Benchmark Old No 8 @ 80 proof. 12.99 for 1 Liter Bottom of the shelf whiskey is bottom shelf whiskey,,,, yes or no? Well "maybe" is the answer but one thing about these bottles that have been around for many decades, they have staying power for a reason, cheap and dependable if not that great is still delivering value. Benchmark is an 80 proofer that drinks like a 90 proof, the black label belies the content being a mid grade offering yet this bourbons taste has more in common with a black label Beam or Evan than the weaker white and green label brethren. While there is nothing like a complexity of sweetness and woods or other flavors the bare bones of a bourbon whiskey stand up in notes of pepper carmels and oak just enough to pass as a slightly above bottom shelf white label bourbon. The heat and burn are evident in the finish but nothing beyond what the proof would warrant and thus there is little or nothing in the way of negative flavoring to dissuade from follow up drinks. While you wouldn't want to make Benchmark an every day drinker given what it is, at the price it is a real value and thus deserving of recognition.