Hannah’s Buffalo Trace Review
Original review written on December 27, 2019
GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
Give this one a try when you’re still new to bourbon/whiskey. But even at the inexpensive price, there’s no need to backtrack unless you’re curious. Unless you like spicy flavors, spend the additional $8 to buy Eagle Rare from the same Buffalo Trace Distillery. Read on for my full Buffalo Trace Review here! 81/100
VITALS:
– Made In: Frankfort, Kentucky, USA
– Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery
– Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
– Age: undisclosed
– Mash Bill: undisclosed; believed to be a low rye (<10%)
– Casks: Barrel Char #4
– Barrel Entry Proof: 124
– ABV: 45% (90 proof)
– Price: $25.95 USD in Idaho
Visit buffalotracedistillery.com for more information
ENJOYMENT METHOD:
I enjoyed the juice neat from a Glencairn glass with father and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer, Brian.
Check out his review for this bourbon here!
SETTING:
Bring the wild of the outside to an indoor pool where the air is sticky and full of humidity and chlorine. Buffalo Trace will ground you back to reality and give you the perfect change of pace as you sit comfortably in the bleachers, warm and content in your personal silence of distant whistles and filtered water lapping at the tiled edges of the pool.
Photo by Thomas Park on Unsplash
NOSE:
Even with the cork freshly removed, apples bloom from the bottle; however I will wait for the glass to further warm before firmly assigning the scent …
The apples do linger, but in a subtle capacity. They are dominated by a dark toffee/molasses and a pinch of white pepper, cloves, and nutmeg. I find a bitterness here too, not like a nut, almost more like a spicy raisin or a plum that has been canned and stored for a while. There’s a hint of dark licorice to accompany cedar notes and roasted corn.
There’s a lot going on here, most of which is dark in tone.
PALATE:
– Mouth Feel: Not the most impressive. A smidge watery, but it pops.
– Balance: Flavors are easy to identify, but it’s still an unusual blend.
– Visual: Crown weakens and begins to strengthen again with many legs dropping down.
– Taste: The first sip provides a fruit leather of either plum or blueberry before switching back to the spicy raisin from the nose. I also find maraschino cherries drenched in a fruit syrup which goes to dominate the palate in such a way that it is almost reminiscent of bubblegum – a flavor I don’t recall ever tasting in a bourbon before.
The nutmeg from the nose remains; it’s not bad, but it does make for a confused palate. I find a black pepper at the back of the throat which makes it even more interesting in contrast to these forward sweet flavors.
There is the smallest of alcohol tickles, but it could very well be confused for the spice.
A Kentucky chew brings the alcohol out and clears the sinuses, making other flavors actually appear weakened. Only the black pepper shows up here.
FINISH:
– Lasting Power: Short. There’s a bit of warmth in the mouth , but it doesn’t go beyond that. Maybe a roughness in the throat, but that’s it.
– Between Sips: A mix of black pepper, weak bubblegum and the essence of an apple. But overall, very weak.
– No More: The black pepper continues to grow the further in the glass I get, so much so that other flavors all but disappear. I think the pepper is very easy to confuse with an alcohol burn (or vice versa – maybe I’m the one who’s confused). But at 90 proof, it seems unlikely that the cheese-grater effect I feel in my throat is due to alcohol. But I could see the black pepper creating that sensation.
The empty Glencairn is a mellow oak – a little old and already shaped into its finish product but still teaming with bourbon warmth.
WORTH THE PRICE?
You owe it to yourself to try it, especially at how it is priced. It isn’t my favorite from this price bracket (Eagle Rare), but a bourbon drinker should be aware of one of the biggest bourbon distillery’s self-titled offering.
RATING: 81/100
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