The Buffalo Trace Antique Collection — BTAC — is the distillery's annual fall release of its oldest and highest-proof whiskeys, first issued in 2000. As of 2025 it gathers six bottlings: George T. Stagg, William Larue Weller and Eagle Rare 17 bourbons; Thomas H. Handy and Sazerac 18 ryes; and the newly added E.H. Taylor Bottled-in-Bond. Proof, age and character change every year, so each release is its own bottle — and this page links the ones in the vault, with more added as they arrive.
- Released by Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky; first issued in 2000.
- A single annual release each fall, gathering the distillery's oldest and highest-proof whiskeys.
- Six bottlings as of 2025: George T. Stagg, William Larue Weller and Eagle Rare 17-Year-Old (bourbons); Thomas H. Handy Sazerac and Sazerac 18-Year-Old (ryes); and E.H. Taylor Bottled-in-Bond (bourbon, added 2025).
- The line-up grew over time — George T. Stagg joined in 2002, Thomas H. Handy in 2006, E.H. Taylor in 2025.
- Spans the distillery's mash bills: low-rye (Stagg, Eagle Rare), wheated (Weller), and rye (Sazerac, Handy).
- Most members are bottled uncut and unfiltered at barrel proof; ages span roughly six years (Thomas H. Handy) to eighteen (Sazerac 18).
- Guided since the start by master distiller Harlen Wheatley.
- Each release's exact proof, age and vintage are confirmed on its own product page.
Launched in 2000 with three bottlings — Eagle Rare 17, Sazerac 18 and William Larue Weller — the Antique Collection has become the distillery's headline annual event. Each fall Buffalo Trace selects barrels of its oldest and highest-proof stock and releases them, uncut, as a set. George T. Stagg joined in 2002 and Thomas H. Handy Sazerac in 2006; in 2025, its 25th year, Colonel E.H. Taylor Bottled-in-Bond became the first new member in nearly two decades.
BTAC draws across Buffalo Trace's mash bills. George T. Stagg and Eagle Rare 17 come from the low-rye Mash Bill #1; William Larue Weller is the wheated bourbon — the same recipe family as Pappy Van Winkle — bottled at barrel proof; Sazerac 18 and Thomas H. Handy are rye whiskeys, with Handy the youngest and Stagg typically the highest in proof. Every member is released once a year, and proof and age shift release to release.
The Six Members
Released together each fall — the full 2025 set is in the vault:
| George T. Stagg 2025 | Bourbon · low-rye Mash Bill #1 · barrel proof |
| William Larue Weller 2025 | Wheated bourbon · uncut & unfiltered |
| Eagle Rare 17-Year-Old 2025 | Bourbon · 17 years · Mash Bill #1 |
| E.H. Taylor Bottled-in-Bond 2025 | Bourbon · 100 proof, bottled-in-bond · added 2025 |
| Sazerac 18-Year-Old 2025 | Rye · 18 years |
| Thomas H. Handy Sazerac 2025 | Rye · barrel proof · the youngest (~6 years) |
All six 2025 releases are in the vault now; future years are added as they arrive. Browse the wider Buffalo Trace distillery collection and the allocated-spirits vault.
Collector Note
BTAC is among the most sought-after annual releases in American whiskey: bottles are tightly allocated and trade well above issue price, and headline years — particularly George T. Stagg — and complete six-bottle sets draw the most attention. Because every member is bottled at advanced age and, for most, at barrel proof, condition — fill level, label, seal and box — and authentication weigh as heavily as the vintage.
Production Methodology
Each fall, Buffalo Trace selects barrels of its oldest and highest-proof stock for the Antique Collection and bottles most members uncut and unfiltered at barrel proof. The set spans the distillery's mash bills — low-rye Mash Bill #1 for George T. Stagg and Eagle Rare 17, the wheated recipe for William Larue Weller, and the rye mash bill for Sazerac 18 and Thomas H. Handy — with E.H. Taylor Bottled-in-Bond, added in 2025, bottled at 100 proof under the Bottled-in-Bond standard. Exact proof, age and vintage are set release by release and confirmed on each bottle's page.
Authentication & Vault Preservation
Every Antique Collection bottle sold through Midnight Whiskey is sourced as an authorized, authentic retailer, vault-stored and insured, shipped with protective handling and age-verified 21-and-over signature on delivery, and authenticated by our concierge before it ships. For the details, see the way we verify provenance, concierge handling and storage, and our sourcing and authenticity standards.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection?
The Buffalo Trace Antique Collection — BTAC — is an annual fall release of rare, hand-selected whiskeys from Buffalo Trace Distillery, first issued in 2000. As of 2025 it comprises six bottlings: George T. Stagg, William Larue Weller and Eagle Rare 17-Year-Old bourbons; Thomas H. Handy Sazerac and Sazerac 18-Year-Old ryes; and — new in 2025 — E.H. Taylor Bottled-in-Bond. Most are bottled at barrel proof and at advanced ages, and proof and age change with every release.
Which whiskeys are in BTAC, and how often does it change?
The current six are George T. Stagg (bourbon), William Larue Weller (wheated bourbon), Eagle Rare 17-Year-Old (bourbon), E.H. Taylor Bottled-in-Bond (bourbon), Sazerac 18-Year-Old (rye) and Thomas H. Handy Sazerac (rye). The line-up has grown over time — George T. Stagg joined in 2002, Thomas H. Handy in 2006, and E.H. Taylor in 2025 — and each member is released once a year, with its proof and age set release by release.
