Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Review: Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey   86.5/100
a review by Chip Dykstra (Aka Arctic Wolf)
Posted September, 2023

The Buffalo Trace Distillery is located in Frankfort, Kentucky and is the oldest (although unfortunately, not continuously running) distillery in the Unites States. There flagship spirit, Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon, was introduced by the distillery in 1999. This Bourbon is made (according to the website) from a mash-bill which consists of a healthy dose of Yellow Dent Corn for sweetness, a small amount of rye for spice, and malted barley mainly for the enzyme which aids fermentation. The distilled spirit is placed in selected charred virgin white oak  barrels and when mature the spirit is bottled at 45 % alcohol by volume.

I should note that when I last reviewed Buffalo Trace in 2011, the information provided to me for the mashbill was not quite in line with the current information. Then the makers of Buffalo trace touted the use of Indian Corn rather than the more generic Yellow Dent corn, and they also touted a very specific location in their aging warehouse where the Buffalo trace was placed to age. Again the information (if you watch the video on their website) has become more generic. I suspect that the rise in popularity of Buffalo trace requires a wider range of locations in the aging warehouse for the barrels needed, and I also suspect that the Yellow Dent Corn may not always be of the same specific variety (for the same reason).

My return to Buffalo trace is probably overdue.

In the Bottle: 5/5

The bottle presentation for Buffalo Trace Bourbon has all of the elements I like to see. Eye-catching graphics, a wax sealed cork, and a bottle which fits easily on my liquor shelf.this is a bottle that stands apart on the retail shelf catching your eye as soon as you see it. And it looks just as good on my whisky shelf.

In the Glass 9/10

Buffalo Trace is a coppery bronze whiskey which, when I poured into my glencairn and given the customary tilt and swirl shows us a thickened consistency which imparts a clearly visible oily sheen on the side of the glass. The crown of this oily sheen  releases moderately thick legs which crawl at a leisurely pace back down to the bottom of the glass.

The initial breezes above the glass reflect the fresh oak staves from the virgin wood in the aging barrels seemingly with sap still dripping from the wood. Butterscotch, vanilla, almond and corn, provide a pleasant sweet counterbalance to the more bitter notes of oak and sap. Hints of dark chocolate, bits of cinnamon, nutmeg and clove, and some leathery tobacco add complexity to the nose. The whiskey is at this point, better than I remember, and nosing the dram is a joyful experience.

In the Mouth 51/60

The flavour of the bourbon is a little thick and aggressive with the higher alcohol strength heating my palate and the sturdy oak tannins and sap having their way with my tonsils. I try to chew my way through the oak to get at the sweeter honey and corn but I have only limited success. I taste dry currants and pungent spices like cinnamon and clove; I also taste soft leather and green tobacco; and a layer  of unsweetened cocoa. I was a little disappointed however, that the sweeter flavours which the nose implied were playing coy with me. My palate yearned for more sweetness of butterscotch and vanilla, but was only partially sated.

In the Throat  13/15

The long finish is full of dark chocolate and pungent spice (nutmeg and cloves). Oak sap and tobacco speak louder than butterscotch and caramel. If your palate is more attuned to the bitterness of oak spice than to the sweetness of butterscotch this might be heaven. I, however find myself at the pearly gates looking for a sweeter way in.

The Afterburn  8.5/10

Buffalo Trace is a very good bourbon and my score has improved since I last tasted the whiskey. It walks along a more pungent and slightly bitter path than other bourbons I have sampled, but it also has a rich flavour that cannot be denied. I intend to mix old fashioned cocktails rather than to sip the dram neat or over ice, you can find my suggested recipe below.

You may read some of my other Whisky Reviews (click the link) if you wish to have some comparative reviews.

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Suggested Recipe

Aztec Old Fashioned Cocktail

1 1/2 oz Buffalo Trace Bourbon
Tsp Simple Syrup
Dash Angostura Orange Bitters
Dash Fees Aztec Chocolate Bitters
Large ice cubes
Twist orange peel

Add the first three ingredients to a rocks glass over the ice cubes
Rub the cut edge of the orange peel over the rim of the glass and twist it over the drink. (This will release the oil from the orange zest into the drink)
Drop the peel into the cocktail if desired.

Please Enjoy Responsibly!

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As always you may interpret the scores I provide as follows.

0-25 A spirit with a rating this low would actually kill you.
26-49 Depending upon your fortitude you might actually survive this.
50 -59 You are safe to drink this…but you shouldn’t.
60-69 Substandard swill which you may offer to people you do not want to see again.
70-74 Now we have a fair mixing rum or whisky.  Accept this but make sure it is mixed into a cocktail.
75-79 You may begin to serve this to friends, again probably still cocktail territory.
80-84 We begin to enjoy this spirit neat or on the rocks. (I will still primarily mix cocktails)
85-89 Excellent for sipping or for mixing!
90-94 Definitely a primary sipping spirit, in fact you may want to hoard this for yourself.
95-97.5 The Cream of the Crop
98+ I haven’t met this bottle yet…but I want to.

Very loosely we may put my scores into terms that you may be more familiar with on a Gold, Silver, and  Bronze medal  scale as follows:

70 – 79.5    Bronze Medal (Recommended only as a mixer)
80 – 89.5     Silver Medal (Recommended for sipping and or a high quality mixer)
90 – 95         Gold Medal (Highly recommended for sipping and for sublime cocktails.)
95.5+            Platinum Award (Highest Recommendation)