A Mural Movement was named one of 100 nonprofit organizations to receive bottles of ultra-rare, high-end whiskeys from Buffalo Trace Distillery out of Kentucky. The 200+ year-old location donates bottles that can be raffled or auctioned, with proceeds going to the organization.
Last year, the inaugural event, more than $134,000 was raised through the initiative.
AMM received two bottles of Buffalo Trace’s “crowned jewel” bourbon whiskeys: one of Stagg Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey worth about $200, and a bottle of George T. Stagg Antique Collection (BTAC) bourbon, worth about $2,000 – if it can be found.
Both come in exclusive, black-label collector bottles.
Raffle tickets can be purchased today, December 17th through January 24th at The Rusty Trigger, 429 Court. Tickets are $20 each or six for $100. All proceeds go directly to A Mural Movement.
Winners will be drawn January 24th live on the AMM Facebook page at 8 pm.
Who is Buffalo Trace?
Located on that same river is the Buffalo Trace Distillery, named for the historic buffalo crossing in the area. The location states distilling has taken place on-site since 1775.
Some of their in-house labels are named after former owners, like brother Hancock and Willis Lee, and Edmund H. Taylor, who purchased the distillery in 1870 and named it Old Fire Copper Distillery, or OFC. It was then sold to George T. Stagg, who added steam heat in 1886 for the country’s first climate-controlled warehouse for aging whiskey.
He continued to distill whiskey throughout Prohibition (1920-1933), citing that his beverages were used for “medicinal purposes.”
It was renamed to Buffalo Trace in 1999, and landed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2013. In 2016, the foundation of the original building was found, which burned in 1882 when it was just a decade old. The distillery cost $70,000 to build ($1.86 million today.)
Producing more than 2.65 million gallons per year, they have several in-house brands, like Old Charter, Buffalo Trace, E.H Taylor, Weller, Stagg, and more. They also have partnerships with brands, producing their whiskeys on-site, including the illusive Pappy Van Winkle. Owned by the Old Rip Van Winkle brand, Pappy is considered one of the finest, lowest-produced whiskeys in the world.
In 2022, a rare blend of 20-year Pappy sold for $27,500. However, its highest price reached $107,715 for a single bottle, a one-of-a-kind selection blend, made to raise funds for a charity auction.
Fun Facts:
All bourbon is made in the U.S. and is made of at least 51% corn and aged in new, charred oak casks. Bourbon that’s more than two years old with no additional flavoring is “Straight” bourbon.
Many countries have their own definition as to what defines their own form of whisk(e)y, and like bourbon is only made in the U.S., Scotch is only made in Scotland.
Japanese, Scotch, and Canadian whisky is spelled without the “e,” while Irish and bourbon whiskey includes it.
Stagg:
125.6 proof, 62.8% ABV, aged almost 10 years in charred white oak barrels
Dark fruit, brown sugar, and heavy oak flavor; dense and rich with notes of caramel, baking spice, and leather.
George T. Stagg:
142.8 proof, 71.4% ABV, aged 15 years, 4 months; comes with certified papers, including the recipe that was used to make it.
Notes of oak spice, vanilla, chocolate, and red fruit. Long and earthy finish, lingers with tobacco, vanilla, and enduring oak.
It’s the third-highest proof George T. Stagg ever recorded behind 2007 (144.8) and 2016 (144.1), and the 11th “hazmat” release (more than 140 proof).
During the aging process, 63% or the whiskey was lost to evaporation. Buffalo Trace cites the lack of filtering or cutting (adding water) as the cause for their bottles’ rich colors.
Each bottle is labeled by hand, as barrels contain their own proofs; each is sampled and tested for levels.
Between 250-267 bottles can fit into a 55-gallon barrel, before the “angel’s share” or evaporation takes place. At 63%, this leaves between 157 and 168 bottles of this particular barrel.
The 2023 George T. release won Best in Class and Double Gold at the 2024 Whiskies of the World competition.
