Buffalo Trace vodka distilled 159 times comes to the UK

By Harpers Editorial

Published: 18 February, 2013

Buffalo Trace has released its 159-times distilled vodka HDW CLIX into the UK market.

The vodka uses red winter wheat, rye, distiller's grade corn and distiller's malted barley, combined with the distillery's own source of limestone-rich water.

The original 28,400 gallons of mash, repeatedly re-distilled over twelve months, resulted in 332 gallons of vodka. The final product was stored in a cool tank for 12 months before 2,000 bottles were filled.

HDW CLIX derives its name from the initials of Harlen Davis Wheatley, the master distiller at the Buffalo Trace distillery in Kentucky, and the Roman numerals for 159, the number of times it was distilled.

"This project has been a long time in the making and we're pleased to see it finally come to fruition," said Wheatley. "With four different grains, multiple recipes and 159 separate distillations, the complexity is balanced and markedly pure."

Hi-Spirits, which distributes the Buffalo Trace bourbon range in the UK, is selling its allocation with an rrp of £299.

Jeremy Hill, chairman of Hi-Spirits, said: "Understandably, the interest we're getting is from top end bars and specialist drinks retailers.

"Some bars want to serve HDW CLIX in a premium cocktail, while retailers expect it to appeal to collectors. It will definitely be a talking point for customers, and we don't expect to have our allocation in stock for very long."

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