George T. Stagg was one among six distilleries allowed to proceed to supply alcohol throughout Prohibition. Between 1920 and 1933, individuals may go to a health care provider, get hold of a prescription for a number of pints of “medication,” and legally procure America’s spirit. At present, Stagg is distilled at Buffalo Hint, and Buffalo Hint is honoring its legacy of serving to all of the ailing People throughout Prohibition by reviving labels and types from the period.
This five-bottle set, aptly known as Prohibition Assortment, is now in its second version of being an annual launch. The total 2025 Prohibition Assortment No. 2 lineup contains: Mirror Brook mix, Very Oldest Procurable (V.O.P.) bourbon, Anderson’s Belle wheated bourbon, Previous Long-established Mountain Corn whiskey, and Silver Wedding ceremony rye. All have been initially produced at George T. Stagg Distillery, beneath then-president Albert B. Blanton’s management, and Buffalo Hint remoted and has used the identical yeast pressure since Prohibition, based on grasp distiller Harlen Wheatley.
How Buffalo Hint Created Prohibition Assortment No. 2
Wheatley labored carefully with Buffalo Hint’s bourbon archaeologist and lead archivist Nicolas Laracuente on digging up all procurable data of those defunct manufacturers, a course of Wheatley deemed important to Prohibition Assortment manufacturing. “Nick did analysis on the labels, and located all of the clues he may from our data,” says Wheatley, “although we weren’t capable of finding any tasting notes on these. It might’ve been good to have the precise bottles, however that wasn’t the case both.”
Laracuente and Wheatley combed by means of “a complete guide of rescued [Stagg-era] labels,” which Wheatley demurs to elaborate on, citing that rivals may snag these manufacturers, to decide on an inventory of viable Prohibition Assortment choices. “From there, it’s a little bit of artwork and science,” says Wheatley. “We picked labels which have robust imagery that makes storytelling across the expression extra strong. Then we got here up with taste profiles of current barrels that finest matched these labels, and that’s what’s in every bottle.”
For instance, Anderson’s Belle (to not be confused with the Belle of Anderson model), was a restricted launch meant to honor a girl. “There’s a [Scottish tartan] sample, and there’s a silhouette of a girl, however we don’t know who that lady is; there’s a little bit of thriller and intrigue there,” says Andrew Duncan, international model director for Buffalo Hint Distillery. “It was initially a wheated bourbon, and we thought a wheated bourbon profile, bringing softer character, would gently match what that authentic label was attempting to convey.”
Not one of the expressions have age statements, and Wheatley and Duncan declined to disclose any mashbills. Nonetheless, Buffalo Hint followers will possible have the ability to guess which current merchandise went into every mix.
2025 Prohibition Assortment No. 2 Tasting Notes
Mirror Brook is a model that first appeared in a letter written by Albert Blanton in 1932, by which he directed circumstances of O.F.C. bottled in 1919 to be rebottled as Mirror Brook to replace out of date pre-Prohibition labeling. This expression is a 100 proof, bottled in bond, mix of Kentucky straight whiskeys. “This was all the time a mix,” says Wheatley, including that this providing consists of “considerably aged whiskeys coming collectively.” The nostril is complicated, with hints of mint and pine, and a few rye bread. It’s medium-bodied, and a bit of oily on the palate, balancing baking spices with sweetness. The lengthy, drying end begins with darkish chocolate earlier than shifting right into a vegetal notice.
Very Oldest Procurable (V.O.P) was bottled by Stagg’s distillery, however not made there. This uncut and unfiltered barrel-proof Kentucky straight bourbon is round 135 proof, although it doesn’t nostril nor drink anyplace close to that scorching. It’s supremely approachable, with darkish unsweetened chocolate and stewed cherries on the nostril, a wealthy and daring rye spice on the palate, and an in depth heat end that trails off into molasses.
Anderson’s Belle is a 100 proof, bottled in bond wheated bourbon. This darkish copper whiskey offers candy toasted wheat notes for days on the nostril, alongside Cinnamon Toast Crunch-steeped milk, and saltwater taffy. On the palate, sea salt caramel and candy vanilla cream abound. It’s very juicy, and your mouth salivates a contact throughout the lengthy end that blossoms from caramel to chocolate-covered cherry.
Previous Long-established Mountain Corn was, per a letter penned by Blanton, owned and produced on the distillery. This 110-proof Kentucky straight corn whiskey doesn’t current as such. “You most likely wouldn’t guess corn on the nostril,” Wheatley appropriately says. On first whiff, you get marshmallow, burnt caramel, and a hibiscus floral notice. The palate is pure candy buttercream and kettle corn. It’s the lightest of the set, each in coloration and liquid heft, but it surely stands up in opposition to its brethren.
Silver Wedding ceremony rye was initially made beneath Blanton’s watch, and is a nod to a twenty fifth anniversary. This 125-proof Kentucky straight rye has a heavier physique and a stable coating mouthfeel. It drinks a hair beneath its proof, and has a deep, wealthy complexity. Orange zest, cinnamon, and clove are outstanding on the palate, earlier than a shorter, spicier end. There’s huge warmth up entrance that melts away into an oaky notice, because the dryness creeps down the edges of your tongue.
The place to Discover the 2025 Prohibition Assortment
Offered solely as a set of 5 375ml bottles (bundled inside a bespoke wood crate, meant to evoke a carrying case of yesteryear), the set is obtainable by means of choose retailers, bars, and eating places beginning in January 2025, at an SRP of $999.99. Launching concurrently is the Buffalo Hint Distillery Prohibition Assortment Sequence No. 2 cigar set: 5 customized blended cigars meant to pair with every whiskey. These can be found on-line at Cigora.
