Buffalo Trace has just released the newest bottle in its highly coveted Charter Oak Bourbon Series.

Buffalo Trace is the distillery behind some of the rarest and most sought-after American whiskeys you can find, like Pappy Van Winkle and the Antique Collection. But the Old Charter Oak series is another limited-edition box set that aficionados should look out for, with each release using barrels made from a different type of wood to age the whiskey.

The latest in the Old Charter Oak series is called Spanish Oak Bourbon, and as the name suggests, it’s been aged entirely in Spanish oak barrels. Most bourbons are aged in American oak barrels. While the law requires that they be aged in new, charred oak barrels, there are no specifications as to what type of oak must be used (technically, it can be a “vessel,” but it’s almost always a cask). The wood used to make the barrels for this new whisky comes from the forests of northern Spain, and the trees were cut into staves that were dried outdoors before being shaped into barrels.

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The appeal of using this type of wood is that, according to Buffalo Trace, American oak imparts sweeter flavors like vanilla and caramel to whiskey, while Spanish oak (and European oak in general) is spicier and more tannic. Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley explains this further in a press release: “American oak contains higher proportions of vanillin and whiskey lactone, which gives bourbon a smoother, sweeter taste and notes of vanilla and caramel,” he said. “Spanish oak, on the other hand, contains more eugenol, which means that drier, spicier notes and flavors like clove are imparted to the liquid. We specifically wanted to test Spanish oak for this collection because of its connection to sherry, which is known for being a nuttier, fruitier spirit.”

This is the fifth release in the Old Charter Oak series, whose previous releases included Chinkapin Oak, Mongolian Oak, French Oak, and Canadian Oak. Like previous releases, the bottle comes with an oak medallion on the front and has a suggested retail price of $69.99. This is likely wishful thinking, however, as a quick look online reveals that the previous French Oak version retailed for a low of $340 and a high of around $600. The Old Charter Oak Spanish Oak bourbon has just launched in select markets across the country, so keep an eye out if you want to pick up a bottle to try for yourself.

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