BCA Private Barrel Selection • Augusta Distillery
13 Years. 135.8 Proof. No Compromise.
Buckner’s Barrel #2688 • 78 bottles total; 55 allocated to BCA.
Augusta Distillery Buckner’s Barrel #2688 is a 13-year Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey selected with conviction—not compromise. Gary Penna describes it as BCA’s oldest single-barrel selection and one of the boldest, most flavorful barrels the club has taken on.
This article includes Gary’s blind review. Follow the official BCA group for purchase and pickup instructions.
Buckner’s Barrel Select • Barrel #2688 • 13 Year • 135.8 Proof
Age
13 Years
Proof
135.8
Alcohol
67.9% ABV
BCA Allocation
55 Bottles
From Augusta, Kentucky, to Arkansas
Augusta Distillery Buckner’s Barrel #2688
The selection sample identifies Barrel #2688 as an Augusta Distillery Barrel Select with the Buckner’s designation marked on the label. BCA’s release information describes it as a 13-year Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey at 135.8 proof.
The photographed container is explicitly marked “For Sample Use Only.” It confirms the barrel, age, proof and Buckner’s designation, but it should not be mistaken for the finished retail package. Final bottle artwork or club-specific labeling may differ.
The proof converts to 67.9% alcohol by volume. That ABV is calculated from the confirmed 135.8 proof rather than transcribed from the sample label.
“
I don’t care about anyone else’s palate … I want this barrel!
Gary Penna • Bourbon Club of Arkansas
Chosen With Conviction
The barrel Gary wouldn’t leave behind
For most BCA picks, the goal is to find a whiskey that connects with palates across the spectrum. Gary said he has passed on barrels he personally loved because they might have been too high-proof or too oak-forward for the broader club.
Barrel #2688 broke that rule. Gary called it one of the most exciting barrels BCA has selected, the oldest single-barrel pick in the club’s history, and one of its most flavorful and bold.
This was not the safest barrel in the room. It was the barrel he wanted.
Bottle Specifications
Buckner’s Barrel #2688 at a glance
These are the confirmed release details currently available from the sample label and BCA’s member announcement.
| Detail | Current Information |
|---|---|
| Producer / Brand | Augusta Distillery |
| Expression | Buckner’s Barrel Select |
| Classification | Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey |
| Barrel | #2688 |
| Age | 13 Years |
| Proof | 135.8 |
| Alcohol | 67.9% ABV |
| Bottle Size | 750 mL |
| Price | $219 before tax |
| Total Yield | 78 bottles, according to Gary’s review |
| BCA Allocation | 55 bottles, according to Gary’s review |
| Release Update | Gary reviews the bottled selection in his October video; check the official BCA group for current availability. |
Updated bottle count: The original preview announced 50 bottles. In his subsequent blind-review video, Gary reports a total yield of 78 bottles, with 55 allocated to the club and others held for future events and speakeasy pours. These are release quantities, not a live inventory count.
Mature Whiskey • Full Strength
Thirteen years at 135.8 proof
Those numbers place Barrel #2688 at the unapologetic end of the bourbon spectrum. They also help explain why Gary described it as exciting while acknowledging that its high-proof, mature profile may sit outside the average consumer’s comfort zone.
Age and proof alone do not guarantee quality. More time in oak can create depth or push a whiskey too far; high proof can preserve intensity or expose rough edges. What makes this barrel noteworthy is not simply the size of the numbers—it is Gary’s conviction that the whiskey held together in the glass.
What we can—and cannot—say
- The age, proof and barrel number are documented.
- Gary describes the barrel as bold and flavorful.
- Gary’s blind review and Tyler Shinabery’s member review now provide detailed tasting impressions.
- The mash bill and distillation source have not been announced.
- The tasting notes below are Gary’s impressions; the distilling source remains undisclosed.
Gary’s Blind Review • Buckner’s vs. Wild Turkey
Watch: Buckner’s 13-Year Bourbon Takes the Blind Win
Gary Penna puts BCA’s Buckner’s 13-Year selection against a Wild Turkey bourbon in a blind tasting, comparing the nose, palate and finish before checking the glasses’ identifying stickers. His favorite turns out to be the Buckner’s. This is Gary’s personal preference in one head-to-head tasting, and he still speaks highly of the Wild Turkey.
