Bourbon has a new home in London, as Buffalo Trace opens its first distillery location outside of the US this week. In bustling Covent Garden, the new Buffalo Trace Distillery offers the brand’s most popular bourbons, a range of exclusive branded merchandise, and immersive whiskey tasting experiences.
Designed to delight both connoisseurs as well as the bourbon whiskey curious, these ticketed events invite visitors to learn more about the award-winning Kentucky distillery, over a selection of curated drams.
With a history that spans some 200 years, there’s certainly plenty to explore…
The new Buffalo Trace Distillery showroom offers a range of exclusive branded merchandise and immersive tasting experiences…
Taste of the Trace (priced at £19.99 a ticket) is a guided tasting that throws a spotlight on the distillery’s core line up – Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Sazerac Rye and Bourbon Cream, and sweetens the deal with a delicious Buffalo and ginger ale cocktail.
Tradition & Change: Crafting the Most Awarded American Whiskey (£34.99) is a more intimate experience, and includes a more eclectic selection, including White Dog Mash, Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Eagle Rare 10 Year Old, and E.H. Taylor Small Batch. Cocktail lovers can also enjoy a Buffalo Trace Old Fashioned.
The Luxe Review was invited to the showroom’s glitzy launch, to experience the Tradition & Change tasting, alongside some ultra rare bonus sips of Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 23 Year Old, and Eagle Rare 25 Year Old!
The serving of White Dog is probably as near to moonshine as you’ll experience today. At 62.5% ABV per cent, straight from the still, it’s never kissed a barrel and has little respect for your palate. But it’s a great ice breaker!
Buffalo Trace Bourbon, the brand’s flagship, bottled at 45% ABV, is far more agreeable.
On the nose, this popular bourbon offers characteristic oaky notes, Christmas cake and Crème Pâtissière. On the palette, this sweetness finds perfect balance. Buffalo Trace doesn’t age statement this liquid, but lets it age to maturity, which I’m told is typically seven years.
The exception to the rule is Eagle Rare, aged-stated at 10 years. The recipe is the same as Buffalo Trace, and the alcohol content is the same, the only difference is the extra time spent in the barrel. This detention brings spice and cinnamon to the fore, but the bourbon is also more mellow in the mouth.
Rounding out our tasting trio is stablemate brand E. H. Taylor. Bottled at 50% ABV, and aged to maturity, this bourbon is more flavour-intense than its forebears, with distinct notes of pineapple and tropical fruits emerging.
And then we’re offered two genuine rarities…
Legendary whiskey maker Pappy Van Winkle perfected the use of wheat as the second grain after corn, rather than Rye. I was lucky enough to sample Pappy 23 Year Old, a bourbon rarely sipped. That’s because by the time you open a 23 year old barrel, there’s precious little left inside; 80-90 per cent of the liquid will have evaporated. This explains why this Pappy Van Winkle comes with a premium price tag (£6,000 upwards). The 23 Year Old is the most rare of all the Pappys, which also includes 10 and 20 year old expressions.
As the liquid evaporates, there’s even more interaction with the wood, and as a result Pappy 23 is extremely oak forward on the nose. Bottled at 46.5% ABV, it’s also dry in the mouth, an astringency caused by the resulting tannins – but with it comes intriguing complexity. A rare, rich treat.
My final dram was even more remarkable. Introducing Eagle Rare 25…
More than 25 years ago, as part of an experimental programme, Buffalo Trace began to investigate the effects of the environment on whiskey making, stuff like light, temperature, and humidity.
The result was Warehouse P, a laboratory environment that has allowed the ageing and maturation of bourbon to be extended, without sacrificing too much to the angels. The first expression to be produced in Warehouse P is Eagle Rare 25.
On the nose, this dram offers the aroma of cherry linctus and freshly mown lawns, with toffee, cinnamon and molasses on the palate. Sublimely smooth, it’s a gorgeous sip. At 51.5% ABV, fewer than 200 bottles will be released. When it ships in 6-8 weeks time, it’ll come in a custom, hand-blown crystal decanter, wrapped in sterling silver wings, and parcelled in an illuminated, numbered display case. Expect Eagle Rare 25 to retail for around $10,000.
Finnish distillery Kyrö is looking to win over fans of Game of Thrones with a pair of limited-edition rye whiskies inspired by George R.R. Martin’s fantasy universe. Crafted to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the blockbuster series and timed to coincide with Season 3 of the prequel, now screening on Sky Atlantic, HBO Max and…
Premium indie bottler Whisky 1901 has expanded its portfolio with The Ledger Series, an intriguing new collection of single-cask Scotch whiskies that showcase the character, provenance and individuality of some of Scotland’s best-known distilleries. Founded as a cask investment business, Whisky 1901 is widening its orbit with a range of carefully selected age-statement releases, each…
Ad Gefrin, the Anglo-Saxon museum and distillery in Wooler, has released what it describes as the first legal Northumbrian single malt whisky of the modern era, ending a two-century absence of local single malt production. The debut bottling arrives as the Crǣft Series, a collection of three single cask whiskies that offer an early glimpse…
The Luxe Review 
Bourbon has a new home in London, as Buffalo Trace opens its first distillery location outside of the US this week. In bustling Covent Garden, the new Buffalo Trace Distillery offers the brand’s most popular bourbons, a range of exclusive branded merchandise, and immersive whiskey tasting experiences.
