Buffalo Trace Bourbon
Our next review is for Buffalo Trace Bourbon, a bottle that was always a staple on my home bar and was readily available at any liquor store. Then increased consumer demand for bourbons and the limited supply that ensued put this bottle on allocation. For those new to the whiskey world, “allocation” is one of the most feared and vile words a bourbon drinker can hear from his local liquor store. It means that instead of free-flowing supply, where you can just pop on down to the corner store to pick up your favorite bottle of XYZ Bourbon, states and/or liquor distributors only get a set amount of cases/bottles and thus, supply at your local store will be infrequent, or limited at best. Since Buffalo Trace disappeared from the shelves of my local stores, I moved on to other bottles (Eagle Rare 10 in this case, but of course that one is now on, gasp, allocation).
Buffalo Trace is an easy-sipping bourbon that was also very affordable at $25 (back then). The price has increased over the years, but I can still find it for about $35, plus or minus a couple of bucks. The Kentucky straight bourbon is the namesake release for the Buffalo Trace Distillery, which in itself owns many of the hard-to-get bourbon and rye brands including Blanton’s, the various Van Winkle releases, Weller, Elmer T. Lee, etc. (see full line up here).
Buffalo Trace, the distillery, is a bit tight lipped when it comes to their mash bills, but of course the internet has its theories. Since we are sipping a rye bourbon today, we will focus on those. Mash Bill #1, or the “low rye” mash bill, is believed to have only 10% or less of rye as the flavor grain. The brands that use this recipe are thought to be Buffalo Trace Bourbon (today’s bottle) as well as the Staggs, Eagle Rares, E.H. Taylor releases, and the Benchmark lineup. Mash Bill #2 is the “high rye” recipe with, what is believed to be, 12% - 15% rye. Calling this a “high rye” recipe is a little funny as it is not a lot of rye, especially when compared to other “high rye” bourbons which tend to be 20% - 35% rye range. As the flavor grain, the rye is going to give the bourbon those spicy notes, with both peppery and baking spice flavors. So one can infer that with the higher level of corn in the mix, the bourbons should be a bit on the sweeter side, but there are plenty of parts of the bourbon-making process that can shape the overall flavor profile, so I wouldn’t take this as a hard and fast rule, but instead, something worth noting.
This is a Non-Age Statement (NAS) release which means it is likely a blend of barrels of varying ages. The internet is all over the place on this, some sites claiming it’s a blend of 4-6 year old bourbon, some say 6-8 years, and some 8-10 years. What we do know for certain is that it is at least 4 years old. How do we know this? The label states that it is a “Straight Bourbon”, which means it is aged for at least 2 years, BUT if it is a straight bourbon under 4 years old, it needs to have the specific age stated on the label, which it doesn’t. My guess is that it is made from 6-8 year old bourbon for no other reason than the color and the taste when compared directly to the Eagle Rare 10 which is believed to be the same mash bill and, of course, is aged for a minimum of 10 years.
Time for the tasting.
ABV: 45%
How it smells…vanilla and honey sweetness with cherries, butterscotch and some floral/perfume notes.
How it tastes…traditional bourbon profile that tastes much like it smells. Vanilla and honey sweetness kick it off and then the baking spices kick in with some cinnamon and cherries towards the end. There’s just enough oak on the finish to tie it all together along with a bit of a malty sweetness that lingers on your tongue with some of those baking spices staying around.
Price..$35
Rating...🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃
Final thoughts…Buffalo Trace Bourbon holds up. It has been a while since I bought a bottle of this so I wasn’t sure whether, as my bourbon drinking has matured over the years, the sip was going to be as good as I remembered or if, at the time, it was more of a young love situation. It is certainly on the sweeter-and-less-spicy side of the bourbon world, so if you prefer, or are expecting, a big blast of bold rye flavors, then you may be disappointed. But what I like most about this sip is the balance. It is a light, easy sipper but still manages to have a lot of nice flavor. Sweet, but not overly sweet. A touch of spiciness, but warmly present throughout the sip and not hot, and then flashes of supporting flavors from dark fruits to toffee & caramel and a touch of malt.
At my $35 price, I like this at a 5x 🥃 rating. If some liquor stores are getting overly greedly and marketing up to the $45 range, it’s probably a 3x 🥃. Anything above that and I would recommend spending your dollars elsewhere. As much as I like this sip, I hate overpaying and I certainly don’t like to reward greedy liquor stores with my money.
Nice Sipper Ratings Reminder…
All ratings are done on a scale between 1x 🥃 and 5x 🥃 according to the following criteria
1x 🥃 = I don't like this at all and/or not worth the cost by a mile.
2x 🥃🥃 = This is "meh" and/or slightly overpriced.
3x 🥃🥃🥃 = This is good stuff and/or the price is right.
4x 🥃🥃🥃🥃 = This is wonderful and I'm always keeping it in stock especially at this price.
5x 🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃 = This is amazing and/or this is way underpriced for the quality of the experience.
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