The series takes its name from the Old Fashioned Copper Distillery, christened by Colonel E.H. Taylor Jr. in 1870 on the site Buffalo Trace occupies now, and named for the copper stills, piping and fermenters Taylor invested in to keep his spirit clean. The bottles are a deliberate echo of that: a hand-cut crystal replica of an O.F.C. decanter found in the distillery's own archives, with the lettering in real copper rather than paint. What goes inside is drawn from barrels filled in the stated year and left until the distillery judged them ready, which is why the label gives a fill date and no age.

Every bottle sold through Midnight Whiskey is sourced as an authentic, sealed product and inspected before it ships. Orders are packed with padded, glass-rated handling and require an adult signature (21+) on delivery; we do not ship to anyone unable to verify legal drinking age. For our full sourcing and handling protocols, see our editorial and authentication standards.

What does the year on an O.F.C. Vintage bottle mean?

It is the year the bourbon was distilled, not the year it was bottled. Buffalo Trace vintage-dates each bottle in this series to the fill year, which is why the label carries no age statement — the maturation period is the gap between that year and the release.

What proof is O.F.C. Vintage 1996 bottled at?

Ninety proof, or 45% ABV. That is the standard bottling strength across the O.F.C. Vintages series rather than a figure specific to this year.

What comes with an O.F.C. Vintage bottle?

A wooden display box bearing the vintage year on a copper plaque, and a provenance card inside listing notable events from the year the bourbon was distilled. The card repeats the information on the back label, so a boxed bottle documents itself.