Colonel E.H. Taylor Bottled In Bond is joining the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection!
The new expression is now the 6th member of the highly sought-after Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, joining five celebrated staples – Eagle Rare 17-Year Bourbon, George T. Stagg Kentucky Straight Bourbon, Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey, Sazerac 18-Year Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey, and William Larue Weller Kentucky Straight Bourbon.
Here at Uproxx, we always make sure to secure an early taste so we can provide you with a full review of the vaunted lineup, and this year is no different.
First introduced in 2000, the Antique Collection was created to honor some of Buffalo Trace Distillery’s most iconic brands and the virtuosos behind them. During an exclusive media tasting of the collection, Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley joked that he may have to wait 155 years before a bottle bearing his name joins the lineup (E.H. Taylor purchased what we now call the Buffalo Trace Distillery in 1896), but regarding the addition of a new Bottled In Bond bourbon he remarked that Taylor’s inclusion was one they saw as necessary.
Colonel E.H. Taylor, in so many ways, is considered the “father of modern bourbon,” having played a pivotal role in the passing of the Bottled in Bond Act of 1897 and innovating with a first-of-its-kind steam heating system that remains in use in the distillery’s barrel warehouses today. Buffalo Trace’s Global Brand Director, Andrew Duncan, echoed these sentiments by saying, “Created in his honor, every sip of E.H. Taylor Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon offers more than exceptional flavor – it’s a taste of history and a reminder of his strict tenets that have safeguarded America’s world-leading whiskey quality standards for nearly 150 years.”
The proof ranges for this year’s collection run the gamut, from Sazerac 18’s 90-proof Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey all the way up to George T. Stagg’s 142.8 proof (the fourth-highest proof in the brand’s history).
Bourbon enthusiasts know to expect excellence from this highly-regarded, award-winning collection each autumn, but which whiskey in the 2025 lineup is the best? I tasted them all side by side to give you a full breakdown of each bottle and determine which of this year’s offerings is most deserving of praise.
Let’s dive right in!
-
- Ranking The 50 Best Bourbons of 2025 (So Far)
- These Are The 20 Best Bottles Of Buffalo Trace Whiskey Ever, Ranked
- Every Weller Whiskey (With Two Brand-New Bottles), Power Ranked
- All 42 Bourbons From Buffalo Trace, Tasted & Ranked
- Breaking Down The 24 Bottles That Every Bourbon Fan Needs In Their Collection
6. Sazerac 18-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Review
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $149.99
The Whiskey:
Sazerac 18-Year Rye Whiskey was named after the historic Sazerac House in New Orleans, the birthplace of the iconic Sazerac cocktail. This year’s expression was aged for 18 years and 5 months before being bottled at its typical 45% ABV or 90-proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The aroma profile on this whiskey leads with over-steeped mint tea, Manuka honey, and sweet green apples. After that initial wave, some vanilla and soy candle notes begin to waft out of the glass. Faintly vegetal notes reminiscent of rhum agricole close things out.
Palate: On the palate, the whiskey feels just a bit thin, but it has a minty base with that faint vegetal rhum agricole note cropping up again, but without much sweetness or depth to balance it out. It does, however, get progressively stronger as the tame front palate experience picks up at midpalate and as it transitions to the finish.
Finish: The finish is brief, but flavorful, and welcomes some barrel char, dark chocolate, and faint honey notes, which definitely elevate the overall experience.
Bottom Line:
It’s worth acknowledging this has never been my preferred flavor profile, but this one remains true to the profile that fans of Sazerac 18 have come to expect over the years. It’s a balanced whiskey with a few fun notes to pull from, but it’s just not really for me.
5. Eagle Rare 17-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon
ABV: 50.5%
Average Price: $149.99
The Whiskey:
Bottled at 101-proof as a nod to the original bottling of Eagle Rare back in 1975, this year’s Eagle Rare 17 actually features bourbon that was matured for 18 years and 4 months, making it one of the oldest expressions in the brand’s history. It’s also the second-oldest whiskey in the 2025 Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, trailing only behind Sazerac 18.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: On the first whiff, this whiskey is loaded with apple leather and dried black cherry notes with manuka honey, very faint oak, and some caramel. It’s a wonderful bouquet of aromas, albeit a bit restrained.
Palate: On the palate, this whiskey is more demure, but still full of flavor. It doesn’t have any punch or brashness at the tip of the tongue, instead leading you to the midpalate before the flavors blossom with dried black cherries, peppercorns, sweet leather, and honeyed black tea notes. The mouthfeel is lovely, but overall it’s just a bit tame, texturally.
Finish: The finish is a bit drying, but the sweet notes of black cherries and vanilla pod keep it interesting, with some freshly cracked black pepper notes closing things out.
Bottom Line:
This is an undeniably delicious whiskey, one that represents its age well and presents all of the flavors one expects from Eagle Rare 17. That said, it’s surprisingly sparse on the front end, and a bit disappointing on the finish, leaving only the stellar midpalate experience as its standout quality.
I’d gladly drink this all day long, but in a newly crowded lineup, Eagle Rare 17 is slightly left behind this year.
4. George T. Stagg Kentucky Straight Bourbon
ABV: 71.4%
Average Price: $149.99
The Whiskey:
Named in honor of the man who acquired the historic O.F.C. Distillery from Colonel E.H. Taylor in 1878, George T. Stagg Bourbon is often regarded as the boldest bourbon on the market. First introduced in 2002, the opening salvo in the bourbon boom’s insatiable thirst for uncut, unfiltered bourbon, this year’s George T. Stagg was aged for at least 15 years and 4 months. Bottled at 142.8 proof, this year’s release is tied for the 4th strongest ever at 142.8 proof. For those curious, the highest ever George T. Stagg Bourbon was released in 2007 and clocked in at a whopping 144.8 proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose on this year’s George T. Stagg Bourbon begins with some strong caramel apple notes, which open the door for hints of plum and clove, while the aroma of torched green peppers and eucalyptus flits in the background. This is fun stuff!
