Buy This, Not That: 5 Uber-Expensive Buffalo Trace Bourbons and What You Should Buy Instead
Few brands in the whiskey world are as heavily hyped as Buffalo Trace.
And we get it; the brand makes some pretty darn good whiskey. Yet with the hype comes the inevitable demand. After the demand, collectors follow. What does that mean? Well, that means an incredibly steep price tag on the secondary market of the brand’s increasingly hard-to-find whiskeys.
Van Winkle expressions are known to fetch prices north of $2,000 — easily. Bottles of Blanton’s, with their cute little horsey toppers, can set you back well over $100 — that’s a nice dinner at some places, and Blanton’s Gold will usually run over $200. And yet, in an almost wholesome fashion, Buffalo Trace remains achingly honest about the MSRPs on these expressions, and a bottle of Eagle Rare 10 Year hosts a suggested retail price of around $30.
Weller expressions feature relatively low suggested retail prices that range somewhere within the $30-$50 range. Yet, any true Buffalo Trace fans know on the secondary market, you can expect to pay a significant sum upwards of $1,000. It’s maddening.
So what’s a Buffalo Trace fan on a budget to do?
Life is expensive enough, and not all of us can afford to shell out thousands of dollars on whiskey much less spend weeks hunting for these coveted bottles. If you want the Buffalo Trace experience for significantly less cost and headache, check out these five whiskeys from alternative brands that won’t burn a hole in your wallet.
5 Overpriced Buffalo Trace Whiskeys and What to Buy Instead
For Van Winkle 10 Year Old Rip Van Winkle: Try Michter’s 10 Year Old Single Barrel Bourbon
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Old Rip Van Winkle has an MSRP of under $100, yet on the secondary market, you can expect to shell out $800 to $1,200 for a bottle — if you can find one. And let’s not even begin to discuss the robust market for counterfeit bottles of Van Winkle whiskeys.
If you want a top-shelf bottle that delivers the Old Rip Van Winkle “essence” at a lower cost, consider trying Michter’s 10 Year Old Single Barrel Bourbon. This expression from The World’s Most Admired Whiskey Brand of 2023 features the same age statement and goes for half the price at around $400-$500 on the secondary market and auction circuit.
Sure, there’s a slight dip in proof here, with the expression clocking in at 47.2% ABV, but the flavor here is — in our humble opinion — significantly more delicious than Van Winkle’s 10 Year Old Rip Van Winkle.
Michter’s 10 Year Old Single Barrel Bourbon features a heady nose of coca cola and orange peel, dusted with baking spices. The palate is rich, even though there isn’t much heat, and it’s a well-integrated blend of cola and tobacco. Michter’s 10 Year Old Bourbon finishes beautifully with oatmeal cookie, tobacco and sweet oak for added structure.
For Eagle Rare 10 Year: Try Russell’s Reserve 10 Year Old Bourbon
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Eagle Rare 10 Year is one of those notoriously hard-to-find whiskeys from Buffalo Trace.
If you don’t consider yourself much of a bourbon hunter — and want to save some of your hard-earned cash — consider Russell’s 10 Year Bourbon. Though Eagle Rare 10 Year might set you back $100 or more, Russell’s 10 Year Bourbon is priced more similarly to Eagle Rare’s MSRP at around $30-$40. Now that’s more like it.
Russell’s 10 Year Bourbon possesses a 45% ABV, and this vanilla-imbued whiskey is like a big liquid hug. With vanilla cream on the nose coupled with cinnamon dust, comforting is the ultimate word we’d use to describe Russell’s 10 Year Bourbon.
The palate on Russell’s 10 Year Bourbon continues that cinnamon and vanilla throughline, with a touch of leather to add a bit of grip. Russell’s 10 Year Bourbon finishes strong, with toffee, clove and cinnamon.
For Blanton’s: Try Ben Holladay Bottled In Bond
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Ben Holladay Bottled in Bond features a similar age to Blanton’s Single Barrel Bourbon, which is often aged from 6 to 8 years.
Like Blanton’s, Ben Holladay Bottled In Bond features a mashbill with a higher rye percentage. As far as ABV goes, Ben Holladay hosts a slightly higher mark at 50%.
The Ben Holladay brand is from Missouri, and this bottled-in-bond whiskey proves that the state is capable of producing some killer whiskeys. Everything in this bottled-in-bond bourbon is from Missouri, including the grains and oak barrels used to age it in.
With a nose of honey, toffee and freshly baked biscuits, this bourbon is potent and rich at first whiff. The palate is a viscous, well-structured blend of caramel candies, praline and toffee. Ben Holladay’s whiskey finishes long and sweet.
After one sip of this bourbon? You’ll forget all about those silver horses.
For EH Taylor Barrel Proof: Try K.LUKE Barrel Strength Bourbon
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K.LUKE Barrel Strength Batch 9 hosts no age statement, just like EH Taylor Barrel Proof. Though a bottle of EH Taylor might set you back upwards of $500 on the secondary market, K.LUKE’s bourbon is much cheaper. Both host similar MSRPs at around $100, but you can actually find K.LUKE at that price. K.LUKE is a burgeoning brand that has been described by VinePair as having the potential to be a future unicorn.
Bottled at a barrel strength of 118.4 proof, the ninth batch of K.LUKE’s barrel-strength bourbon was drawn from ten barrels, and just 1,596 bottles are available.
The nose is bold, sweet and beautifully spiced, with cinnamon rolls and vanilla icing. Tobacco smoke adds complexity to the aromas. On the pour, expect spice, tobacco and toffee coupled with cocoa and orange peel. The whiskey finishes beautifully with sweetness intermingled with spice and root beer.
With killer release after killer release, K.LUKE’s bourbons are indies today and potentially the collector’s bourbons of tomorrow.
For Weller Single Barrel: Try Green River Wheated Bourbon
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A bottle of Weller Single Barrel could easily set you back $800 — despite its almost comically low MSRP of $50. In addition to its eye-watering price, Weller Single Barrel is quite hard to find.
We suggest giving Green River Wheated Bourbon a try instead for a similar lovely wheated mashbill. Though Weller Single Barrel hosts no age statement, we suspect it’s around 6 to 7 years of age.
Green River’s Wheated Bourbon hosts a similar — albeit slightly younger — age at 4 to 6 years. It clocks in at 90 proof and can be purchased for anywhere within the $30 range. Another great thing about Green River’s wheater is that you can find it pretty much everywhere.
This wheated bourbon is sweet, buttery, and dessert-driven. With vanilla ice cream on the nose and praline, it’s decadently rich. On the palate, this characterful wheated bourbon features créme brûlée, tiramisu and butterscotch flavors on the pour. The finish is balanced, with honey, maple candies and cinnamon.
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