What Does John Know?

Keeping with a tradition that began in 2006, the Buffalo Trace distillery just announced the release of two new whiskeys from their “Experimental Collection” series. Once again, these are wine-finished whiskeys. Here’s the description of each, as described in the press release I received about 15 minutes ago:

CABERNET FRANC AGED AFTER SIX YEARS: This whiskey was bourbon aged for six years and three months in a new oak barrel before it was re-barreled into a used French Oak Cabernet Franc barrel. There it was aged for another eight years, making it a total of 14 years old. Earthy tannins of Cabernet mingle well with the bourbon undertones.

CABERNET FRANC AGED AFTER EIGHT YEARS: This whiskey was bourbon aged for eight years and one month in a new oak barrel before it was re-barreled into a used French Oak Cabernet Franc barrel. There it was aged for another eight years, making it a total of 16 years old. The taste combines an amazing balance of heavy wine and bourbon character.

Some of these Experimental Collection whiskeys have been excellent. Others have been merely “curiosities.” As in the past, the whiskeys will be released in 375 ml bottles and will retail for less than $50. I’ll be getting samples soon and will let you know my thoughts.

Interestingly, when I was at The Buffalo Trace distillery in December, President & CEO Mark Brown hinted that they might be experimenting less with wine-finishing in the future and focusing more on other areas of whiskey production.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 4th, 2008 at 8:07 am and is filed under Breaking news, New Releases, Bourbon. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.