Buffalo Trace Single Oak Project

The Buffalo Trace Single Oak Project was an experiment to analyse the effects of various factors on their flagship whisky. It began with 96 specially selected American oak trees, each differing according to the number of growth rings per inch and the location in which they were planted. Each tree was then cut into a top and bottom section, and a single barrel constructed from each. For every barrel the char level and stave seasoning was different, and they were filled with whiskey of varying recipes and entry proofs, aged in a variety of warehouse locations.

The 192 barrels included in the experiment were bottled and released between 2011 and 2015. Throughout the experiment customers were able to login and provide reviews for the whiskies, and after over 4,600 reviews were shared on the website, the overall winner was barrel #80.