Buffalo Trace’s Latest Bourbon Goes Big With NFT, Actual Giant Bottle

In 1982, Buffalo Trace Distillery — then George T. Stagg Distillery — distilled some bourbon, aged it for 19 years, then left it to rest for 21 years in stainless steel tanks to stop the aging. This extra-aged bourbon is part of O.F.C. Vintage, Buffalo Trace’s line of ultra-rare, vintage-dated bourbon.

And what better way to offer something of extreme value in 2022 than by auctioning it off as an NFT?

Buffalo Trace is auctioning off five six-liter bottles of its O.F.C. Vintage 1982 Bourbon Whiskey on BlockBar, a direct-to-consumer NFT platform for wine and spirit brands. So when you’re placing bids on those bottles of 19-year-old bourbon, you’re actually placing a bid on an NFT that represents the bottle you own. BlockBar works by storing your valuable bottle, while you hold the NFT that represents your bottle’s authenticity and ownership. Once you’re ready to receive your bottle, you essentially “burn” your NFT in exchange for the physical product.

The point of buying an NFT of the bourbon has less to do with actually drinking the bourbon and more with investing your money. As BlockBar mentions on its website, “high-end spirits as an asset have outperformed gold and the S&P 500.” Holding an NFT of a rare spirit ensures its authenticity, making it easier to trade and increase in value.

But we’re not here to tout the benefits of NFTs (especially when we’re still not 100 percent sure what it means) — we’re about the whiskey. The five bottles of O.F.C. Vintage 1982 Bourbon Whiskey are described as having “extraordinary richness and butteriness with layers of apple, pecans, ripened pear, dark Belgian chocolate, caramel and a kiss of black cherries.”

While most of us common folk won’t be able to try this whiskey, Harlen Wheatley, Buffalo Trace’s master distiller, has. “This remarkable whiskey transitions to a memorable finish of dried dark fruit with delightful lingering oak,” Wheatley says. “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.”

And you’ll get a lot of last drops to taste. These six-liter bottles contain over a gallon of juice each, and are nine times the size of a standard bottle of whiskey. The 1982 Vintage is house in hand-cut crystal bottle, fashioned by glass artisans and stored in a wooden display case.

The auction on BlockBar runs between March 14 at 10 a.m EDT and March 18 at 10 a.m. EDT, with a starting bid of 9.58 ETH, or around $2,500. The listing also includes a VIP private four of Buffalo Trace with tastings of O.F.C. Vintage whiskeys. All proceeds from the auctions will go towards charities like World Central Kitchen, The James Beard Foundation, Elton John Aids Foundation, The Art of Elysium and 261 Fearless.

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