Rice Bourbon Whiskey and Oat Bourbon Whiskey – both of which contain malt and corn,  have been aged for over nine years and carry an ABV of 45% - are available in limited edition 37.5cl bottles, priced at $46.35.

Harlen Wheatley, master distiller at Buffalo Trace Distillery, said: “For this experiment, we were curious to taste what would happen when we substituted the rye grain in our traditional recipe with other grains like rice and oats.

“The results are very different from each other, and different than typical bourbon, but both are pleasant surprises.” 

There are 1,500 barrels of ‘experimental whiskeys’ in Buffalo Trace’s maturation storage but the Rice and Oat experiments yielded very little whiskey, some of which will be available in US stores during December.

According to the Kentucky distillery, the Rice Bourbon has a “very clean aroma” with “barrel notes of caramel and spice”, “a crisp flavour without any heaviness or oiliness” and  “a slight dryness near the end” providing a “quick finish”.

While the Oat Bourbon is described as having “a smoky nose with a rich aroma of toasted oats”, “smoke and hints of dried fig and stone fruit on the palate”, with an “earthy finish”.