Buffalo Trace Distillery has released the third edition of its annual Prohibition Collection, a limited-edition set of five whiskeys inspired by brands that the distillery legally produced and sold during Prohibition. The 2026 collection features Henry Watterson, Kentucky River, John G. Carlisle, Walter B. Duffy and Cove Spring, brands bottled when the distillery operated as George T. Stagg Distillery under president Albert B. Blanton.
From 1920 through 1933, the 18th Amendment prohibited the production, sale and transportation of beverage alcohol in the U.S. The federal government granted six distilleries licenses to bottle medicinal whiskey, including George T. Stagg Distillery (now known as Buffalo Trace Distillery).
The collection draws on documents from the distillery’s archives, and recreates historic brands using contemporary whiskey. The five 375-ml. bottlings include:
- Henry Watterson: An uncut and unfiltered Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey bottled at 140.6 proof.
- Kentucky River: A 100-proof blend of Kentucky Straight Whiskeys.
- John G. Carlisle: A 100-proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey named after one of the architects of the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897.
- Walter B. Duffy: A 107-proof blend of 10-year and 14-year Kentucky Straight Bourbons.
- Cove Spring: An uncut Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey made from a wheated mash bill and bottled at 120.2 proof.
“The Prohibition Collection gives us the opportunity to bring important chapters of our distillery’s history back to life,” says Buffalo Trace Distillery Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley. “Each year, we uncover stories, brands and whiskey traditions that might otherwise have been lost to time. By reimagining these historic whiskeys, we honor the resilience, ingenuity and determination that carried this Distillery through one of the most challenging periods in American whiskey history and helped shape the legacy we continue today.”
Buffalo Trace packages the collection in a wooden display case featuring archival imagery. Each bottle replicates the size and appearance of its Prohibition-era counterpart, and each carton includes a prescription cut-out modeled after what physicians once used to authorize medicinal whiskey purchases.
Buffalo Trace will distribute Prohibition Collection #3 in limited quantities through Sazerac’s U.S. distribution network to select retailers, bars and restaurants. The collection carries a suggested retail price of $999.99 for the five-bottle set.
This follows the recent release of Eagle Rare 30.
