Trader Joe’s Kentucky Bourbon
Ok, so why the hell am I reviewing a “store brand” bourbon? Great question. Last Summer, while stopping by one of my local stores to pick up some beer I decided to peruse the whiskey shelves to see what they had in stock…because, well, that’s basically what I do any time I walk into a liquor store regardless of the reason that brought me there. Anyways…I noticed a bottle of Buffalo Trace Bourbon on the shelf, so I picked it up and then moved over to the beer section to get what I really came for. I didn’t necessarily need a bottle of Buffalo Trace, but since they’re not as readily available as they once were, I tend to grab a bottle when I see it, that is, unless the retailer jacks up the price. But this is Wayne’s store (if you have read my previous posts, you will know who Wayne is) and he doesn’t play pricing games. Since I had the Buffalo Trace bottle in hand, I was approached by another store patron (for convenience, we shall call him “Deep Throat” going forward) who decided to share some bourbon intelligence (or, one might also say, provide unsolicited advice). Deep Throat’s demeanor became very hush hush and all of a sudden he leaned over and began to tell me how the Trader Joe’s store labeled bourbon was in fact a private labeled Buffalo Trace and only costs $14 (Note: it’s $16). As a man who has dedicated his life (yeah, I know, that’s a bit dramatic) to value whiskey, this piqued my interest.
Bourbon selection at Trader Joe’s
Fast forward a month or so and my wife was at Trader Joe’s. Having heard my story about Deep Throat, she sent me some pictures of their options to see which I wanted. There are two main bourbons (I’m not counting the “Tennessee Bourbon” towards the bottom right), the “Kentucky Bourbon Straight Whiskey” for $15.99 and the “Kentucky Best Whiskey” for $12.99. I was feeling a little flush that day so I directed her to splurge on the $16 bottle versus the $13 bottle, plus the latter was marketed as a “wheated” flavor profile and, since I was going to be comparing it to a Buffalo Trace, I figured this was the one that Deep Throat was referencing (yes, I know that Buffalo Trace makes wheated bourbons called Weller and Pappy, but there are already enough tinfoil hat theories on those bourbons so I’m not going to waste my time, or yours, on that subject).
The bottle itself is relatively plain and bullet shaped (not to be confused with a Bulleit shaped bottle). Many people on the internet immediately pointed out that it HAS to be Buffalo Trace because the bottle is the same shape as Stagg Jr. (now simply called “Stagg”), albeit with a screw top instead of the cork. This is quite the massive stretch as the store shelves are littered with brands that use this bottle shape (see here, here here here here here, etc…). They tend to be newer brands who are looking to minimize costs by using a simple, and rather cheaper, bottle shape. The internet is riddled with intelligence (theories, really) on who actually distills the bourbon that Trader Joe’s uses. The bottle itself says it is distilled at “Bourbon Square Distilling Company” in Louisville, KY. This is clearly a shell company used to create some distance between the private label (Trader Joe’s) and the distiller (or any other manufacturer that private labels). However, the overall consensus online seems to be that it is made by Buffalo Trace, or more specifically, by their Barton 1792 Distillery. There are some whiskey websites/blogs that I frequent who agree with this (here and here) and even some “news” sites like here, but like most things on the internet these days, it’s difficult to decipher what is fact and what is an echo chamber of people regurgitating other people’s theories to the point that it becomes accepted as a fact.
So in an effort to break the echo chamber (or, more likely, just to hear my own echo) weeks after I did my tasting notes, I did a head to head comparison with both 1792 Small Batch Bourbon and Buffalo Trace Bourbon to see how it compares and to see if I could determine whether it was sourced from one of these distilleries.
Before we get into the tasting, here’s what we do know. This is labeled as a Straight Whiskey so, by law, it is at least aged for 2 years. However, if it is under 4 years old and is labeled as “straight” then it needs to have an age statement with the actual age, which this does not have, so we know it is actually aged for at least 4 years. That’s some pretty smart sleuthing huh? BUT if I was really smart, I would have just looked at Mrs. Nice Sipper’s picture and noticed that Trade Joe’s markets this as at least 5 years aged. Whoops.
