Buffalo Trace Sazerac Barrel Select rolls into UK: these Single Barrel bourbons are too good to miss

UK whiskey enthusiasts are being offered the opportunity to personally select and purchase their own single barrel of Buffalo Trace Kentucky bourbon, as well as nab one of a limited number of single barrel bottlings.

The Sazerac Barrel Select (SBS) program, long established in the United States, has made it to Blighty, delighting British bourbon buyers eager for a more personalised whiskey experience, and keen to enjoy bourbons drawn from an individual cask.

The SBS program offers a chance to own a unique barrel of Buffalo Trace. These casks all have very distinct flavour profiles, due to differences in warehouse conditions, such as temperature and humidity. 

A limited number of Buffalo Trace barrels have been reserved exclusively for UK buyers.

The move comes as interest in American whiskeys continues to boom, with a Van Winkle bottle recently selling for over $100,000 at auction, setting a new record.

These single barrel whiskeys exhibit very distinct flavour profiles due to differences in warehouse conditions…

How to participate in the UK Buffalo Select SBS program

UK connoisseurs interested in securing their own barrel can sign up for a free SBS membership. Barrel allocations will be available from today, March 19, 2025, through to June 11, 2025, on a first-come, first-served basis.

Once selected, members will be contacted to arrange their purchase directly from the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Kentucky.

The cost of each barrel depends on the final yield, with the average bottle price set at £34 and an average yield of 250 bottles. The total cost includes excise taxes and duties, with delivery fees varying by location.

Participants then have two ways to claim their barrel.

For those willing to make their own way to the heart of American bourbon country, the SBS program offers an on-site selection experience at Buffalo Trace distillery. This includes a private tour for the buyer and up to seven guests; a guided tasting and personal barrel selection session, followed by a lunch at the distillery.

The selected barrel is then bottled and shipped to Sazerac’s UK bonded warehouses.

Alternatively, the Buffalo Trace Distillery London, in London’s Covent Garden, offers a guided, private tasting session, with the opportunity to sample a selection of unique single barrels. The favoured barrel is then bottled and shipped, along with the empty cask, to the buyer’s UK residence.

My Buffalo Trace London SBS tasting experience

Beyond full barrel purchases, bourbon lovers can also immerse themselves in the world of single-barrel bourbon through the SBS tasting experience at Buffalo Trace Distillery London.

For just £60 per head, attendees get to sample three different single-barrel Buffalo Trace bourbons, in the venue’s exclusive tasting room, exploring first hand how aging, location and environment influence the final flavour profile.

Each participant gets to select their favourite, which is bottled and personalised for them to take home on the night.

The Luxe Review was invited to experience one such tasting at the brand’s Covent Garden home, and it’s quite the treat.

Our session began with a standard, eight year old Buffalo Trace. Actually, at 45% ABV this serving isn’t so standard, although it’s the norm in the USA. The liquid is bottled at 40% ABV for sale in the UK. 

The tasting continued with samples from different warehouses, designated A, B and C, also 45% ABV.

Sample A, which transpired to be eight years, ten months old, hailed from the top floor of warehouse U, where heat amplifies oaky spice and astringency. It offered coconuts and fruits on the nose, with honey and treacle on the palate. 

Glass B was sourced from a cooler lower floor in warehouse K, and slightly younger at eight years, six months. More mellow than Sample A, it tendered subtle grassy aromas, with hints of toffee, caramel and a warming spice on the palate. 

Glass C hailed from warehouse D, the smallest of the three warehouses, and the most temperature stable. Its nose proved somewhat secretive, but on the palate there was a delightful mix of sharp green apples, chocolate and coffee.

So what barrel did we choose to have bottled on the night? It was Sample B…

For more information on membership and barrel purchasing, visit SazeracBarrelSelect here.  To book your SBS tasting experience at Buffalo Trace Distillery London, visit buffalotracedistillery here.