Douglas Blyde on Traveller Blend No. 40, Chris Stapleton's whiskey that breaks the celebrity mould

More than ever before, Chris Stapleton's 2024 UK circuit has been big, elaborate, and packed with sold-out shows, but the state prima isn’t conscionable captivating fans with his euphony — he’s winning implicit whiskey enthusiasts with his Traveller Blend No. 40. In collaboration with Harlen Wheatley, the sixth maestro distiller of Buffalo Trace, Stapleton has crafted a blend that reflects his emotion for whiskey and his heavy relationship with Wheatley. The sanction is besides a motion towards the singer’s 2015 album, Traveller.

It turned retired to beryllium serendipitous. When Stapleton archetypal suggested Traveller, Buffalo Trace told him they already owned the name. It felt similar destiny — an unmistakable motion that Stapleton should beryllium profoundly progressive successful the project. “Harlen did the dense lifting,” helium admits. “We wanted it to beryllium the champion prime we could enactment successful that bottle. We knew it would look scrutiny, and a batch of radical [would] privation it each implicit the world.”

Wheatley frames the collaboration arsenic an creator journey, overmuch similar creating music. “When making art, you experiment, test, adjust, and don’t halt until it’s perfect. That’s what we did with Blend No. 40.

“We genuinely judge some Chris’ euphony and the whiskey we trade astatine Buffalo Trace are forms of art. You don’t springiness up until you’ve got it right.”

In the pursuit of perfection, 50 antithetic blends were sampled earlier they settled connected the 40th. “This collaboration combined Chris’ emotion for whiskey with our method expertise,” says Wheatley. “Chris archetypal discovered our bourbons done E.H. Taylor, and we’ve supported his charity, Outlaw State of Kind, done tube donations. This concern is simply a earthy hold of our decade-long relationship.”

The effect of this process is simply a whiskey which has already received 15 awards, including Best successful Class Gold astatine the Whiskies of the World competition and Gold astatine the Spirits Business American Whiskey Masters. Bottled astatine 45 per cent ABV, it delivers a affluent medley of flavours — saccharine maple, tart currant, leather, vanilla, aged fruit, and shortbread — culminating successful a robust decorativeness of spice and toasted nuts.

“What I similar to bash is fto the whiskey settee implicit 1 crystal cube for a minute,” says Stapleton. “I’m not a cocktail person; I similar to sensation the whiskey. It’s similar putting connected your favourite T-shirt; comfy and familiar. It’s a caller elevation of what blended whisky tin be.”

Though Stapleton boasts an extended whiskey collection, selecting this 1 was an casual decision: “I had that feeling instantly erstwhile tasting it that I couldn’t accidental no. As beauteous arsenic the vessel is, it’s what’s wrong that truly counts.”

“People look to similar it, it’s doing well,” adds Wheatley. “Chris has been moving hard successful New York, engaged with promotion. He’s adjacent been drinking whiskey astatine 7am connected TV shows!”

“Which,” Stapleton smiles, “even for me, is simply a spot early.”

Born successful Lexington, Kentucky, Stapleton takes pridefulness successful the state’s whiskey heritage. “Buffalo Trace has been a staple successful the workplace for each grounds I’ve made. I’ve been a long-time instrumentality of Harlen’s work, and erstwhile the accidental came up to collaborate, it was a no-brainer. I’d been approached by others since my euphony includes drinks references, but for me, it had to consciousness right. Buffalo Trace is adjacent to wherever I’m from, it conscionable made sense. This concern grew retired of friendship, not arsenic a wealth grab.”

Stapleton, understandably, encourages everyone to effort it: “Even if you don’t deliberation you similar whiskey, you mightiness similar this. It’s a blended whiskey with Harlen Wheatley’s lineage down it — helium makes immoderate of the hardest-to-get bourbons successful the world. It’s worthy having connected your shelf, and you don’t person to merchantability your first-born to bargain a bottle.

“It’s casual to portion and hard not to love.”