Buffalo Trace private barrel selected by Bourbon Club of Arkansas in Kentucky

Bourbon Club of Arkansas Buffalo Trace Barrel Pick: Inside the Selection of Barrel #15

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Last Updated on April 29, 2026 by Justin Jones

PUBLISH DATE: April 29, 2026

The Bourbon Club of Arkansas (BCA) has officially completed its latest Buffalo Trace barrel pick and expanded its private collection with a high-profile acquisition. In a move that caught many members by surprise, a specialized selection team recently traveled to the historic Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, to hand-select a unique barrel of the distillery’s flagship Mashbill #1 bourbon.

The mission, conducted through the Sazerac Single Barrel Select (SBS) program, was led by BCA members Dustin Howell and Jeff Franzetti. This selection marks another significant milestone for the club, which was recently recognized as the ASCOT “Whiskey Club of the Year.”

Here is the step-by-step breakdown of the journey to secure BCA Barrel #15.

Buffalo Trace barrel pick selection sheet showing Bourbon Club of Arkansas Barrel 15
Buffalo Trace private barrel selected by Bourbon Club of Arkansas in Kentucky

1. Buffalo Trace Barrel Pick Begins at the Distillery

While the club’s general membership remained unaware of the trip, Howell and Franzetti were already on the ground at the world’s most-awarded distillery. The day began with a specialized “Hard Hat” tour, providing an intimate look at the distillery’s historic production methods before the high-stakes selection commenced.

View Session Details & Full Transcript (Click to Expand)

Date: 04/28/2026 1:01 PM CST
Location: Buffalo Trace Distillery | 113 Great Buffalo Trace, Frankfort, KY 40601
Participants: Dustin Howell, Jeff Franzetti (Bourbon Club of Arkansas)

Full Transcript

Dustin Howell: “What up BCA!”

Jeff Franzetti: “Hey hey”

Dustin Howell: “and uh we got a few more guys with us in front of us. Um, so we are we are heading to go do the pick, um, and we’ll try and do some live streams in there while we pick our Buffalo Trace barrel. And our tour is a little bit different. What’d you say? We’re doing the pick, and then we’re doing a tour.”

Jeff Franzetti: “Then we’re doing a little behind the scenes tour, and then we’re going to do some premium tastings.”

Dustin Howell: “Yeah, they’re letting us do a tasting, um, afterwards of a 107 single barrel, E.H. Taylor single barrel, and a and a Blanton’s. So, um, I know reception will be kind of spotty as we go through some of the buildings and stuff, but we will we will try and jump in and and go live some during the tasting as well as the tour. And then the second tasting at the end of the tour.”

Jeff Franzetti: “That’s right.”

Dustin Howell: “So, stay tuned, if I can end this.”

In this clip, Dustin and Jeff break the news live from the distillery grounds, outlining the plan for the day’s “Hard Hat” tour and premium tastings.

The BCA team was presented with four distinct barrels pulled from various locations across the Buffalo Trace campus. The samples represented Warehouses Q, I, M, and O, with ages averaging approximately eight years. According to distillery experts, these barrels often share the flavor DNA of premium labels like Stagg and E.H. Taylor, but offer a unique “velvety” texture because they remain unfiltered during the tasting.

View Selection Transcript: 04/28/2026 +

Full Transcript

Date: 04/28/2026 13:07 CST | Location: 113 Great Buffalo Trace, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601

00:00 Dustin Howell: Okay, you see here, we’re getting to pick out four of these to try. So that’s kind of—that’s kind of what we’re talking through here.

00:09 Dustin Howell: I think that—

00:10 Dustin Howell: In this spot?

00:11 Jeff Franzetti: Yeah.

00:12 Jeff Franzetti: So they give us these sheets that have the barrels that are available: the floor, the rickhouse, when the barrel was filled. It gives us a little more information about the barrels we’re looking at.

00:23 Jeff Franzetti: And typically what we want to do is try and get enough variety in these barrels where, you know—low floor, high floor, mid floor—we’re not getting a bunch of the barrels that are all from the same exact address.

00:36 Jeff Franzetti: So, this will be the process for the next hour or so. We’ll get ’em picked out and then we’ll get to the sampling.

3. The Science of the Sazerac Single Barrel Select

Inside the tasting room, the process turned technical. To ensure the final product met the BCA’s rigorous standards, samples were “proofed down” to the standard 90-proof bottling strength. The atmosphere remained lighthearted, however, as Franzetti’s precision with the measuring equipment earned him the permanent club nickname “Beaker.”

