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Buffalo Trace is recognized for being the origin of high-end unicorn bottles from brands like Pappy Van Winkle and the Antique Collection, in addition to creating its cost-effective and reliable namesake bourbon. Presently, the Kentucky distillery is debuting a new blend, Traveller Whiskey, backed up by Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Chris Stapleton.

It’s not the first time Buffalo Trace has collaborated with Stapleton. He chose a few single barrels of E.H. Taylor Jr. in the previous years for the benefit of his charity, Outlaw State of Kind. The real architect behind this whiskey is Buffalo Trace master distiller Harlen Wheatley. Traveller is a blended whiskey, meaning it’s combined from spirits from a variety of “award-winning distilleries” owned by Sazerac, according to the brand. Possible sources include Buffalo Trace itself, A. Smith Bowman, Barton 1792, and maybe some overseas sites. More than 50 blends were trialed before Wheatley decided on the 40th, which is what you will find in this bottle. Unlike Pappy, Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, or W.L. Weller, this whiskey will be easily available and unallocated.

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“In creating Traveller, we tried over 50 different recipes, experimenting, testing, and adjusting until we found a complex and approachable flavor profile worthy of the whiskey drinker who will enjoy it,” Wheatley said in a statement. “In the end, there was one clear winner—Blend No. 40—that everyone agreed was worthy to be Traveller Whiskey.” In other words, this is meant to be an accessible, everyday drinker that is more along the lines of Buffalo Trace Bourbon than a limited special release like E.H. Taylor or something from the Experimental Collection.

We got an early taste of Traveller Whiskey, and it’s an appealing sipper that should please both novice and expert whiskey drinkers, with notes of brown sugar, caramel, maple, vanilla, oak, and baked apple on the palate. Thankfully, it’s bottled at 90 instead of 80 proof, and that higher ABV goes a long way in helping to elevate the flavor. You can find Traveller Whiskey starting this month (SRP $40), although it’s not readily available online at the moment. Will Traveller go the way of Weller or Pappy and balloon in price on the secondary market? It seems like that might not be the case, but only time will tell.

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