Time for the tasting.
ABV: 45%
How it smells…caramel, floral, and some alcohol bite.
How it tastes…mild to start with some corn & honey flavor and sweetness followed by caramel. The end has some cherry and cocoa notes with a decently long finish of sweet corn, baking spices, and some oak astringency, but just a bit.
Trader Joe’s Kentucky Bourbon TL;DR
Price....$16
Rating….🥃🥃🥃🥃
Final thoughts….This actually isn’t bad. To compare it to another mainstream bottle at its price point, Old Overholt, it’s leaps and bounds better and a buck or two cheaper. While Old Overholt is a Rye and this is a Bourbon, I’m talking about quality within their respective categories (if you want to know my full thoughts on Old Overholt, check out my review here). The smell is a bit rough as it has a rubbing alcohol scent without a lot of those wonderful vanilla or cinnamon notes that I equate with most bourbons. Beyond the rubbing alcohol, there was sweet corn and honey, and to be honest, it reminded me of a Dickel (not in a good way as I am not a Dickel fan). That said, the taste had quite a few things going on with the sweetness, cherry, cocoa and baking spices. Again, a little rougher on the end with some oaky bitterness. Nothing overly complex, nothing outstanding, but it’s $16! I can’t expect outstanding for $16, only serviceable and this is what this is, a very serviceable bourbon for the price.
I’m giving it a high rating of 4x 🥃 due to the price, but if it was pushing $30, putting it squarely in the price range of its perceived-cousins, Buffalo Trace and 1792 Small Batch, it would be a 2x 🥃 comparatively, which is a good segue to the head-to-head comparisons….but first I want to say one quick thing about tasting something on its own versus doing a comparative tasting where you are assessing one versus another or many others. In the “on its own” category, you are getting a true and real response to what you are experiencing at that moment. But when you have an array of options, you can get more hypercritical because you have options to reference against. For instance, you make take a sip of a Sprite soda and say “wow, this is really sweet!” but the next day you take a sip of Sprite and then follow it with a sip of Mountain Dew and all of a sudden the Sprite may seem mildly sweet in comparison. Moving on…
Head-to-Head Smell…Interestingly enough, I thought the Trader Joe’s resembled the smell of the Buffalo Trace a lot more than the 1792 Small Batch, just not quite as good. The alcohol smell of the Trader Joe’s becomes more nail polish-like when it’s followed by the other two.
Head-to-Head Taste…When stacked against these two other bourbons, the difference in taste becomes meaningful. The 1792 gives you more mouthfeel and is spicier, particularly with cinnamon and other baking spices while the Trader Joe’s comes across as very corn forward and sweet but also with some bitterness at the end. When compared to the Buffalo Trace, the Trader Joe’s comes across much harsher and younger as if it hasn’t had enough time in the barrel to clean up the spirit, while the Buffalo Trace is really smooth and a much more cohesive sip.
What does this all mean?....For me, I’m glad I tried the Trader Joe’s but I am probably not going to buy another bottle, although, I’m intrigued about the “wheated” cheaper bottle and I hear they have a barrel proof bottle that’s $30, and since this bottle wasn’t half bad, I’d be willing to give them a try for experimental purposes. That said, the $14 differential between a Trader Joe’s bourbon and a 1792 Small Batch or a Buffalo Trace Bourbon (if I can find it) is not a hill that I'm willing to die on so I will continue to pay up a bit for the branded products.
Is the Trader Joe’s Bourbon a Barton Distillery or a Buffalo Trace Distillery product? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Buffalo Trace and Barton make so much bourbon and have so many different brands that it is entirely conceivable that they private label some barrels that may not have developed the flavor profiles that they can use in their existing brands. On the flip side, it could be a handful of other large producers who have the output and quantity on hand to satisfy the large grocer. Whether Buffalo Trace or Barton distills the bourbon or not, this is a serviceable bottle of bourbon for the price. But if you are expecting this bottle to taste like your Buffalo Trace or 1792 bourbons, you will be disappointed.
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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