Show Session Details & Transcript April 28, 2026 | Frankfort, KY

Location: Buffalo Trace Distillery, 113 Great Buffalo Trace, Frankfort, KY
Program: Sazerac Single Barrel Select (SBS)
Coordinator: Leann (Sazerac Barrel Select Coordinator)
Participants: Dustin Howell & Jeff Franzetti (Bourbon Club of Arkansas)

Transcript

Leann: “The other thing I do is I don’t put these in numerical order so you guys don’t know what barrel you’re tasting…”

Speaker 2: “Oh no, that’s perfect. Yes.”

Leann: “…no preconceived notions about what you’re… what you’re tasting.”

Speaker 2: “Do we want to call them 1, 2, 3, 4, or 8?”

Leann: “I would do A, B, C, D.”

Leann: “Yeah, because that’s what it is on your… what’s it going to be on your tasting…”

Speaker 2: “I’m going to take a better… better view of light. Make sure I don’t accidentally mix something…”

Leann: “Don’t mix it up.”

Speaker 2: “…when you’re talking about one on the other.”

Leann: “Talking about one on the others.”

Speaker 2: “Yeah, you have to handle it that way.”

Leann: “It’s better when you wasn’t that way.”

Speaker 2: “Don’t ever just pick up one at a time.”

Dustin Howell: “So, Leann is… is proofing these down to how they’ll be bottled so when we taste them, we’re tasting them exactly as… as they’ll be.”

Jeff Franzetti: “Do you want to cover the ones we’ve picked? I’ve circled them here in black so people can see.”

Jeff Franzetti: “Yeah, I can show them here. So, we’ve got four different warehouses represented here: Q, I, M, and O. We’ve got one fourth floor, one sixth floor, and two fifth floors and they’re all about eight years old. So, we will not know which of the four that we’re sampling when we start tasting.”

Leann: “Stagg is a specific profile. So, I can’t like… I won’t say that every one of these barrels are barrel-proof Stagg Jr. They have to meet that flavor profile but Stagg is a barrel-proof, eight-year-old Mashbill #1 bottle. So, this could be very similar to Stagg.”

Speaker 2: “So the proof in the barrels right now is the same as what you’re pouring? I mean the alcohol from the barrels?”

Leann: “This is… yes, this is straight from the barrel. Yes, this was taken straight from these barrels.”

Speaker 2: “They actually… what’s the name… bottle it, they add water to it to get it to that 90… is that right?”

Dustin Howell: “Right. And that’s what she’s… that’s what she’s going to do so that we’re tasting it the way it’ll be bottled.”

Leann: “The only difference between what you’re going to try today and what you’re going to get in the bottle, because this came straight from the barrels, this has not been chill-filtered yet. So, when you do get it in the bottle, it will be a chill-filtered product. So the viscosity of it… um… will be just a slight… will be slightly different, won’t be quite as velvety.”

Speaker 2: “Gotcha.”

Leann: “But, it’ll also not get cloudy.”

Speaker 2: “So, if Stagg… it’s Stagg Jr. if you have one that fits the Stagg profile basically it just doesn’t get as much water.”

Leann: “Stagg is barrel strength.”

Dustin Howell: “Yeah, it’s not getting any water.”

Jeff Franzetti: “It doesn’t have any water.”

Leann: “Right. Whatever proof you get at the end of aging is what you get in the bottle.”

Leann: “Sorry, I can’t… I can’t talk and measure at the same time.”

Leann: “I definitely wouldn’t mess this part up.”

Jeff Franzetti: “No, no definitely not.”

Leann: “So this is approximately ninety proof.”

Speaker 2: “So… poured. Wow. I love these tasting glasses. I’m going to measure the other ones in a minute once I find my… Okay, so some… I love this tasting sheet too. Do you know my younger brother’s nickname in high school was Beaker?”

Leann: “Hmm?”

Speaker 2: “His nickname in high school was Beaker, and you’re holding a beaker.”

Jeff Franzetti: “Yeah, because I look like the guy on the Muppets, you know?”

Leann: “Oh my gosh. No you don’t!”

Dustin Howell: “I’m glad that was… I’m glad that was captured on Facebook Live. You will now forever be known as Beaker. Beaker.”

Leann: “So you guys are brothers?”

Speaker 2: “Yeah. Can’t tell from the looks? He’s a little older than me. My nickname in high school was actually Kermit.”

