Sometimes I feel like the bourbon industry as a whole is becoming more intentionally deceptive. It’s not always a bad thing, because the VOSN line (without question the least forthcoming brand I’ve ever seen) is actually quite decent. This whiskey is the first time a Buffalo Trace product has tricked me. It’s like how a bunch of knock-off romance novels with “highlander” in the title hit the shelves right after “Outlander” premiered on Netflix. I know about Old Charter 8-year. I wanted to try Old Charter 8-year. But that is not what this is. This is a NAS straight bourbon whiskey called Old Charter 8. As a NAS straight bourbon whiskey, it legally must be aged 4 years, but it doesn’t taste much older than that. Also: this is the cheapest allocated bourbon I’ve ever laid eyes on. Limit one per customer, at $16.99 per 750 mL. We Americans have lost our damned bourbon-lovin minds. If you want to get a nose from this, you’re going to have to try pretty hard. There’s standard bourbon scents there, but they are severely muted. I get caramel, honey, and lemon. Body is sweet and gentle. Absurdly low burn. There’s sugar, caramel, smarties. I can get dusty leather too, but not in the same sip. Finish tingles the sides of your tongue, but it’s still very mild. If I had to pick a departing flavor, I’d say black pepper. So I take back every suggestion I’ve ever made for “first bourbon one should try if one isn’t into bourbon.” This is your entry level bourbon. And it’s not because it’s super good, because it’s not. But it is super accessible. What it does well is that it delivers a ton of classic bourbon notes with little to no heat. It really is like someone toned this down on ice, even though it’s neat. The downside is it’s so mild that I don’t find it all that interesting. I personally want more from a bourbon, and while this one doesn’t do anything wrong, it doesn’t blow me away at all. But even so, I’d prefer this to Jack, Evan Williams, all Beams except for SiB, and Woodford Reserve. It’s almost as if someone took a delicious mash bill and took it out of the barrel too soon. Because this is the communion wafer of bourbon, I’d be really interested to try this little guy finished in a port or Sauternes cask, and am definitely still interested in trying Old Charter 8 year, because the base juice is quality. Edit: I did my research. Apparently I’m not the only one who thought BT was up to some shenanigans with this one. A class action lawsuit was filed back in 2016 for this exact reason. So if you ever think I get a bit ornery in my reviews, just remember other people are out there making it rain lawsuits.