Buffalo Trace Distillery is making moves on two fronts this spring, releasing a long-awaited permanent whiskey line and dropping its 28th Experimental Collection bottle — and together, they tell a pretty interesting story about what one of America's most respected distilleries has been up to behind the scenes.
The Single Oak Project Finally Goes Permanent
Image credit: Buffalo Trace
If you've been following Buffalo Trace for any length of time, you already know the Single Oak Project. Back in 1999, the distillery kicked off one of the most ambitious bourbon experiments in American whiskey history. The idea was straightforward but the execution was anything but — Buffalo Trace filled 192 barrels, each one representing a different combination of seven variables: mash bill, entry proof, stave seasoning, wood grain, barrel char, which section of the tree the wood came from, and what type of warehouse the barrel rested in.
The distillery spent years tracking those barrels, and in 2011 they opened the floor to consumers, inviting the public to taste through the results and pick a favorite. The winner was Barrel #80. That barrel was a rye bourbon mashbill, entered at 125 proof, made with oak harvested exclusively from the bottom half of the tree, seasoned for 12 months, given a Char 4 treatment, aged on concrete floors, matured for eight years, and bottled at 90 proof.
Now, 27 years after that project launched, Buffalo Trace is turning the Single Oak concept into an ongoing whiskey line — and the first release is built to the exact same specifications as that winning barrel.
The Single Oak Rye Bourbon is set to hit shelves in April 2026 with limited nationwide distribution. Tasting notes from the distillery describe a nose of caramel and vanilla with light baking spice, toasted oak, and hints of orchard fruit. On the palate, expect toffee, vanilla cream, seasoned oak, and baking spices, with a finish that settles into what Buffalo Trace calls a mellow caramel sweetness.
It's bottled at 90 proof and will run $75 for a 375-milliliter bottle — so figure around $150 if you're doing the math for a full 750ml equivalent. It'll also be available in limited quantities at the Buffalo Trace gift shop in Kentucky.
Buffalo Trace has called this an "inaugural" release, which suggests the Single Oak line is going to evolve. Different mash bills, different variables, different expressions — that's where this seems to be heading, though the distillery hasn't laid out a specific roadmap yet.
The Experimental Collection Keeps Getting More Interesting
Image credit: Buffalo Trace
On the other side of the announcement is the 28th bottle in the Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection, a series the distillery has been running since 2006. Each release isolates a specific variable and explores what happens when you push it in a different direction. This time around, the variable is entry proof.
The new release — Low Entry Proof Wheated Bourbon — starts with Buffalo Trace's wheated bourbon mash bill. The distillery doesn't disclose which mash bill that is, but anyone familiar with their lineup knows wheated expressions have a loyal following. What makes this one different is that the new distillate went into the barrel at 105 proof instead of the standard 114 proof.
That lower entry proof isn't some random tweak. It's actually a nod to pre-Prohibition whiskey-making, when distillers regularly barreled below 110 proof. In fact, for several decades before the 1960s, 110 proof was the legal maximum for barrel entry. Buffalo Trace was essentially asking: what happens when you go back to those older methods and then let it ride for 15 years?
The answer turned out to be a whiskey with some real character. Only 13 barrels were batched for this release, all aged on the first floor of Warehouse H. Over those 15 years, 62% of the liquid was lost to evaporation — an extraordinary angel's share that speaks to just how long this whiskey sat. What remained was chill-filtered and bottled at 107 proof, a step up from the 90 proof that earlier Experimental Collection releases used. Buffalo Trace made that call because the higher ABV better suited this particular whiskey's profile.
The nose is described as rich layers of caramel and warm brown spice, balanced by leather and tobacco. The palate leans oak-forward and earthy, with dried fig, leathery tannins, and a rounded sweetness underneath. It's not a soft or approachable whiskey by the sound of it — it's something for people who want to sit with a glass and actually think about what they're tasting.
The Low Entry Proof Wheated Bourbon will be available exclusively at the Buffalo Trace Distillery gift shop beginning in April 2026. It's priced at $47 for a 375-milliliter bottle, which is a remarkably reasonable ask for a 15-year whiskey with this kind of backstory.
What Both Releases Say About Buffalo Trace
Harlen Wheatley, Buffalo Trace's master distiller, framed both releases within the distillery's broader philosophy: "Experimentation has always been at the core of what we do at Buffalo Trace Distillery. 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."
That's not just marketing language. The Single Oak Project was a genuine 25-plus-year commitment to understanding wood science, and the Experimental Collection has now stretched nearly two decades with releases that cover everything from grain variations to warehouse conditions to, now, entry proof comparisons.
What's notable about these two spring 2026 releases is how different they are in purpose. The Single Oak Rye Bourbon is about legacy and continuation — taking what the experiment discovered and turning it into something repeatable and accessible to whiskey drinkers across the country. The Experimental Collection release, on the other hand, is still firmly in the research-and-development spirit, available only at the distillery and built to make you think.
The Practical Breakdown
For anyone planning a trip to the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, both bottles will be available at the gift shop this spring. If you're not making the trip, the Single Oak Rye Bourbon is your best shot at tracking one of these down through retail channels, though "limited nationwide distribution" shouldn't be read as "easy to find."
Here's where things stand by the numbers:
Single Oak Rye Bourbon comes in at 45% ABV, aged eight years, barreled at 125 proof, bottled at 90 proof, and priced at $75 for a 375ml bottle. It's a limited nationwide release with gift shop availability.
Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection: Low Entry Proof Wheated Bourbon checks in at 53.5% ABV, 15 years old, entered at 105 proof, bottled at 107 proof, and priced at $47 for a 375ml bottle. It's gift shop only.
The price-to-age ratio on that Experimental Collection bottle is hard to ignore. Fifteen-year bourbon at $47 — even in a half bottle — doesn't happen often in today's market. The catch is you'll need to show up in person to get it, and given how these releases typically move, it won't be waiting around long.
