Historic Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky is about to make history again. As a part of their 2022 giving program, they will be donating 2,022 bottles of its finest whiskies. Their goal is to raise a record amount of money for several non-profit organizations around the world. This latest release is going to be big both figuratively and literally.
Buffalo Trace dug deep into its portfolio of vintage bourbon whiskey to release an O.F.C. Bourbon Whiskey that was distilled in 1982. In calendar years that makes this a 40-year-old whiskey. And if you are thinking, “Oh my goodness, that thing is going to taste like splintered wood” you would be wrong. You see as is often the case when a bourbon hits it flavor peak it is not uncommon to remove the bourbon from its original oak barrel and place it into a stainless-steel barrel and that is exactly what happened here. Once it’s in the stainless-steel barrel from a bourbon rules point of view it stops maturing. It should also be the end of the line for loss to the Angels Share as well. That said, this bourbon was placed into a steel barrel in 2001 making it a 19-year-old bourbon.
Exactly How Big is a 6 Liter Whiskey Bottle?
Buffalo Trace says this vintage O.F.C. bottle will be elegant, hand-cut crystal with inlaid copper lettering custom created for the brand, but “supersized” in a six-liter bottle. A bottle of this magnitude has rarely been seen on the whiskey market.
6L Bottle Stats
- This bottle is nine times the size of a usual whiskey bottle
- It holds over a gallon of whiskey
- It stands 2 feet tall
- It weighs 22.5 pounds (with liquid inside)
- The cap itself weighs in at a hefty six pounds.
The photo below shows the bottle standing next to an O.F.C 750 Liter bottle and a standard rocks glass. It’s a big bottle!
Stay Informed: Sign up here for the Distillery Trail free email newsletter and be the first to get all the latest news, trends, job listings and events in your inbox.
What Does a Quarter Century Year Old Bottle of O.F.C. Taste Like?
Master Distiller Harlen Wheatly and the Buffalo Trace tasting panel says the taste is sophisticated, with an extraordinary richness and butteriness with layers of apple, pecans, ripened pear, dark Belgian chocolate, caramel and a kiss of black cherries.
“This remarkable whiskey transitions to a memorable finish of dried dark fruit with delightful lingering oak,” said Wheatly. “All the time knowing that you’re tasting history as you taste the last drops. This truly is a once in a lifetime taste experience.”
Don’t Bring Cash, Get Your NFT (Non-Fungible Token) Ready. Bidding Starts at $25,000
The auction for this vintage 1982 O.F.C Bourbon begins on Monday. In a modern way Buffalo Trace has chosen to work with NFT platform BlockBar the world’s first DTC NFT marketplace for luxury wines and spirits. This will mark BlockBar’s first-ever auction, and the first bourbon sold on its platform. The five bottles of bourbon will each be auctioned off with a starting bid of approximately $25,000 USD (8.83 ETH). Bids can be made via Ethereum or Fiat starting at 10 a.m. EST on Monday, March 14th through 10 a.m. EST on Friday, March 18th.
“We have been inspired by what our charity partners have done to help communities worldwide and are proud to help further their missions through the release of our exclusive O.F.C Vintage 1982 NFTs,” said Vice President of Marketing for Buffalo Trace Distillery, Sara Saunders. “We are thrilled to bring our rich history and philanthropic efforts to the forefront of today’s technology, and we couldn’t ask for a better ally than BlockBar to help us achieve that,” she continued.
Each of the five NFTs will represent an authentic six-liter sized bottle of O.F.C Vintage 1982, available to be redeemed by December 31st, 2022. When redeemed, the NFT holder will also unlock a personal invitation to Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, KY for a private VIP tour experience that includes exclusive tastings of whiskeys from its rarest and most sought-after private collection, including some previous vintages from the O.F.C. collection.
Proceeds from each of the winning, final bids will benefit the following charities:
- World Central Kitchen – a non-profit organization that is first to the frontlines, providing meals in response to humanitarian, climate, and community crises, currently supporting thousands of refugees in and around Ukraine
- The James Beard Foundation – through their Open for Good campaign, the Foundation is committed to helping independent restaurants survive this crisis, rebuild better, and thrive for the long term
- Elton John Aids Foundation – a global HIV charity that funds frontline partners to prevent new cases of HIV, fight stigma and provide care for those affected
- The Art of Elysium – an artist organization built on the idea that through service, art becomes a catalyst for social change
- 261 Fearless – a global, non-profit women’s running organization dedicated to encouraging and uniting women through running
“Buffalo Trace Distillery is world renowned, and we’re honored to launch our first bourbon on Blockbar.com with five of their most coveted bottles,” comments Dov Falic, co-founder and CEO of BlockBar. “The partnership marks our first live auction and to mark this milestone we are delighted to donate the proceeds of this drop to support the chosen non-profits of Buffalo Trace.”
This Whiskey Pre-Dates Buffalo Trace Distillery
All of the O.F.C. vintages are named after the distillery’s original moniker, the Old Fashioned Copper (O.F.C.) Distillery. The bourbon was distilled in 1982 when the distillery was known as the George T. Stagg Distillery. The name changed to Buffalo Trace Distillery in 2002.
Glass artisans cut the shoulder facets of the bottle using equipment created exclusively for Buffalo Trace. Each bottle was manually polished to achieve maximum glass brilliance before in-laying cut copper lettering to spell out “O.F.C.” on the front. The bottle is housed inside a wooden display case, along with a provenance card that notes the milestones of the year 1982.
How to Place Your Vintage O.F.C. Bourbon Bid
To make a bid using ETH you must have the funds in your wallet and connected to BlockBar. All winning bidders have two hours to submit the full balance; payment will be accepted through Eth or fiat. Full Terms & Conditions may be found on BlockBar.com.
Upon purchase of the NFT, the cryptographic version will be held securely by BlockBar.com, with a record of authenticity held on the blockchain as a digital certificate of ownership. The buyer may choose to redeem the physical product, and have it delivered from BlockBar’s secure storage facility, safely trade its NFT version within the BlockBar.com marketplace, keep in their virtual bar or gift the NFT through BlockBar’s new gifting platform.
For more information on O.F.C. Vintage 1982 and a guide to placing bids on BlockBar here.
Learn more about Buffalo Trace Distillery.
View all Kentucky Distilleries.
View all U.S. Distilleries.
Please help to support Distillery Trail. Sign up for our Newsletter, like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
