Benchmark Full Proof Bourbon (125 Proof)

Picked this up yesterday. The neck pour on this was fine neat. Brown sugar, toasted oak, no discernible fruit, and searing spice and heat on the finish. The finish is long and gnerally not offputting. Added some water, and oh boy, muted all the flavors and amped up the heat. Hot mess that I finally put down with some diet coke. Final verdict, pick up something else for the money - Jim Beam distiller's cut, OGD 114,Buffalo Trace...

Full bodied fairly balanced. For a full proof at under 25 dollars this one is hard to beat. Lots of flavors from toffee, cinnamon a hint of oak and leather and some fruit notes blackberries. Honestly I hesitate to write such good things about it. Solid 3.5 hut with the price it is a 4 star

Butterscotch bomb

N: A woodwork shop - just lumber and sawdust and raw oak everywhere - sweet corn, candy corn, peach candy, cinnamon candy, walnuts, soap, pencils, and a good dose of ethanol, but maybe less than expected for proof and price. P: Caramel, butterscotch, Werther's Original, butterscotch pudding, white bread, creamy caramel swirled coffee, cherry/caramel cough drop (if such a thing does not exist, maybe it should), peanut shells, shaved almond and walnut, dried brown herbs, dash of citrus. F: Oak, cinnamon, caramel, sweet corn, dash of herbs, mild heat, plenty sweet. Surprisingly good. Overall effect that I think gets a bit lost in what I wrote above is that it does drink hot, but that's not surprising at 125 proof. What is surprising is that you can drink it straight - it's not so hot as to make that impossible. In fact, it's quite nice so long as you take it real slow. Of the Benchmark line I've tried now, I think this takes a close second to the Single Barrel - that one is just easier to sip with a touch more complexity - but this rings the bell if you want the higher proof. I wouldn't hesitate to grab another or recommend. ____________ Please come join an unofficial Distiller community on Discord (now one whole year old!): https://discord.gg/VSmCvzAQfH. We chat spirits (and other things) in real time while being a great resource to each other for recommendations, finding deals, and generally enjoying the journey together. (If the link is expired (it shouldn't be), please post a comment and I will gladly provide a new one.)

58

Surprisingly smooth for 125 proof

Nose: Carmel, a little bit of butterscotch. Palate: Carmel, vanilla, corn. Finish: Lingering sweetness with spice, a little chocolate. If you want a good value bourbon with some kick- this is it. Benchmark Full Proof delivers with the strength while staying true to its middle-of-the-road profile.