Spirit Of the Week: Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection Spirits Distilled from Grain and Hops
A hoppy beer-influenced spirit for the 26th chapter in the wildly experimental series.
“The Experimental Collection showcases some of the most individualist expressions from Buffalo Trace Distillery. Through this collection, we aim to give our fans a drinking experience that is above and beyond and unmatched,” Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley tells Maxim of the overarching goals of the Kentucky whiskey-maker’s widely respected annual series.
For the latest and 26th chapter of their annual Experimental Collection, the aptly named Spirits Distilled from Grain and Hops, Wheatley and his team were inspired over a decade ago by the proliferation of bitter beers with floral aromas that at the time were dominating the craft brewing world.
To see how these hops could affect whiskey, they had an epiphany: Let’s start with new-make distillate fresh from the still and infuse it with two different hops—a Czechoslovakian noble hops called Saaz commonly used in Bohemian pilsners, and an American hop dubbed Zythos known for its tropical and subtle herbal notes.
After the hops infusion, they then re-distilled each and aged them separately in charred white oak casks for eleven years and seven months. “Initially, we experimented with the Saaz and the Zythos barrels individually. We didn’t consider blending the two until later in our experimentation,” Wheatley reveals. “The individuals were great, but the blend created something unique and special, combining an earthy hop found in traditional European lagers (Saaz) and a more citrus hop used in American pale ales (Zythos). This combination is rare and represents two extremes. Like previous Experimental Collection releases, this uniqueness embodies Buffalo Trace Distillery’s drive for innovation and curiosity.”
We asked the highly decorated Master Distiller—lead wizard of the World’s Most Award-Winning Distillery—if they ever considered distilling a finished hoppy beer instead of infusing a raw distillate with hops. These “beerskeys” as some dub them are not unheard of—as Master Distillers like Marko Karakasevic of Charbay and Wolves has done with finished beer from Bear Republic Brewery. How different would the flavor profiles be?
“It crossed our minds to distill a hoppy beer instead of the hops infusion, but ultimately, we decided to chase the aroma of the hops rather than their bitterness,” Wheatley discloses. “Through our process, we maintained more of the subtle, delicate and fresh hop aromas and got less of the bitterness.”
Currently Buffalo Trace boasts more than 30,000 experimental barrels of whiskey aging across its various warehouses, highlighting the distillery’s nearly three decades of dedicated Louis Pasteur-levels of laboratory tweaking since launching the Experimental Collection. That astronomical number implies that when and if Buffalo Trace selects any one of these barrels for an official Experimental Collection, that it must be truly both exceptional and unique.
Of course they can’t all be hits. Sometimes these wild experiments go awry, as can be expected—and Buffalo Trace doesn’t just throw out the baby with the mash water. “It’s also important to note that we keep one bottle of all our ‘failed’ experiments to remind ourselves of what we’ve tried before and why it didn’t work,” Wheatley illuminates.
He notes the nose of his Spirits Distilled from Grain and Hops is “uniquely hoppy, reminiscent of citrus and herbal notes found in beer, intertwined with creamy vanilla and seasoned oak undertones.” Look out for pronounced lemon and orange zest on the palate, plus fresh herbal flavors and oak.
“Neat is a great way to learn, enjoy and appreciate this spirit. However, this is the Experimental Collection, and we want whiskey fans to have fun and try their own experiments at home once they get to know this spirit,” Wheatley responds when asked which cocktails he felt might complement this unique spirit best.
“Whenever we’re playing with flavor, it’s hard to understand what will happen until you do it. We were surprised to find that this spirit makes a pretty good Manhattan, substituting the rye whiskey for Spirits Distilled from Grain and Hops,” he adds. “A little bit of a hopped spirit creates something unique!”
If you can find the highly limited-edition Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection Spirits Distilled from Grain and Hops, it comes sealed at 90-proof in 375-ml bottles for an SRP of $47.
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