Tastes

On the nose this bourbon is light with a touch of honey and candied cherry. For being a 100 proof the nose is incredibly mild. Upon your first sip there is a light sweetness that is in tune with the nose of honey and and continues with the hard candied cherry. All of which are somewhat thin. The cherry note reminds me of sweet cherry cough drops I used to eat when I was a kid because I could get away with it by my mom. Not fantastic but not bad either. That fades quickly and a little spice shows up but just hints at the fact that it exists. While others have mentioned "plenty of Kentucky hug " I think the finish seems longer than it is just because of the heat but when it fades it makes you feel like you need another sip to make sure. There is the rub. So easy you keep pouring the next one. This drink is an easy bottled in bond to drink neat and could make an easy stealthy cocktail but it's nothing to write home about. Solid, priced right, easy to drink, and bottled in bond. Can't knock it. Won't knock it. This is a bottle that is worth the money that's charged for it and I will be able to easily convince myself to keep a bottle on the shelf for gits and shiggles.

What a solid rye. Very impressed by this. The palate is very approachable and not punchy or too hot at all. In the nose, you can immediately catch the influence of the Eight Immortals tea as it's layered well over a familiar baking spice nose and adds some depth. In the palate, it begins soft and light. I described it as "fluffy" to others. This gives way immediately to the hint of tea that compliments the rye incredibly well and adds some darker notes without the bitterness that sometimes accompanies them. This then fades to the familiar cinnamon note with the warmth of the whisky coming forward at this point and hangs through the finish which is medium in length. This whiskey may not be crazy complex but the addition of the tea has made this a fun, unique experience on top of a far too easy to drink rye. I would use this to introduce people to the possibilities of rye whiskey for sure.

This Buffalo Trace product is a solid well whiskey. While it may have a 70 rating here when considering the price of a handle is around 20 to 25, it's a hard one to beat. Not complex and thin but, honey graham cracker with a little toffee hits the spot. When trying to ward off the whiskey demons that want you to get into your good stuff, Benchmark swoops in to save a little bit of your collection to be drank another day.