Leann: “Kermit the Frog?”

Speaker 2: “Yeah, it was because of basketball I could jump really high, so…”

Speaker 2: “Well, you get that because I can’t even jump two inches on spaghetti. I jump like… it must be mayonnaise or something. That’s funny.”

Dustin Howell: “And any of… any of our members that are watching this if you have not signed up for the Sazerac barrel select… uh… you need to go do so. We’ve had good luck with it.”

Jeff Franzetti: “Yeah.”

Dustin Howell: “Um… who all’s won one? Jeremiah has… uh… Tim, was it Tim or Brian? I know they both came, but I think Brian won the actual barrel.”

Dustin Howell: “Yeah, and that was when if you won one you got to gift one.”

Jeff Franzetti: “Jeremiah has his 1792 full proof, right? Is that right?”

Speaker 2: “Mhm.”

Dustin Howell: “Yes, he got the 1792 and then I won… I won this one.”

Leann: “So is this for a Bourbon Society or for what do you all… but I know it’s Arkansas…”

Jeff Franzetti: “Bourbon Club of Arkansas.”

Leann: “Nice.”

Jeff Franzetti: “Back to back years we’ve been lucky enough to come do this and last year we won a single barrel of… I think it was… Elijah Craig 2024, right? Last year basically.”

Leann: “That’s cool. So you all doing this for like a YouTube channel for your group or…?”

Dustin Howell: “OnlyFans… Beaker.”

Leann: “OnlyFans? Oh, let’s delete me off that then.”

Dustin Howell: “Yeah, no we just… we’ll stream it live a little bit for… here and there for our members that want to… want to watch it or watch it later.”

Speaker 2: “OnlyFans…”

Jeff Franzetti: “There is actually an app OnlyDrams.”

Dustin Howell: “There is? That’s true.”

Speaker 2: “That’s cool. OnlyDrams. I saw a shirt yesterday said ‘Live in the dram’ instead of ‘Live in the dram’. ‘Live in the dram’. Yeah. That’s pretty awesome.”

Leann: “All right, where do you want me to sit this down at? Right here? Yeah. Okay.”

Speaker 2: “Do we get to keep these wood samples, right?”

Dustin Howell: “And the glasses and everything. Yes.”

Speaker 2: “Everything. Oh, that’s included in the cost, I bet. What is the cost for that?”

Leann: “Sure they probably do have it in the gift shop. Which reminds me I’ll… in case I forget to tell you later… um… if you do get anything in the gift shop that’s not alcohol… so excluding alcohol… make sure you tell them that your wristband is an SBS wristband because it’s 20% off of anything.”

Dustin Howell: “Oh, man.”

Speaker 2: “I gotta go back over there.”

Leann: “If you bought something already, take your receipt back down to the SBS desk and let them know… they’ll credit you the difference.”

Speaker 2: “Wait, who told you that? the free house? The people where you took your thing? I mean… No, we checked in with… Yeah, we got our wristband.”

Leann: “We have several of these. You get 20% off, yeah. So anything that you’ve already purchased take your receipt back down to the SBS desk and they’ll credit you back the difference back on your card.”

Speaker 2: “Is that on the Buffalo Trace things?”

Jeff Franzetti: “Yeah, I mean… I would think so. I mean… I bought some stuff without the… the holes and stuff like that. It was $16. Now some of them with the holes and the little Buffalo Trace thing… or they were just going to give me a… George T. Stagg.”

Speaker 2: “Just give me a George T. Stagg, right. Just give me a George T. Stagg, yeah.

All right, so I let you guys… and you all’ve done this before… you all do your thing however you all like to do it… um… if you get down to… you’ve got… you know… you’ve narrowed it down to two and you’re not really sure, we can always do a blind with those two. So however you all like to do it yourself. I’m here just to help.”

Speaker 2: “I’m blind in the left eye, does that matter?”

Dustin Howell: “Okay, we’re about to do some tasting. I’m going to hop off here and we’ll come back… uh… when we kind of get closer to figuring out what we like.”

Watch as our host, Leann, proofs down the samples while the guys discuss the Sazerac program and Jeff earns his Muppet-inspired nickname.

4. Breaking the Deadlock in the Rickhouse

The selection process wasn’t without debate. After narrowing the field to two finalists—identified simply as Barrel A and Barrel B—the team reached a deadlock. To reset their palates and find a consensus, the group moved into the depths of a working rickhouse for a final “blind” showdown to determine which barrel was truly BCA-worthy.

