Buffalo Trace Distillery released Old Charter Oak French Oak, the latest release from the distillery designed to showcase oak tree varietals through its Old Charter Oak brand. 

First released in 2018, Buffalo Trace’s Old Charter Oak brand showcases the diverse taste profiles of barrels obtained from trees grown in different countries, climates and soil. The oak trees used for the barrels dedicated to this series vary by country of origin, species, or U.S. state. Some barrels are even made from century oaks — 100-, 200- or 300-year-old oak trees.

For the latest release, Buffalo Trace is revisiting its French Oak series, with a new release available beginning in late November. In 2013, Buffalo Trace obtained a small number of barrels from France, filled them with its Mash #1, the same mashbill used to make Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare and other bourbons from the Distillery. 

By Federal standards, bourbon is required to be aged in a new, charred oak container. But there is no specification it must be American white oak, it’s just that nearly all bourbons made today are aged in American white oak. 

Old Charter is a brand that has always celebrated the central role that oak plays in making whiskey, given its namesake. The brand dates back to 1874, when Adam and Ben Chapeze created the bourbon, naming it in honor of the Charter Oak tree, a famous symbol of American independence and free spirit, which grew in Connecticut in the 12^th or 13^th century until it fell in a storm in 1856. 

This is the third release of Old Charter Oak French Oak, and the sixth release overall for the Old Charter Oak brand.  Past releases include Mongolian Oak, Canadian Oak, and Chinkapin Oak.  Old Charter Oak Bourbon will be releasing many more oak expressions in the future, with its next release planned for 2022.  Subsequent releases are planned each year.   

The Old Charter Oak French Oak Bourbon is bottled 92 proof; SRP is $69.99. Like the previous releases in the Old Charter Oak series, supplies will be limited.