seven barrels were emptied and bottled at 90 proof. It drinks well neat or over a single large cube.

• Size: 375ml
• Proof: 90 (45% ABV)
• Age: 15 Year, 9 Months
• Origin: Frankfort, Kentucky
• Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery