Tastes

So this Benchmark series tasting run has been a fun ride, but now, unfortunately, the fun is over. The Small Batch, unlike it's pricier, higher proof shelf mates, will be where we draw the line on this group being a good, reasonable knock off of a better label, and the point where we've landed. This is just basically the Buffalo bottle juice in a Benchmark bottle. Nothing really to see here unless you are some gullible noob that thinks the BT namesake bottle is some great thing. This average BT juice is likely straight from the Buffalo barrels and nothing different, if you need some Buffalo Trace to mix with your coke, this bottle will suffice for you. I see no reason to bother with reviewing standard fare Buffalo Trace yet again, already been there, done that. I will say "hats off" to BT/Sazarac for the nice series and the nice juice you can get from this line, I think the 3(Full Proof,Single Barrel and Bottle and Bond) are all worthy and admirable offerings that you probably shouldn't overlook. I just have zero feeling toward the basic Benchmark and BT bottles, as they are the mix w/ cola and drink average stuff that warrants no real notice. I'm unlikely to bother reviewing the Top Shelf now as it's almost certainly to be another Benchmark/BT rickhouse barrel that just isn't anything special. After all it is the lowest proof and lowest msrp. But it was a fun respite from the normal sturm and drang grind of Saz/BT allocation madness. Cheers!

Round 3 for the Benchmark series, and the single barrel is up, a nice lite sweet nose of cinnamon honey on toast. The proof holds up for some of the corn sugars and legs on the glass. This may wind up being my favorite of the Benchmark expressions. Yep, up front indeed is the honey toast and litely dusted cinnamon, it's a very lively and balanced expression, more of sugars and very slight barrel wood notes reveal through the middle, this is some extremely drinkable bourbon. I'm going to say this is more like an EH Taylor than any other BT line, it certainly is more refined than the Stagg-Full proof and less sweet than the Eagle Rare-BiB. It's starting to add up now, they raided the better rickhouses for some younger juice that would layout a great spread and bring some real value to those who recognize what the Benchmark team is doing. So far its: Stagg(jr): Full Proof Eagle Rare: Bottle in Bond EH Taylor: Single Barrel So this is turning out to be a fun experiment brought to us by Buffalo Trace, perhaps a small token of apology for the failure of the BTAC line this year. Either way I'm going to be stocking up on more of these Benchmark series, and stay tuned for the Top Shelf-Small Batch finally's!! Cheers!

So after trying the BiB and deciding it to be a worthy, if low end, "poor man's Eagle Rare", next in line for me is the full proof. Off the top there is a load of richness, it shouts high proof from the nose, more of the sweet caramel vanilla in this than the cherry centric BiB. Hints of dry rye and barrell. A very inviting nose indeed. All that sugar comes rushing in at the front along with a great deal of the heat you should expect with the proof, very in your face with the high corn notes, a bit Stagg Juniourish? I can't argue. The bite of Stagg Jr certainly comes to mind. Through the middle comes the harsher notes, but cinnamon and barrell tannin are there. The finish isn't lasting and surprisingly mellow for the short rough ride you get. In fact this does remind me a lot of Stagg Jr, much more so than any other BT product, obviously it's the same mash, and if it isn't from that line I'd be highly surprised. Considering this runs well under half the price of what a Stagg Jr typically gets in demand markets these days, this is certainly another "deal" in the Benchmark special release line, and depending on your affinity of the short Stagg bottle, will appeal to you in kind. As a fan of the stout little bottle, I'm going to be socking a few of these away, just for when I feel like some Stagg on a not so special occasion. Another good effort from BT, hoping this becomes a trend. Cheers!

Starts with a rich cherry nose, in fact the cherry is more prevalent than just about any BT product I've consumed to date. Hints of cola, cinnamon and corn sugars, it's not refined but it is bourbon. At the front the cherry indeed hangs in there, the richness of a nice sweet cornbread and cola are the meat of this juice, and that cola nut hangs in through the finish. It isn't complex but it is rich and pretty good even though the finish doesn't come off as anything special. The 4 years and 100 proof are just enough to give it a true heavy weight booze feel and makes a somewhat similar(Evan BiB) seem harsh in comparison. This blows standard Benchmark out of the water and makes Buffalo Trace namesake bourbon seem pretty pedestrian too. Finally a Benchmark label product I can enjoy. I'd give it higher marks if it was bit more refined or complex but for a BiB under 25 dollars this really makes the BT distillery seem like they actually care about us for a change. The typical BT fan should certainly pick this up and even if doesn't appeal to you the way it has to me, you've at least got a cheaper bottle you can make some really nice cocktails out of. Talk about a poor mans Eagle Rare.. Definite recommend. Cheers!

Nose: Rich warm spiced apple pie leads, followed with cinnamon and hints of caramel and barrel toast. Front: Bursting sugars, brown and soft, arrive first, then the proof heat with the char and deep leathery oak notes, the sugars give way to some stout creamy textures and just a slight tannin hint. Finishes with sweet cinnamon heat. There is something distinct about Michters and whatever it is, you can detect it in this dram. I like what they've done here, it's very hardy without being overpowering, certainly showing some aging process. This sample was gifted by a friend as I have yet to see the full bottle of this in person. I think it's going to be one of those unicorns if you go looking for it, but if you so happen to luck across it, at a bar or shop, you will definitely want to try and obtain. Again it has a bit of that Michters 10 year, SiB, profile though it's certainly different enough to say it's not the same. Here's to well crafted bourbon. Cheers!