Designed to delight both connoisseurs as well as the bourbon whiskey curious, these ticketed events invite visitors to learn more about the award-winning Kentucky distillery, over a selection of curated drams.
With a history that spans some 200 years, there’s certainly plenty to explore…
Taste of the Trace (priced at £19.99 a ticket) is a guided tasting that throws a spotlight on the distillery’s core line up – Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Sazerac Rye and Bourbon Cream, and sweetens the deal with a delicious Buffalo and ginger ale cocktail.
Tradition & Change: Crafting the Most Awarded American Whiskey (£34.99) is a more intimate experience, and includes a more eclectic selection, including White Dog Mash, Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Eagle Rare 10 Year Old, and E.H. Taylor Small Batch. Cocktail lovers can also enjoy a Buffalo Trace Old Fashioned.
The Luxe Review was invited to the showroom’s glitzy launch, to experience the Tradition & Change tasting, alongside some ultra rare bonus sips of Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 23 Year Old, and Eagle Rare 25 Year Old!
The serving of White Dog is probably as near to moonshine as you’ll experience today. At 62.5% ABV per cent, straight from the still, it’s never kissed a barrel and has little respect for your palate. But it’s a great ice breaker!
Buffalo Trace Bourbon, the brand’s flagship, bottled at 45% ABV, is far more agreeable.
On the nose, this popular bourbon offers characteristic oaky notes, Christmas cake and Crème Pâtissière. On the palette, this sweetness finds perfect balance. Buffalo Trace doesn’t age statement this liquid, but lets it age to maturity, which I’m told is typically seven years.
The exception to the rule is Eagle Rare, aged-stated at 10 years. The recipe is the same as Buffalo Trace, and the alcohol content is the same, the only difference is the extra time spent in the barrel. This detention brings spice and cinnamon to the fore, but the bourbon is also more mellow in the mouth.
Rounding out our tasting trio is stablemate brand E. H. Taylor. Bottled at 50% ABV, and aged to maturity, this bourbon is more flavour-intense than its forebears, with distinct notes of pineapple and tropical fruits emerging.
And then we’re offered two genuine rarities…
Legendary whiskey maker Pappy Van Winkle perfected the use of wheat as the second grain after corn, rather than Rye. I was lucky enough to sample Pappy 23 Year Old, a bourbon rarely sipped. That’s because by the time you open a 23 year old barrel, there’s precious little left inside; 80-90 per cent of the liquid will have evaporated. This explains why this Pappy Van Winkle comes with a premium price tag (£6,000 upwards). The 23 Year Old is the most rare of all the Pappys, which also includes 10 and 20 year old expressions.
As the liquid evaporates, there’s even more interaction with the wood, and as a result Pappy 23 is extremely oak forward on the nose. Bottled at 46.5% ABV, it’s also dry in the mouth, an astringency caused by the resulting tannins – but with it comes intriguing complexity. A rare, rich treat.
My final dram was even more remarkable. Introducing Eagle Rare 25…
More than 25 years ago, as part of an experimental programme, Buffalo Trace began to investigate the effects of the environment on whiskey making, stuff like light, temperature, and humidity.
The result was Warehouse P, a laboratory environment that has allowed the ageing and maturation of bourbon to be extended, without sacrificing too much to the angels. The first expression to be produced in Warehouse P is Eagle Rare 25.
On the nose, this dram offers the aroma of cherry linctus and freshly mown lawns, with toffee, cinnamon and molasses on the palate. Sublimely smooth, it’s a gorgeous sip. At 51.5% ABV, fewer than 200 bottles will be released. When it ships in 6-8 weeks time, it’ll come in a custom, hand-blown crystal decanter, wrapped in sterling silver wings, and parcelled in an illuminated, numbered display case. Expect Eagle Rare 25 to retail for around $10,000.
The Buffalo Trace Distillery London is located in Covent Garden’s East Piazza. Be sure to drop and stock up.
Game of Thrones meets Finnish rye in new Kyrö Whisky House of the Dragon collaboration
Finnish distillery Kyrö is looking to win over fans of Game of Thrones with a pair of limited-edition rye whiskies inspired by George R.R. Martin’s fantasy universe. Crafted to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the blockbuster series and timed to coincide with Season 3 of the prequel, now screening on Sky Atlantic, HBO Max and…
First pour: Whisky 1901 Ledger Series is a hand-picked single cask tour of key Scottish distilleries
Premium indie bottler Whisky 1901 has expanded its portfolio with The Ledger Series, an intriguing new collection of single-cask Scotch whiskies that showcase the character, provenance and individuality of some of Scotland’s best-known distilleries. Founded as a cask investment business, Whisky 1901 is widening its orbit with a range of carefully selected age-statement releases, each…
Ad Gefrin announces first Northumbrian single malt in 200 years, but there’s mystery in the launch
Ad Gefrin, the Anglo-Saxon museum and distillery in Wooler, has released what it describes as the first legal Northumbrian single malt whisky of the modern era, ending a two-century absence of local single malt production. The debut bottling arrives as the Crǣft Series, a collection of three single cask whiskies that offer an early glimpse…
Share this: