Buffalo Trace Distillery is once again looking to its archives with the third edition of its annual Prohibition Collection, a limited-release boxed set that revives five historic whiskey brands once legally bottled during America’s Prohibition era. Building on collections introduced in 2023 and 2025, the 2026 release continues the distillery’s effort to preserve an often-overlooked chapter of American whiskey history through modern interpretations of long-forgotten labels.
This year’s collection includes five 375ml bottlings, each representing a different historic brand once associated with what is now Buffalo Trace Distillery. Leading the lineup is Henry Watterson Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey, bottled uncut and unfiltered at 140.6 proof, making it the highest-proof rye whiskey released in the distillery’s modern history.
Joining it are Kentucky River Whiskey, a 100-proof blend of Kentucky straight whiskeys; John G. Carlisle Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, a 100-proof Bottled-in-Bond bourbon; Walter B. Duffy Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, a blend of 10- and 14-year-old bourbons bottled at 107 proof; and Cove Spring Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, an uncut, unfiltered wheated bourbon bottled at 120.2 proof.
Presentation remains a defining part of the Prohibition Collection. The five bottles arrive in a custom wooden display case featuring archival photography and packaging inspired by medicinal whiskey cartons from the 1920s, complete with cutout spaces designed to replicate the prescription labels once required to purchase whiskey legally during Prohibition. Each bottle also features commemorative labeling and a bronze identification strip denoting its proof and collection series.
According to Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley, the collection serves as both a tribute to the distillery’s resilience during Prohibition and an opportunity to reintroduce whiskey traditions that might otherwise have been lost. Rather than reproducing historic recipes exactly, Buffalo Trace uses its contemporary whiskey stocks to capture the spirit of each original brand while showcasing the distillery’s modern blending expertise.
The 2026 Buffalo Trace Prohibition Collection is available only as a five-bottle set through Sazerac’s distribution network at a suggested retail price of $999.99. With its combination of historical storytelling, limited production, and distinctive whiskey styles, it continues to stand apart as one of the most collectible annual releases in American bourbon.