Managed to snag a 100 ml sample of this, not having the bottle in front of me is a bit irksome, but considering it was free, well, let's see what we can see. Lot's of sweet cherry-vanilla and caramel notes, sort of like a sweet Four Roses SB limited and Woodford Double oak combo, just a bit of root beer tone, not as hot-spicy as I would have guessed for the rye, but this is an extremely promising nose. Up front comes the great sugar combo, and wouldn't you know it, the rye spice is right behind, I do note something of a cola aspect in the middle probably a result of the well aged rye portion, but it's a very pleasant and well thought out balance. The sugars are less apparent on the finish with a bit of a warm cinnamon toast lingering at the end. While it is warm like the proof would suggest, I don't get any rough edges of an under aged juice, the aging of the source is readily apparent as even at the high proof it is fantastically pleasant heat going down. This is my first foray into the Bardstown line, and it did not disappoint! The flavors are really kind of astounding, reminds me of a good Old Fitz with an even sweeter front end and a bit more sugar complexity. If you can find it (and at a reasonable price) this is an easy recommend. Cheers!

Finally a fresh bottle of Bookers, these are hard to come by in my area, and a price under 90$$ is more than welcome. Mine tagged in right around 89, (big city inflation no doubt). On the nose, fresh orchard notes are abundant, green apple and pear, but "fresh" is the key. A bit of warm sweet brown sugar and caramel notes peak through. Full proof is the best and that's what you get with Bookers, I've never had a bad one, but I suppose there is always a first time. The orchard notes lead but give way to the very strong spice rack.. "cinnamon, allspice, clove, nutmeg", yes, that's accurate. Almost a bit of a high rye aspect without the common rye dill, the sugars follow warm and sweet, brown sugar and caramel, not really very unusual for Mr. Noe, and that's one of the reasons I bank on this bottle delivering. Probably less appealing than some of the fresh "baked" batches that have scored so highly, but still so hardy and even tempered in delivery. One of the easiest to sip full proofs you will find. A newly opened bottle with just a snit already taken off the top, I'm probably just going to enjoy this one and not sock it away. Still waiting to be disappointed by the simple wood box, for any hard core Bookers enthusiast, it's an easy recommend. Cheers!

A very dark amber glowing bottle, Fiddler is from ASW, another local Georgia startup distillery trying to break into the market. Reputed to be a blend of high wheat and high malt (malts of various grain) the blending apparently leads to the name "fiddling". The nose gives a big sour mash note not unlike Beam, some dark sugars and malt spices also blend in nicely, making for a relatively pleasant bouquet. First and foremost we get that wheated sensation, nearly a Larceny like front, the sugars are prevalent and hold on through to the end, while malty spices take over for the wheat. The advertised nutmeg and perhaps a feint orchard note get the larger share of the finish. The dark malt chocolate tones are present but not overpowering. A pretty fair attempt for a new label and an interesting, reasonably balanced, blend to say the least. The one thing the experienced bourbonir will not be confused by are any well aged components, because there aren't any. I'd say the blenders did a nice job working with what they have, this is all young product that while delivering a pretty decent profile , will not be bumping aside any 9 to 13 year or even better aged juice. Like their counterparts up the road a piece in Chatanooga who are banking on Solera over aging, using a nice blending process in no way makes up for those many years of good ole warehouse time. I'd say the malted fans will probably get better mileage out of this bottle than the wheat fans of Weller. Given you can find this in the low 30's it's an interesting enough dram to make it worth your time and effort to pick one up, just to try out a good, if young, blend. Cheers!

The nose has an interesting mix of dusty old barn oak with sweet peppercorns and some dark maple syrup aroma rising up through it. Some herbal aspects, anise maybe, I can't put my finger on, and dark red fruit or currant, it's delicious and something about it is very familiar. The front is loaded with the dark sugars, maple, caramel vanilla, they are all there, mid way through we get that peppercorn heat, just bordering on a redhot cinnamon but not quite crossing over. The finish is roasted almond, with black pepper, feint vanilla caramel sugars can be detected but yet it's a dry finish. This is extremely well executed bourbon. This has a mature finish quality that doesn't waver, it just keeps on keepin on for days. I know I've had this before. There is a lot of speculation as to what this is, after all a 15 year Kentucky barrel is not something being bandied about these days. I don't get enough peanut shell or sour mash for this to be Beam, and not enough of the really rich fruit sugars to be Barton. Nothing from Sazarac, nor Four Roses, there aren't a lot of choices left. If I had to bet, I'd say this is Heaven Hill and specifically out of the Old Fitz warehouse. So is it great bourbon? Absolutely, as for the value.. and that said, an Old Fitz and less than 10 dollars a year, you do the math. Cheers!

Nose: Rich honey dew sweetness, as it opens up you get some buttered corn with the grain alcohol ethyl being notable, just a tinge of a lime note, perhaps some of the barrel tannin creeping in. Front: this is salted butter corn on a Dickel level, it is after all, a 99% corn mash, as we get to the back of the mouth, the lime note kicks in, not sure what MGP is using for barrel wood here, it almost has a walnut aspect. The very salty butter corn stays in play through the finish, vanilla and dark sugars are extremely light but detectable. All of that high salt butter and base tartness of lime make for an interesting if extremely unusual profile. MGP know's what they are doing, no question, but that 1% malt means some chemical reagents are needed to get the fermentation complete(as any Fred Noe student can tell you). Can't help but wonder if some of the odd flavor angles are a product of added chemicals. Hooten & Young are another Service Veterans co startup, in the vein of Star vodka and Leadslingers, however they are at least attempting something respectable by going out and procuring 12 year old MGP juice, I'm just not sure what MGP was thinking aging a pure corn to that length. That aging does make this a pleasantly sipable whiskey in an old fashioned corn lighting style, but not one that will rock your world the way an Old Fitz or BTAC bottle can. A decently executed startup even if perhaps a bit lacking in vision. Cheers!