Buffalo Trace Old Fashioned Sour Mash Bourbon Is Offbeat

The Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection, in which the big Kentucky bourbon distillery creates small batches of offbeat whiskies, is a chance for them to think outside the traditional American whiskey box. We saw this earlier this year with the release of a 10 year old bourbon aged in French oak, and now joining this offering is the last 2015 Experimental bottling, a 13 year old sour mash expression with two different entry proofs.

The new Buffalo Trace Old Fashioned Sour Mash bourbon, according to them, was distilled in May, 2012 using its proprietary mash. The mash was cooked and cooled to “standard,” but afterwards things got much more interesting. Here’s the rest of the story on this one directly from the distillery:

The mash was allowed “to sour” before yeast was added to start the fermentation process, a method long abandoned due to its more laborious process.

This sour mash method differs from the more common process used today by nearly all bourbon manufacturers. The routine method calls for cooking and cooling the mash, and then immediately adding yeast and a small amount of previously distilled mash (or “setback”) as it cools to sour the mash.   The traditional old-fashioned sour mash process fell out of favor many years ago, and it was not until a gathering of distillery “old timers” that Buffalo Trace was inspired to revive it.

After the sour mash was distilled, it was entered into barrels at two different entry proofs, 105 and 125. Aged for 13 years on the seventh floor of Warehouse I, the two different entry proofs took on unique characteristics. The 105 entry proof delivers a light body, with notes of vanilla and fruit, and a dry, nice finish, while the 125 entry proof offers a medium flavored body, with spicy flavors mingled with caramel, and a balanced pleasing finish.

The resulting 90 proof at bottling creations have been packaged into 375 ml bottles, with two bottles from each entry proof in a case. Labeling on each bottle provides the necessary information unique to that barrel of whiskey, said Buffalo Trace, and they will retail for around $47 each when they go on sale by the end of this month in limited numbers.