For $25-30 this is definitely a yardstick Bourbon. Not only is it a standard, but the Buffalo Trace Distillery is one of the oldest distillery sites left in the US and produces over a dozen labels other than their namesake, including the lazy-man’s favorite, Pappy Van Winkle. Their distillery is a tourist destination and they have a very snazzy website to match, complete with live web cams so you can watch all the distilling action at home.
For the ladies out there, if you’d like an opportunity to really disappoint your fathers, you can become a “Bourbunny” by sending a scantily clad picture of yourself to Buffalo Trace’s digital saloon. Members will vote on it and if they think you’re hot you could be crowned “Bourbon Babe of the Month”. At the end of the year you may even walk away with a cash prize.
While we’re blurring the line between Bourbon-centric entertainment and erotic photography, I can’t help but ask: if there’s a competition for the ladies why isn’t there one for the men? Sounds like the perfect opportunity to simultaneously challenge the sexual double standard while proving to my mother that she was a terrible parent. I mean, I’m pretty sure she already knows, but a little reminder from time to time couldn’t hurt. For my entry I could use a picture of me in my underwear… but I feel like this picture of me shaking a baby would be better at validating my low, low self-esteem. Chicks dig fatherly types, right? Please say yes.
Nose: A great standard Bourbon profile! Lots of honeyed corn stalk with vanilla, cranberry sauce, crisp raspberries and a little bit of malty pear on the high notes. Beefy toasted bread crumbs at the base, like a chicken fried steak. Some ylang ylang to balance out the rye spice. After a few minutes breathing I can smell some swiss cheese, horse and more jammy notes with amplified oak.
Palate: Charcoal, hot peppers and a medium dose of rye bread. Underneath that, a copper bowl full of raspberries muddled with some mint. Maraschino cherry syrup after a few more sips. Cooling oak-y finish with farmy clementines. Tangy copper sticks around well after the rest of the finish leaves the party.
This straight Bourbon bottling is a mix of corn, rye and barley, aged in air-cured staves for around 8 years, and blended from up to 40 casks. It has lots of malt on the nose and rye on the tongue, the exact ratios are a secret, which is odd considering their stance on educational drinking; Buffalo Trace does lots of awesome experimenting and releases some very ambitious, didactic bottlings. This isn’t just a yardstick Bourbon, this is a yardstick distillery.
Thanks to the kind folks at Buffalo Trace for the bottle! Cheers!!!