Video length: approximately 12 minutes, 41 seconds. The supplied player starts muted; turn on the sound to hear Gary’s review.
From Selection Sample to Bottled Bourbon
Gary says he and Jeremiah tasted approximately five Buckner’s samples at Mash & Vine Market and agreed that this barrel stood above the rest. He recalls the selection sample at 135.1 proof and the final bottling at 135.8 proof. For this review, he is tasting the actual bottled whiskey rather than the original sample.
Gary’s Tasting Notes
Nose: Dark chocolate, cherry, maple, vanilla, caramel and brown sugar, with charred oak that Gary describes as balanced. His most distinctive comparison is a chocolate-glazed doughnut, including a doughy sweetness.
Palate: Whipped cream and a Boston éclair impression join the chocolate-glazed doughnut character. He finds very little nuttiness in the Buckner’s, in contrast with the pecan and walnut impressions he describes in the other glass.
Finish: The flavors continue after the sip, with oak, toasted or charred marshmallow and persistent chocolate sweetness. Gary emphasizes that the oak is prominent without becoming too heavy.
The Reveal: Buckner’s Is His Favorite
At approximately 9:06, Gary chooses his winner on the nose and taste while the glasses are still unidentified. At approximately 10:38, he checks the red sticker and confirms that the preferred pour is Buckner’s. The Wild Turkey shows stronger oak and nut notes, substantial viscosity and a finish he estimates at 30–35 seconds. An initial solvent-like impression fades as its other flavors emerge.
The transcript identifies the comparison bottle as Wild Turkey at 120 proof, but does not establish the exact release name. Gary also leaves the Buckner’s distilling source undisclosed; tasting similarities are not proof of a particular source.
78 Bottles Total, 55 Allocated to BCA
Gary reports a total yield of 78 bottles, with 55 allocated to the club. He says others have been held for future events and speakeasy pours, including opportunities for members who did not receive a bottle allocation. Those pours are plans discussed in the video; check the official BCA group for dates and current availability.
Key Moments in the Review
- 02:16: Gary explains the 78-bottle yield and club allocation.
- 04:08: How Gary and Jeremiah chose the standout sample.
- 05:30: The chocolate-glazed doughnut tasting note.
- 08:25: Whipped cream and Boston éclair impressions.
- 09:06: Gary chooses his favorite before the reveal.
- 10:38: The red sticker confirms the Buckner’s win.
Tyler Shinabery’s Review: Fruit, Vanilla Custard & Sweet Oak
Review by Tyler Shinabery. Photograph by Tyler Shinabery. Originally shared in the Bourbon Club of Arkansas Facebook group. The tasting notes and overall assessment below are Tyler’s own words, describing the 13-year, 135.8-proof BCA / Mash & Vine Buckner’s selection.
Buckner’s 13-Year BCA / Mash & Vine selection.
Photograph: Tyler Shinabery.
Nose: Cherry and orange peel, vanilla, marshmallow, more vanilla custard. very pleasant
Palate: brown sugar and vanilla forward. Verrry oily which lends me toward that vanilla custard vibe on the chew, honey soaked graham cracker, maybe a faint toasted walnut.
Finish: more vanilla custard with waves of barrel char and sweet oak. More cherry and orange fruit notes.
Overall: As always BCA, another fantastic pull out of Kentucky! This is a full bodied and robust classic KSBW expression. It noses with rich fruits and waves of vanilla custard for me. You catch a bit of ethanol because of the proof but wayyy less than expected. The palate is very oily and soaked with classic sweet bourbon flavors we love like vanilla, brown sugar, and honey graham cracker. I did not get a single bit of oak/tannins until the finish, but a perfect time for that barrel char and bite to round out another fantastic pour.
Tyler Shinabery — Bourbon Club of Arkansas member review
Tyler also reflects on joining BCA’s very first barrel-selection crew for a New Riff pick roughly seven years earlier, when he first met Gary. Returning to this 13-year Buckner’s selection gives him a chance to appreciate how far the club has come. He describes the bottle as a “13 year flavor bomb.”
