I Tasted Buffalo Trace’s New Full-Proof $40 Rye—and It Drinks Like a $400 Bottle

Even by its own lofty standards, 2025 was a banner year for Buffalo Trace. The Kentucky powerhouse behind such legendary labels as Weller, E.H. Taylor, and Pappy Van Winkle, expanded itself across the top shelf like never before. 

This summer saw the release of the Distiller’s Council, a limited edition bottled-in-bond gem, priced at $1,500 retail. Not to be outdone, a pair of ultra-premium Weller wheated whiskeys came to market around the same time, including the second edition of Millennium, priced at $7,500.