We Celebrated At Buffalo Trace

A Night with Buffalo Trace: Distillery on Tour Comes to Dallas/Fort Worth

On October 14th, Buffalo Trace Distillery on Tour made a stop in Dallas/Fort Worth, my wife and I plus a couple of friends went to find out whether a Kentucky distillery experience could travel well.

It did. Here’s how our evening went.

The Setup

The tasting was held at The Laurel in Grapevine, Texas and lasted 75 minutes from start to finish. You don’t just get four pours handed to you. Our host walks you through each whiskey, covering what’s in the glass, how it’s made, and what to look for on the nose and palate.

I’d call it a good fit for both newcomers and people who already have a crowded bar cart.

Heading the tasting was Mr. Freddie Johnson the Buffalo Trace Global Whiskey Ambassador. Mr. Johnson is well known in the whiskey industry and has a vast amount of knowledge and was an awesome host and kept everyone laughing and engaged the whole night.

Here’s a few of Mr. Johnson’s accomplishments and achievements.

2015 ROSE Award
2017 Lexington Hospitality Award
Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame in 2018
Whisky Magazine Hall of Fame in 2024

The Lineup

1. Buffalo Trace Bourbon- (90 Proof)

This is where the night started, and it’s the distillery’s flagship. It’s an approachable, balanced bourbon, and the usual notes are vanilla, caramel, and a little brown sugar. Tasting it as a guided pour makes you notice how much craft goes into a bottle that’s a staple at so many home bars.

2. Eagle Rare 10 Year Old- (90 Proof)

Eagle Rare is a step up in complexity with ten years in the barrel behind it. Look for toffee, orange peel, honey, and a touch of leather and oak. It’s smooth and elegant, and a lot of people reach for it when they want something special without going to the top shelf.

3. Weller Antique 107

This was the one I was most curious about. It’s a wheated bourbon bottled at 107 proof, so it’s softer on the palate than a rye-recipe bourbon, but the higher proof gives it real presence.

Expect caramel, butterscotch, vanilla and baking spices. It’s famously hard to find on shelves, so getting to taste it in a guided setting felt like a real perk.

4. Sazerac Rye 100 Proof

The rye brought a change of pace after the first three bourbons. It’s spicier and drier, with cloves, citrus, a hint of licorice, and a lively bite. At 100 proof it holds up well on its own and would make a great Sazerac or Manhattan.

Bonus nugget: The Sazerac is the America’s first and oldest branded cocktail.

Sazerac Ingredients:

1.5 oz Sazerac Rye Whiskey
1 sugar cube
3 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
.25 oz Herbsaint
Lemon twist

(per Sazerac House website)

The Bonus Pour: Weller Full Proof (Blue Label)

Then came the surprise sample. Weller Full Proof is bottled at barrel proof (114), so it’s richer, bolder, and more intense than the Antique 107. It’s the same wheated mash bill with the volume turned up.

This is the pour whiskey lovers will talk about.

My Favorite Pour of the Night

Weller’s Full Proof. It was smooth and you could taste the notes of caramel, cherries, and vanilla.

Overall was the Buffalo Trace Distillery on Tour worth it? Hell yes!

If you like bourbon and rye, yes. You get five quality whiskeys, guided education, and the chance to try bottles that are hard to find at retail, all without a trip to Kentucky.

If they ever come back to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, we will be there.

Rating: [5/5]