Buffalo Trace The Last Drop XIX 1980

Distilled at Buffalo Trace in 1980. Matured in virgin American oak for nearly 20 years. Then sleeping in a corner of the distillery, undisturbed, until The Last Drop Distillers discovered it. An irreplaceable parcel.

The Last Drop Distillers was founded in 2008 with a singular mission: find forgotten, exceptional parcels of aged spirit — whisky, bourbon, Cognac, rum — that would otherwise be lost to time, and bottle them with the care they deserve. The XIX 1980 is one of their most significant discoveries: a Kentucky straight bourbon distilled at what is now Buffalo Trace Distillery in 1980, matured in virgin American oak for nearly two decades, and then left sleeping in a corner of the distillery until the Last Drop team identified it as an extraordinary parcel worth preserving.

At nearly 20 years of age, this 1980 vintage bourbon has developed a concentration and complexity that standard production schedules cannot replicate. The extended maturation in virgin oak has extracted every layer of caramel, vanilla, spice, and tannin the barrel has to offer. There is a finite number of bottles. When they are gone, this parcel does not exist anymore.

Tasting Notes

• Appearance: Deep, rich mahogany with exceptional viscosity from nearly two decades of barrel contact.
• Aroma: Concentrated caramel, dark fruit, toasted oak, vanilla, and a warm complexity that only extended American oak maturation produces.
• Palate: Full-bodied and deeply satisfying — toffee, dark cherry, leather, oak tannins, and a grain sweetness that has been completely integrated by nearly 20 years in the barrel.
• Finish: Very long and complex — oak spice and dark fruit fading slowly into a warm, clean close.

Specs

• Distillery: Buffalo Trace, Frankfort, Kentucky
• Style: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Distilled: 1980
• Age: Nearly 20 years
• Cask: Virgin American oak
• Bottler: The Last Drop Distillers (XIX)
• Size: 750ml

Explore the full Buffalo Trace collection or browse all bourbon at Wooden Cork.

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is The Last Drop Distillers? The Last Drop Distillers was founded in London in 2008 to find and bottle forgotten parcels of exceptional aged spirit from around the world. They have released Scotch, Irish whiskey, Cognac, Armagnac, rum, and bourbon — always in small quantities, always with documented provenance. Their XIX 1980 Buffalo Trace release is among their most historically significant bourbon bottlings.
• Why was this bourbon sleeping in a corner of the distillery? Distilleries accumulate barrels over decades — some are set aside, forgotten, or left behind as operations change. The Last Drop's model is precisely to find these overlooked parcels before they are disposed of or overlooked. The 1980 vintage survived nearly 40 years in the distillery before being identified and bottled.
• Is this the same as standard Buffalo Trace production? No. Standard Buffalo Trace bourbon follows defined production schedules and is bottled at optimal age. This is a specific 1980 parcel, aged nearly twice as long as standard Buffalo Trace, discovered as an outlier rather than produced intentionally. It tastes fundamentally different.
• How many bottles exist? The Last Drop releases are extremely limited by definition — the number of bottles is determined entirely by how much liquid was in the discovered parcel. Once sold out, there is no additional stock.