Benchmark Top Floor Bourbon (86 Proof)

BENCHMARK TOP FLOOR *NOSE: Surprisingly light in color with a lot if heat. Lots of Wood (Oak, Cedar, Sawdust) dominates with lighter notes of Vanilla, Brown Sugar, and Orange Peel. *NEAT: A Thin Watery Mouthfeel delivers muted flavors of Vanilla, Cinnamon, Slightly Bitter Tannins, and an almost Peaty Campfire Char. Slightly Bitter Finish of Oak and Mint/Menthol that coats the Palate. *SPLASH: A little water really helps. The Orange Peel becomes dominant on the nose and is joined by Grape Jelly (but still that pesky heat). Those Fruity notes join the palate as well and the overall character becomes Sweeter. It also gains a nice Peppery Spice/Tingle. *VERDICT: This was saved by a little water. This reminded me of Ancient Age (which gave me the camphor/menthol note on the finish), but also EH Taylor (which gives me the jelly notes). Talk about a swing! Definitely an outlier in this series, but at $18 it’s also the least expensive (along with the Small Batch which will get reviewed soon). So far, my least favorite of the bunch.

Nice value whiskey to start this off and set expectations. Nose for me is pretty much dominated by ethanol with a bit of cinnamon and baking spice. Palate is hard to figure but for what I assume is young bourbon about what you expect hints of fruit,grain and spice. Finish strong licorice a hint of anise and lingers a hit with not a lot of burn. Not bad for what it is. Tried multiple times neat but this was with 2 drops of water

For the price point this is a solid and easy sipper but nothing memorable.

Easy sipper. Nothing to write home about, but really good for the price point.

With the lower proof this one goes down pretty easy.

Nose: Lighter sweet corn notes, some vanilla. Palate: Corn diving quickly into the grain. Overall sweet. Finish: Oak, grain, lingering pepper, and spice. Aging at the Top Floor definitely does something different. Benchmark Top Floor, like the rest of the line-up, is a great value bourbon that offers something slightly more compared to standard 80 proof Benchmark.