Palate: Very bold at first, with torched red peppers leading the charge before caramel and tobacco leaf notes kick in with some dark chocolate tamping down the heat. At midpalate, those bold flavors really blossom before the heat creeps up the roof of your mouth and causes you to salivate in search of relief. Thankfully, some nutmeg, brown sugar, and barrel notes offer that respite.
Finish: The finish is incredibly lengthy, and it has notes of hazelnut spread, Aleppo red pepper flakes, and sweet caramel. The heat continues to pulse throughout the finish, reminding you that this is a bourbon for the bold.
Bottom Line:
This is where the collection takes a turn from “really good” to great. Make no mistake, the Eagle Rare 17 Bourbon from this year is stellar, but cast against the rest of the lineup, it has some bold and balanced whiskeys to compete with. George T. Stagg is most definitely the latter, and while it’ll send proof hounds in a tizzy, it lacks the balance and approachability to send it to the top of this year’s collection.
3. E.H. Taylor Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $149.99
The Whiskey:
In some ways, the star of the show, E.H. Taylor Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon, is the first new addition to the BTAC lineup since Thomas H. Handy first joined the portfolio in 2006. This inaugural release of the expression was matured for 15 years and 4 months and adheres to all of the standards of the Bottled in Bond Act, which its namesake helped to establish back in 1897.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose initially smells like an Arnold Palmer with peach tea, accented by a touch of sage and menthol. It’s a fruity and effusive bouquet with an impressive touch of citrus and oak to round things out.
Palate: In the mouth, it’s all peach tea up front with some honey and black pepper accents as it eases into the mid-palate. This whiskey has a nice, robust mouthfeel that’s medium-bodied but states its case well, holding place on your palate for the flavors of butterscotch and white flowers as it gently coats your tongue.
Finish: The finish is medium-length with some good cling and plenty of that peach tea note with vanilla and some white pepper along for the ride. It does get a touch tannic at the end, but only in the faintest way. This is honestly a revelation.
Bottom Line:
This is an eye-opening whiskey. While many bourbon fans were initially disappointed to discover that this bourbon would only be 100-proof, those concerns have proven to be unwarranted. At 50% ABV, E.H. Taylor Bottled-In-Bond Bourbon is perfectly proofed, flavorful, and balanced in a way that’s evocative of vintage whiskey from the golden age.
Buffalo Trace came out swinging with the first edition of this one, and it fits right in with the rest of the premium collection.
2. Thomas H. Handy Sazerac Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey
ABV: 64.9%
Average Price: $149.99
The Whiskey:
Thomas H. Handy takes its name from the New Orleans businessman and owner of the legendary Sazerac Coffee House, honoring the legacy of rye whiskey’s use in the classic Sazerac cocktail. Uncut and unfiltered, this whiskey was drawn from barrels aged for at least six years before being bottled at 129.8 proof, a slight uptick from last year’s 127.2 proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The aroma profile opens with notes of fried green apple pie and honeyed toast. A flash of pepper and mesquite BBQ with mint and caramel. There’s a sturdy oak backbone as well.
Palate: On the palate, there are gobs of mint tea and caramel notes, while a wave of green apples, toasted coconuts, plum skin, and cherry tarts, which comes crashing in to join the party. Lots of honey can be found at midpalate, and that sweetness is very balanced with a sturdy oak backbone. Finally, some pineapple and clove cigarette flavors can be detected as it transitions to the finish.
Finish: It has an impressively lengthy finish that’s full of dark chocolate, rye spice, green apples, and youthful oak.
Bottom Line:
Thomas H. Handy, often one of the more overlooked members of the collection, is having its moment in the sun this year. The 2025 edition is absolutely packed with flavor that both defies and leans into its status as the youngest member of the collection. There’s a brashness to the whiskey, accompanied by an underripe stone fruit note that’s well-balanced with gooey caramel and gentle rye spice, making for an outstanding expression overall.
This was definitely the most surprising whiskey in the entire lineup.
1. William Larue Weller Kentucky Straight Bourbon
ABV: 64.5%
Average Price: $149.99
The Whiskey:
The Buffalo Trace team filled barrels for this year’s release at 114 proof, and after 14 years of aging, the end whiskey was bottled uncut and unfiltered at a stout 129 proof. William Larue Weller is the only wheated-bourbon in the collection and has previously been awarded a Gold Medal at the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition, regarded as one of the best bourbons in the world.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nosing notes open with Mexican hot chocolate, peanut brittle, and a touch of cola nut. It has a delicious, slightly nutty and caramel-laden base with apple pie spice and hazelnut spread also present.
Palate: Wow! This is really delicious right off the bat, with a gooey caramel note leading the way that then morphs into salted toffee, accompanied by notes of Chelan cherries, pie crust, and cloves. This tastes exactly like what you want in a sweet, well-rounded, faintly funky hyper-aged wheated bourbon. This really delivers.
Finish: The finish is lengthy on this one and welcomes some faint oak notes and nutmeg before the sweet cherry and salted toffee notes come rumbling back.
Bottom Line:
William Larue Weller is back on top! This is easily the most balanced whiskey in the entire lineup, and it adds to that with a bevy of well-developed flavors that wheated-bourbon fans will immediately fall in love with. This year’s Buffalo Trace Antique Collection lineup is loaded with heavy hitters, and it’d be easy to place almost any of these in the top spot, but William Larue Weller has the most substantial claim to the throne of them all.
Cheers to a banner year of BTAC.