Buffalo Trace Millennium Barrel Box

Buffalo Trace Distillery has announced the release of its Millennium Barrel Bourbon, a commemorative bottling twelve years in the making. On December 31, 1999, one barrel of Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey was rolled into Warehouse “V”, the world’s only “one barrel” warehouse, built in 1952 to celebrate the distillery’s 2 millionth barrel. This singular “Millennium Barrel” has yielded 174 bottles, each one bottled by hand and individually numbered.

For this limited release, every Millennium Barrel bottle has been packaged in a numbered hardwood showcase box that includes a piece of the historic barrel’s charred oak stave, and a brochure explaining the significance of this collector’s edition. There’s just one catch for bourbon aficionados: the Buffalo Trace Millennium Barrel Bourbon will not be sold in stores. All 174 bottles will be made available to charitable organizations across the country free of charge, so they can be auctioned off to raise money for their worthwhile causes.

“This was a special barrel of whiskey and we want to do something with the bottles to help those in need,” said Kris Comstock, Buffalo Trace Brand Manager. “We really hope whiskey enthusiasts and collectors will help some deserving non-profit groups raise serious money. These 174 bottles are beautiful and the bourbon tastes amazing. Our goal is to raise $200,000 for charity!”

Millennium Barrel bottles will only be available to qualifying non-profit organizations for fundraising purposes. Applications will be taken online exclusively at buffalotacemillennium.com. To be considered, organizations must meet these requirements:

  • Submit an official non-profit tax ID number.
  • Be based in the United States.
  • Auction the Millennium Barrel bottle within the 2011 calendar year.

Bottle recipients will be notified by email on August 1st. Bottles will be shipped free of charge in August and recipients will have until Dec. 31, 2011 to auction the bottle.

Non-profit organizations can submit their bottle request online beginning today, June 8th. The deadline to submit an online application is July 26th.

For more information, visit buffalotacemillennium.com.