Buffalo Trace Just Made Its Hit Traveller Whiskey a Lot Stronger

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In early 2024 Buffalo Trace released Traveller Whiskey, a blended whiskey produced in partnership with country music star Chris Stapleton, and it became—somewhat surprisingly—a pretty big deal for the distillery. Two years later, still riding high on the whiskey’s success, Buffalo Trace announced that it is releasing Traveller Full Proof, a much stronger version of the original expression, and we have the details to share.

This is the first line extension for Traveller since its January 2024 debut, but it’s not the first full proof whiskey released by Buffalo Trace. Per the distillery’s own definition, the term “full proof” is different from “barrel proof”—the former refers to a whiskey that is bottled at the strength it went into the barrel, while the latter refers to it being bottled at the strength at which it came out of the barrel. The distillery has added full proof expressions to several of its brands, including Benchmark, Sazerac Rye, and Weller.

As we reported when it first came out, Traveller is a blend of whiskeys assembled by master distiller Harlen Wheatley that come from various distilleries owned by Sazerac. That means that possible sources include Buffalo Trace itself, A. Smith Bowman, Barton 1792, and potentially other distilleries, and may include bourbon, rye, light whiskey, or even some Canadian whisky (although there’s some debate about that). More than 50 blends were tested before Wheatley settled on number 40, and unlike other Buffalo Trace products, Traveller has been widely available and unallocated.

Traveller Full Proof is bottled at 121 proof, much higher than the original whiskey’s 90 proof. And while there have been rumors that he’s actually sober, Chris Stapleton has said in interviews that he just drinks a lot less than he used to but enjoys sipping on stronger whiskey when he does decide to imbibe. “Prior to collaborating with Harlen Wheatley and Buffalo Trace Distillery on Traveller Whiskey, I generally leaned toward higher-proof and barrel-strength bottles,” he said in a statement. “When we decided to experiment with a higher-proof expression, I was excited to see where that could land. One night after a show, we had two potential Full Proof contenders backstage . . . everyone agreed 121 was the clear winner.” According to a rep for the brand, the full proof “contenders” he was referring to were actually Sazerac Full Proof and another higher proof expression, in case you were wondering what that might mean given Buffalo Trace’s definition which would indicate only one “full proof.”

And according to Wheatley, the higher proof revealed flavors that weren’t as apparent in the 90-proof version. “It’s remarkable how different the blended recipe responds to proof variation compared to our straight bourbons,” he said. “We think where we’ve landed is a completely unique offering that every whiskey drinker should try.”

We did not get a sample of the whiskey to try yet, but the official tasting notes describe amplified notes of caramelized sugar, baking spice, and toasted oak, as well as vanilla, warm toffee, and dark fruit on the palate. Traveller Full Proof (SRP $40) is available starting today at retailers around the country, and you can find the original expression at websites like Total Wine now.

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