Tastes

There's a lot of sweetness on the nose. Pleasantly sweet on the tongue as well. It has a smoky quality with classic caramel and vanilla notes. Slightly fruity and mild oak tones. Just a hint of tobacco similar to what I pickup in other Buffalo Trace offerings. A medium finish that has an almost maple syrup aftertaste. I paid too much for this on the secondary market, but with it's rarity in my area it was pretty much my only option for trying this allocated bourbon. This will definitely get added to my favorites list.

Weller Special Reserve is another allocated bourbon from Buffalo Trace that's hard to find here in Alabama. After passing on a $66 bottle in a liquor store I nabbed mine on the secondary market for $37. Just enough sweetness, with vanilla and cinnamon as it hits the tongue. Nothing extraordinary going on complexity wise. The oak notes are fairly mild and I pick up apple and red hots on the palette. The finish is short and just slightly bitter. I would put this one on similar footing with other wheated bourbons/whiskeys like Larceny and Bernheim, and for me it's a step above Maker's Mark.

Buffalo Trace bourbon remains a favorite for me. You can definitely taste the similarities with it's older more mature sibling, Eagle Rare. There's subtly sweet caramel and vanilla to start, then you get some smoky tobacco notes. Very mild ethanol flavor, with a medium finish that has no bitterness to speak of. Smooth and delicious, I always like to have a bottle of Buffalo Trace on hand.

This is a very tasty bourbon, especially when you consider it's under $15. Sadly it's only available in Kentucky. This one starts with earthy notes of sweet roasted corn. It's a bit earthy, maybe slightly floral. The oak and char are subdued, but still there. It has a medium finish with no bitterness. A fine bourbon at any price. Still count this as a favorite.

This remains a tried and true favorite for me. It starts off nice and sweet, with caramel and vanilla. It has some burn, but it's a good burn that lets you know there's some power in the proof. There's oak, char, and some leather, and a very nice spicy rye finish. I'm not sure you can do any better for the money than Wild Turkey. It's bold, and it can stand head to head against bourbons twice the price.

After initially loving Russell's Reserve, I'm not quite as in love as I once was. Still a terrific bourbon, but it's just not hitting the high notes that it did before. It's smooth, smoother than Wild Turkey 101, but lacks the WT 101's sweetness, which I enjoy. Also wish it had just a little more rye kick. There's notes of mature oak and a touch of leather and char. Finish is medium with very little aftertaste. This is still a favorite for me, but maybe not quite as far up the list as it once was.

Sweet toffee on the tongue. Loads of vanilla. A mild hit of oak and char. A little leather and tobacco, but not too much. A pleasant little peppery burn on the end. This is definitely a favorite pour for me.

There seems to be two schools of thought regarding Angel's Envy, it's either one of the best bourbons out there or it's one of the most over hyped bourbons on the market. My first pour puts me somewhere near the middle, but with a definite lean toward this being a very good pour. The nose is more ethanol than expected, but the burn doesn't shows up on the palette. I've seen this bourbon referred to as almost cloyingly sweet, but I think it's sweetness is just right and not overly sweet at all. It's one of the smoothest I've tasted, very easy to sip on. Mild almost delicate floral and dark fruit notes. There are hints of oak and char, but again very subtle. Minimal bitterness, with a short dry finish. So, I wouldn't say this bourbon presents anything mind-blowing as some suggest, I do think this is a great tasting, unique bourbon. I would happily sip this anytime, but at this price point it's probably not going to be daily.

Part of the famed Buffalo Trace mashbill #1, Benchmark NO. 8 is the younger sibling of such coveted bourbons as Eagle Rare, colonel E.H. Taylor, and George T Stagg. It comes in the humble plastic bottle with the not quite straight label, and in my neck of the woods it's a mere 11.99 for 750 ml. So obviously, aged only 3 years your not getting the complex flavors that come from 10+ years in the barrel and a sweet spot in the rickhouse, but what you do get is a mild, fairly inoffensive bourbon bargain. Nothing fancy here, just basic bourbon flavor, vanilla, a little oak and not much spice. The finish, unfortunately, has a bit of a medicinal taste. So maybe it borderlines on dull, but it gets the job done in a cocktail and if you're in the mood for something basic, it's fine for sipping too. I wouldn't recommend drinking this neat, much better on the rocks.