Toasted cinnamon | Sweet oak | Brown sugar | Caramel | Light maple syrup

Vanilla | Leather | Cinnamon sugar | Brown sugar | Fig | Date

Cherry | Raspberry | Sweet charred oak | Cinnamon | Gentle oak tannins

Buffalo Trace’s 28th Experimental Collection release, Low Entry Proof Wheated Bourbon Whiskey, explores how a lower barrel entry proof affects flavor development. Diluting unaged whiskey with water before it is put into oak barrels for aging allows the additional water molecules, which are smaller than alcohol molecules, to penetrate the wood more easily. Typical results can include sweeter-tasting whiskeys with less tannin and a faster maturation cycle.

Buffalo Trace is well known for their wheated bourbons, and given this bourbon’s 15 year age statement, many may be expecting a back door Pappy 15 Year. At the same time, it does share similarities with the company’s wheated bourbons, mouthfeel, body, and intensity all land differently.

The aroma is a beautiful blend of toasted cinnamon, sweet oak, brown sugar, caramel, and maple syrup. The absence of fruit is most noticeable when comparing it to the company’s other wheated bourbons. The palate opens with creamy vanilla, light leather, cinnamon sugar, brown sugar, and a delightful mix of figs and dates. The finish finally offers a touch of red fruit in the form of cherry and raspberry against sweet charred oak, cinnamon, and gentle oak tannins.

Getting past the bourbon’s strict flavor profile is where true differences show. This is a very gentle and tempered sip. It opens very slowly as it hits your tongue, revealing its overall sweetness. As it coats your mouth, its cinnamon, leather, and charred oak notes begin to blossom. As they recede, they leave behind gentle oak tannins.

Although there is a lot of familiarity with this Buffalo Trace wheated bourbon compared to their other wheated bourbons, it deviates just enough to make it distinct. It drinks like the company’s 90 proof Pappys and Wellers, but features a higher concentration of flavor than you'd expect from a 117 proof bourbon. I would have liked to see a wider range of flavors in the way it delivers its sip, as its true standout feature. Its age is impressive, giving the sip a hearty backbone, but surprisingly, it's more of a background element than you’d expect. Buffalo Trace Experimental Collection releases are never guaranteed heavy hitters; their rarity and secondary pricing suggest they are, but more of a fascinating exploration into the company's whiskey-making process.