Reading the two reviews together: Tyler and Gary both describe a rich, dessert-like profile with cream or custard, fruit and oak. Tyler particularly emphasizes orange peel, honey-soaked graham cracker and an oily palate, while Gary’s signature comparison is a chocolate-glazed doughnut. These are each reviewer’s personal impressions.
Member Release
The original five-tier allocation plan.
The original release announcement outlined a five-tier system intended to recognize the members who helped build and sustain the club. Gary’s later review reports 55 bottles allocated to members from a total yield of 78; the earlier preview had announced 50.
- How long a member has been part of BCA
- Participation in previous bottle releases
- Posts and other community contributions
- Attendance at club events
- Support through BCA merchandise purchases
Under that announced plan, a specified number of bottles would first be offered to Tier 1, then to the remaining tiers. Tier 5 covered members who had joined within the preceding six months. This describes the original plan, not a new purchasing opportunity.
Gary’s review refers to members already awarded bottles for purchase. Consult the official BCA group for current availability, allocation results, purchase limits and ordering instructions.
Confirmed
What members know now
- Augusta Distillery Buckner’s Barrel Select
- Barrel #2688
- 13-year Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey
- 135.8 proof / 67.9% ABV
- 750 mL
- $219 before tax
- 55 bottles allocated to BCA, according to Gary’s review
- Original release announcement outlined five member tiers
Still Developing
What has not been announced
- The final retail bottle and label treatment
- Additional member reviews beyond Gary’s and Tyler Shinabery’s impressions
- Mash bill and distillation source
- Exact quantities reserved for each tier
- Per-member bottle limits
- Payment and pickup instructions
- Current remaining bottle inventory
- Dates for future event and speakeasy pours
Release Timing & Pickup
Release update & future pours
The original preview expected an October 2026 arrival. In his subsequent October review, Gary tastes the actual bottling and says 55 bottles were allocated to the club. He also says bottles have been held for future events and speakeasy pours, with opportunities planned for members who did not receive a bottle allocation. Pour dates and current inventory should be confirmed through BCA.
Mash & Vine Market has served as a BCA home base and retail partner for previous releases, including Cream of Kentucky Barrel #00177. The information currently available does not yet confirm the final purchase or pickup arrangement for Buckner’s Barrel #2688.
Members should rely on the official BCA allocation post for tier assignments, payment instructions, bottle limits and pickup details.
This release was first previewed in our BCA Live blind tasting and club update. That earlier look established the 13-year age; the release announcement added Barrel #2688, 135.8 proof and pricing. Gary’s later review adds tasting notes, a blind comparison and the updated 78-bottle yield / 55-bottle club allocation.
The Story Behind the Sticker
Custom release artwork for BCA’s selection of Buckner’s Barrel #2688.
A Kentucky Name • An Ancient Story • An Arkansas Selection
Bones and Buckner
At first glance, the artwork looks like a dark celebration of a 13-year bourbon: a towering skull, an enormous number 13, a shadowy figure seated on a throne and an army of skeletons disappearing into the background.
But the bones are not there simply because 13 is considered an unlucky number.
“Bones and Buckner” is rooted in the history of Augusta, Kentucky—the home of Augusta Distillery and the community that gave Buckner’s Bourbon its name.
Chapter One
The Buckner Behind the Bourbon
Buckner’s Bourbon is named in honor of Captain Philip Buckner, a Revolutionary War veteran and one of the central figures in Augusta’s founding.
According to the City of Augusta’s history, Buckner received a Virginia land grant for his military service and first visited the area in 1781. Approximately 15 years later, he returned with around 40 families and helped establish the permanent settlement along the Ohio River.
Buckner conveyed 600 acres to the town’s trustees, and the Kentucky legislature formally chartered Augusta on October 7, 1797. More than two centuries later, Augusta Distillery reached into that history when choosing a name for its flagship bourbon.
But the land on which Buckner and those early settlers built their community already held a much older history.