4. Dustin Howell – Blinding Samples (Transcript) View Details ▼

Date: April 28, 2026 | 1:13 PM CST
Location: Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, KY

Transcript

Dustin: Okay, so we’re here in one of the warehouses. We’re still doing the pick. Uh, we’ve basically narrowed it down to two, and there’s some disagreements on which one. So, she’s moved us into here while she sets us up to blind A and B, which we don’t know, obviously, which barrels those are based on what we selected. But we’re going to hang out in here for a few minutes, then we’re going to go back in and get to blind those, and then we’ll be able to report back with

Jeff: A winner.

Dustin: A consensus.

Dustin: Yeah, a consensus. And both of them, both of them are good. It’s more of a disagreement of which one’s better—

Jeff: Better of the second nine.

Jeff: —better of the second nine out of 25.

Jeff: Yeah, can’t go wrong with either.

Dustin: So, meanwhile, we’re— I’ll flip the camera around here.

Background Speaker: Oh man, that barrel’s low.

Dustin: Okay, she’s ready for us. We’re going to go back in and we’re going to blind these, see what we come up with.

Leann: Alright, so I’ve pulled those samples out in front, so they’re sitting out in front. And now we’re going to go with one and two. One is on the left, two is on the right.

Dustin: Okay, one and two.

Background Speaker: One is on the left, two is on the right.

See the team deep in discussion among the barrels as they prepare for the final, high-stakes blind tasting.

5. Buffalo Trace Barrel #15 Wins the Final Blind Tasting

After a final blind evaluation, the results were unanimous. Barrel #15 was selected as the winner. To celebrate the successful pick, the team concluded the session by sampling the winning whiskey at its raw barrel strength—a blistering 129 proof—offering a preview of the bold character before it is proofed for bottling.

View Session Details & Full Transcript ▼

Entity Mapping

  • Dustin Howell: Member of the Bourbon Club of Arkansas.
  • Jeff Franzetti: Member of the Bourbon Club of Arkansas.
  • Leann: Barrel Select Coordinator for the Sazerac Barrel Select (SBS) program at Buffalo Trace Distillery.
  • Buffalo Trace Distillery: Location of the single-barrel selection in Frankfort, KY.
  • Sazerac: Parent company facilitating the Single Barrel Select Program.
  • Bourbon Club of Arkansas: The organization represented by Howell and Franzetti during the selection.

Information Gain Analysis

  • Key Moment: Selection of the winning barrel, confirmed as Barrel Number 15 (blind sample B).
  • Unique Data Point: The selected barrel proof is estimated at approximately 129 proof.
  • Blind Tasting Stats: During the session, Sample C was 7 and Sample D was 19.
  • Regulatory Result: Confirmation that ABC regulations currently prohibit taking barrel-proof samples off-site in water bottles.

Session Metadata

Date: 04/28/2026 13:54 CST
Location: Buffalo Trace Distillery, 113 Great Buffalo Trace, Frankfort, Kentucky 40601

Full Transcript

Jeff: A was 23 or 22?

Jeff: What was C and D, do you know?

Leann: C was seven and D was 19.

Speaker 2: The first one we kicked out was 19.

Leann: So we’re for sure going with B, barrel number 15?

Dustin Howell: Barrel number 15 it is.

Jeff: The blinds have it. At least I was consistent with my A.

Dustin: That’s the one we went with.

Leann: Alright, so if you guys would like we could try some of that at barrel proof.

Jeff: Absolutely. Nobody ever says no to that.

Dustin Howell: Actually we might need to try all of them at barrel strength just to know what we missed out on.

Dustin: Is it desiccant silica gel?

Dustin Howell: Do you want to try some?

Leann: She’s like too experimental right now.

Jeff: I’ve had a few people that tried it and actually evaporated their insides, but you know there are some things that come up it.

Dustin: Any notes on this? Anything you want to tell the club?

Jeff: Am I allowed?

Speaker 2: Yeah, we’re live. Take your shirt off.

Jeff: So yeah, the one we picked I’d say has a lot more bite to it.

Dustin: It does. Yeah.

Jeff Franzetti: It’s like a peppered graham cracker on your palette. Floral, it’s Buffalo Trace, but it’s just accentuated a little bit. I think it’s a good balance of savory and spice. That was my nickname when I was a stripper.

