Buffalo Trace Introduces Old Charter Oak Bourbon Collection

Buffalo Trace has announced the creation of a new bourbon collection called Old Charter Oak. The new brand will be unique in that it will use barrels produced with various types and species of oak, which will bring out unique flavors and taste profiles.

"Most bourbon whiskey is aged in oak from the American Ozarks, but Buffalo Trace distillery wondered if barrels made from oak trees grown in China, or Canada, or France would create bourbons with a different taste profile. What about trees grown in different states? Does a barrel produced from a tree grown in Georgia differ from a barrel produced from a tree grown in Oregon? Further, what about red oak, or pin oak, or laurel oak, would barrels produced from these oak species produce bourbons with different taste profiles?"

The majority of bourbon is produced using white oak barrels. This new collection looks to explore the other types of oak, as well as if regional or climate differences produce different flavors. One of the items that they are trying is using barrels used are made from century old oak trees to see if the age of the wood has an impact. The first release will occur starting this month, December 2019 (Mongolian Oak), with additional series released a few times each year. So far, they have enough bourbon aging to continue releases through 2030!

As mentioned above, the first release will be Mongolian Oak. No word on if Genghis Khan sourced any of the wood, but we do that this is made using Buffalo Trace's Mash #1, aged 10 years, and bottled at 45% alcohol. The suggested retail price comes in at $69.99. Per the website, the tasting notes say that this delivers a nose of pecan, caramel and pine. Sip this bourbon and discover notes of cedar, clove, butterscotch and dark chocolate, with a finish of black pepper, and smoked oak.

Here at ColumbusBourbon.com, we're super excited to try some of the varieties they come up with. Our fingers are crossed we'll have access to some of the bottles in Ohio. If you come across any in the wild, drop a note in the comments!

Source: Buffalo Trace