“
My garden was a cemetery; it is full of bones.
General John Payne • Reprinted in Lewis Collins’s 1847 Historical Sketches of Kentucky
Chapter Two
The Bones Beneath Augusta
Long before Captain Philip Buckner reached the Ohio River, the ground beneath present-day Augusta supported a permanent Native farming village. Kentucky archaeologists identify it as site 15BK200, a large late Fort Ancient community occupied from approximately A.D. 1500 to 1650.
A Living Village on the Ohio
The people here were not simply passing through an empty landscape. Families lived in large communal houses arranged around a central plaza, cultivated corn, beans and squash in the rich floodplain, hunted and fished, made salt and traded across the Ohio Valley. Marine shell from distant waters shows that Augusta’s community belonged to a far-reaching network.
“Fort Ancient” is an archaeological name, not the community’s own recorded name. Kentucky’s interpretation describes Augusta as Shawnee/Fort Ancient, while federal repatriation records establish a reasonable cultural connection between the site and today’s three federally recognized Shawnee tribes.
What Payne Recorded—and Archaeology Confirms
More than a century after the village was abandoned, Augusta’s builders repeatedly encountered its dead. General John Payne’s recollection, published in Lewis Collins’s 1847 Historical Sketches of Kentucky, reported that workers excavating beneath his residence uncovered approximately 110 individuals, counted by their skulls, with other remains too deteriorated to count. His figure is historical testimony, not a modern scientific count; later archaeology nevertheless confirms that a substantial mortuary landscape existed beneath portions of the town.
The clearest modern evidence came in 2023, when an investigation connected to unavoidable city infrastructure work examined roughly 450 square feet after consultation with federally recognized tribes. Archaeologists expected domestic remains. Instead, they encountered a ceremonial and mortuary area containing six Native individuals, reported by the investigators as women, in two burial groups.
Seven rock-chinked pole pits, ten intensely burned hearths and the remains of ceremonial meals indicate that community members returned to gather, build fires, feast and honor their dead. A March 2024 federal inventory lists 67 associated funerary objects, including pottery and stone fragments, shell, wood, charcoal, animal remains, 26 shell beads and seven bone beads.
The Shawnee Connection
Under the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, the William S. Webb Museum of Anthropology identified a reasonable connection of shared group identity between Augusta site 15BK200 and the Absentee-Shawnee Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma, the Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma and the Shawnee Tribe. A separate 2024 federal inventory reached the same conclusion for remains recovered from the site in 1984.
The sticker’s title therefore joins two histories on the same ground: Buckner helped establish the later Kentucky town, while the bones beneath it belonged to a living late Fort Ancient community whose cultural connection continues through today’s Shawnee tribes.
A History Measured in Centuries
From the Fort Ancient Village to Barrel #2688
A.D. 1500–1650
A permanent late Fort Ancient village flourishes here; modern NAGPRA records connect the site with today’s three Shawnee tribes.
1781
Captain Philip Buckner first visits the area that would become Augusta.
1797
The Kentucky legislature formally charters Augusta on October 7.
Barrel #2688
A 13-year, 135.8-proof Buckner’s selection carries the Augusta story to Arkansas.
Look Again
Reading the Sticker
Some elements have a direct historical meaning. Others are best understood as visual interpretation rather than documented fact.
13
The age statement. The number identifies 13 years in oak. Its cultural connection with mortality—and Death being Major Arcana XIII in Tarot—may supply a secondary layer, but that artistic intent is unconfirmed.
The Central Skull
The visual anchor turns “Bones and Buckner” into an image before the title is even read. In the context of Augusta, it evokes the much older human history beneath the town.
The Surrounding Bones
The number of skeletal figures echoes accounts of extensive burials encountered as Augusta developed. The fantasy artwork is symbolic—not an archaeological reconstruction.
The Throne Figure
The artwork does not identify the seated man. No reliable source supports calling him Captain Philip Buckner or Abraham Lincoln. He works best as a symbolic founder, guardian or bourbon sovereign.
The Arkansas Diamond
The diamond and stars connect the Kentucky whiskey to the Bourbon Club of Arkansas. They place the club at the center of the scene without displacing the Augusta history.
