Buffalo Trace Distillery has unveiled two new whiskeys born from its longest-running experimental programs: Single Oak Rye Bourbon and Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection Low Entry Proof Wheated Bourbon Whiskey. Both releases, more than a decade in the making, will be available in limited quantities from April 2026.
The Single Oak Project dates back to 1999, when 96 oak trees were hand-selected from the Missouri Ozarks. Each tree was cut into top and bottom sections, yielding 192 unique barrels crafted to study seven variables including mashbill, entry proof, stave seasoning, wood grain size, char level, tree cut, and warehouse type.
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Consumers were invited to taste and evaluate the resulting bourbons. Barrel #80 was ultimately selected as the standout expression in 2011.
Single Oak now becomes a permanent, continuously released whiskey brand. Its inaugural Rye Bourbon release faithfully recreates the mashbill and barrel aging conditions of Barrel #80, which entered the barrel at 125 proof and aged for eight years in a concrete-floor warehouse.
“Experimentation has always been at the core of what we do at Buffalo Trace Distillery,” said Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley. “These releases represent years of patience, curiosity, and an unwavering commitment to learning.”
Wheatley added: “From the Single Oak Project, where we studied every detail of oak to better understand maturation, to our exploration of entry proof in the latest Experimental Collection, each experiment helps us further our understanding of how individual variables shape flavor and push the boundaries of what bourbon can be. We’re excited for fans to experience the results.”
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The 28th release in the Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection, Low Entry Proof Wheated Bourbon Whiskey explores how lower barrel entry proof influences wood interaction over extended aging. The wheated bourbon distillate was entered at 105 proof, notably lower than the traditional 114 proof.
Historical records indicating that pre-Prohibition barrel entry proofs were often lower than modern standards inspired the experiment.
Unlike previous Experimental Collection releases bottled at 90 proof, this expression is bottled at 107 proof to better showcase its complex flavor profile.
Official tasting notes from the brand describe the Single Oak Rye Bourbon as opening with caramel and vanilla on the nose, layered with light baking spice and orchard fruit, while the palate delivers toffee, vanilla cream and honeyed sweetness.
The Low Entry Proof Wheated Bourbon features rich caramel, warm brown spice, leather and tobacco on the nose, with full-bodied oak, earth and dried fig on the palate.
Single Oak Rye Bourbon (375ml) is priced at $74.99 and will be available through Sazerac’s national distributor network and the Buffalo Trace Distillery Gift Shop. The Low Entry Proof Wheated Bourbon (375ml) is priced at $46.99 and will be available exclusively through the distillery gift shop.
