Whiskey Wednesday: Where in the World is the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection?

Each fall, American whiskey lovers wait with baited breath for the release of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. This release typically features some of the best Bourbons and rye whiskeys in existence and includes George T. Stagg, William Laure Weller, Sazerac 18 year old rye, Thomas Handy rye and Eagle Rare 17. Typically, the releases are announced in September and advance reviews start going out in mid-October, which is around when the bottles are released in Kentucky. They typically don't make their way to California until late October/early November.

But this year, we've heard nothing from Buffalo Trace. We've seen no press releases, advance reviews or anything else. What's happening?

The reason we love the Antique Collection is that it is extremely high quality (among the best Bourbons on the market) at an extremely affordable price. Even the vaunted Stagg can usually be found for $75-$80. At a time when more and more American whiskeys are inching up over the $100 mark, especially for special releases, American whiskey lovers are especially thankful for the Antique Collection.

I've heard nothing in the way of rumors about what's happening, so hopefully, it's just an issue of production delays. This happens in the industry; for instance, the 2008 edition of Old Forester Birthday Bourbon wasn't released until early 2009, but usually, those problems are accompanied by some news from the distillery.

So, is this just a delay or are the folks at Buffalo Trace trying to build up suspense for something new? Anyone know what's going on and when we can get our Antiques?

UPDATE: Buffalo Trace announced this very day that they are releasing the Antique Collection, which will consist of the traditional lineup. I'm nothing if not timely.