The Bronze-and-Black Palette
Black, brown and antique bronze recall charred oak, aged wood, oxidized metal and mature bourbon. The colors allow antiquity, burial and barrel aging to occupy the same visual world.
A note of respect: the burial history involves Indigenous ancestors, not fictional monsters. Public archaeology and federal NAGPRA records connect this place with living Shawnee nations; the artwork is symbolic, never an archaeological reconstruction. This page avoids photographs of ancestral human remains and keeps nineteenth-century testimony distinct from modern archaeological findings.
Bourbon Culture
More Than a Tater Sticker
“Tater sticker” is bourbon-community shorthand for unofficial supplemental artwork attached to a private-barrel selection. The designs often draw from movies, music, local history, club personalities, internet culture and inside jokes.
Some exist only to be funny. Others give a barrel an identity beyond its proof and warehouse information. “Bones and Buckner” does considerably more: it connects the age of the whiskey with the founder behind its name, the ancient history beneath its hometown and the Arkansas club that selected it.
The result is dark and intentionally dramatic, but it is not random.
A Rare Release With an Older Story
The bones came first. Then came Buckner.
More than two centuries later came Barrel #2688—a 13-year Kentucky straight bourbon at 135.8 proof, carrying the Augusta name and its layered history back to Arkansas.
Age
13 Years
Proof
135.8
Barrel
#2688
BCA Allocation
55 Bottles
Historical and archaeological sources: City of Augusta history; Kentucky Archaeological Survey: Augusta; Kentucky Historical Society marker essay; Archaeological Research Institute investigation overview; March 2024 NAGPRA inventory; and December 2024 NAGPRA inventory. Payne’s account comes from Lewis Collins’s 1847 Historical Sketches of Kentucky, as reproduced by the city. Sticker symbolism beyond the documented age, Augusta history and BCA identity is identified above as interpretation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Buckner’s Barrel #2688 FAQ
What is Buckner’s Barrel #2688?
It is an Augusta Distillery Buckner’s Barrel Select identified as a 13-year Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey selected for a limited Bourbon Club of Arkansas release.
How old is Buckner’s Barrel #2688?
The selection carries a 13-year age statement.
What proof is Buckner’s Barrel #2688?
Barrel #2688 is listed at 135.8 proof, equal to 67.9% alcohol by volume.
How much will the BCA Buckner’s release cost?
The announced price is $219 before tax.
How many bottles of Barrel #2688 will be available?
Gary reports 78 bottles in total, with 55 allocated to the club and others held for future events and speakeasy pours. The original preview announced 50. These figures do not establish how many bottles remain available for purchase.
What was BCA’s announced allocation plan?
The original plan used five member tiers based on longevity, bottle-purchase history, posts, events and merchandise support. Gary’s subsequent review refers to members already awarded bottles for purchase. Check the official BCA group for current allocation information.
When will Buckner’s Barrel #2688 arrive?
The original preview expected October 2026. Gary’s subsequent October video reviews the actual bottled selection. Check the official BCA group for current purchase, pickup and event information.
Is this article the official BCA allocation post?
No. This article covers the selection, its story and Gary’s blind review. Members should follow the official BCA group for allocation results and purchase instructions.
Where will members pick up Barrel #2688?
Final retail and pickup instructions have not yet been announced. Mash & Vine Market has partnered with BCA on earlier releases, but its exact role for Barrel #2688 should not be assumed until BCA confirms it.
Bourbon Club of Arkansas
Watch the review. Follow the group for release updates.
With 13 years in oak, 135.8 proof and a reported yield of just 78 bottles, Buckner’s Barrel #2688 is a limited BCA selection. Gary’s blind review adds a closer look at what makes the whiskey stand out in the glass.
May the odds forever be in your favor.
Release timing, pricing, allocation, purchase limits and pickup details may change. This article is not the official member allocation post. Augusta Distillery and Buckner’s are marks of their respective owners. Bourbon Club of Arkansas is an independent club. Alcohol products are intended only for adults of legal drinking age. Please enjoy responsibly.