Dustin: Sorry. Jeff, it is. Jeff, what’s the over-under on how long before your brother gets kicked out of BCA?

Jeff: He’s not very active on Facebook, so that’s working in his favor. Whenever he makes his first post, it’s over with.

Leann: Alright, you guys just empty out your B glass so that we don’t mix different barrels.

Dustin Howell: Drink it or dump it. You don’t have to dump it, you can drink it. Here’s what I’m going to do. Watch this. Look at that right there. I feel like a Catholic priest when I get off this vestment. No. There we go. Just fill it up to the top is fine.

Leann: How’s that?

Dustin Howell: That’s great. Thank you.

Leann: This is probably somewhere around 129ish proof, okay?

Dustin Howell: Just tell me when.

Leann: These haven’t been proofed, so I don’t know for sure, but that’s my guess.

Dustin Howell: Do we get to put the rest of that in a water bottle to take?

Leann: They don’t let us do that anymore. ABC cracked down on us.

Dustin Howell: But we can try, right?

Dustin Howell: I mean if you just walked away then nobody ever knows.

Leann: Oh my god, right? I wish I could, believe me. State regulated, federal regulations, it’s crazy. It changes a lot of our rules. It makes it not quite as much fun, but

Dustin Howell: God that is good.

Dustin Howell: That’s so good.

Jeff: Isn’t that fun? It needs some.

Dustin Howell: Yeah, you need some. Please do.

Jeff: I have to taste the barrel proof.

Close Transcript ▲

Dustin and Jeff announce the winner and provide the first-ever tasting notes for the club’s latest private selection.

Official BCA Tasting Notes: Barrel #15

  • The Profile: Described by the selection team as “savory and bold.”
  • Key Notes: Distinct flavors of peppered graham cracker, floral spice, and toasted oak.
  • The Finish: An accentuated version of the classic Buffalo Trace profile with a heavier, more viscous mouthfeel.

Distribution Details: Members are encouraged to monitor the Bourbon Club of Arkansas social media channels for the official announcement regarding the bottle drop and availability in the Little Rock and Central Arkansas area.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Bourbon Club of Arkansas Buffalo Trace Barrel Pick

What is a Buffalo Trace private barrel pick?

A Buffalo Trace private barrel pick is a single barrel of bourbon selected by a private group, retailer, or organization through the Sazerac Company. Instead of purchasing a standard batch release, the group tastes multiple individual barrels and selects one specific barrel for exclusive bottling.

Who selected the Bourbon Club of Arkansas Buffalo Trace barrel?

The Bourbon Club of Arkansas Buffalo Trace private barrel was selected by Dustin Howell and Jeff Franzetti, along with two guests, during a visit to Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky.

What barrel did Bourbon Club of Arkansas select at Buffalo Trace?

The Bourbon Club of Arkansas selected Barrel #15, an approximately eight-year-old Buffalo Trace Mashbill #1 bourbon from Warehouse I, Floor 6, Rick 60. The barrel was chosen through a blind tasting process.

What proof will the Bourbon Club of Arkansas Buffalo Trace barrel be bottled at?

The final bottle will be proofed down to approximately 90 proof, which is standard for Buffalo Trace single barrel selections. However, the team also sampled the barrel at full barrel strength, estimated around 129 proof.

What does the Bourbon Club of Arkansas Buffalo Trace Barrel #15 taste like?

According to BCA member Jeff Franzetti, Barrel #15 delivers notes of peppered graham cracker, floral spice, toasted oak, and savory richness. The mouthfeel was described as velvety with a long finish.

How old is Bourbon Club of Arkansas Buffalo Trace Barrel #15?

The selected barrel was filled on March 1, 2018, making it just over eight years old at the time of selection in April 2026.

Where will the Bourbon Club of Arkansas Buffalo Trace barrel be sold?

Release details have not yet been officially announced. Bourbon Club of Arkansas members are encouraged to monitor the club’s social channels and partner retail announcements for bottle drop information.

Can anyone buy a Bourbon Club of Arkansas private barrel?

Availability depends on how the club structures the release. Some BCA private barrels are member-priority releases, while others may be available through partner retailers depending on allocation.

Why are Buffalo Trace private barrel picks popular?

Buffalo Trace private barrels offer unique flavor profiles that differ from standard shelf releases. Because each barrel matures differently based on warehouse placement, floor level, and environmental conditions, no two private barrels are exactly alike.

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Justin Jones
Justin Jones
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