Distillery: Buffalo Trace

Region: Kentucky

ABV: 63.2%

Age: NAS, 8-9 years

Price: $60

Color: 1.6, Mahogany / Henna Notes

Nose: Thick, syrupy molasses (it feels thick and syrupy just smelling it) along with cinnamon. There is some almost medicinal note to it that I can’t quite place. I first thought of a cola or licorice, but I was leaning toward root beer right at the end. Alcoholic root beer, can you go wrong with that?

Palate: The thick and syrupy feel from the nose does translate itself to the palate. This one has a really thick and smooth mouth feel. Cola stands out as a big note in here along with some cinnamon and dark chocolate. With a bit of water, notes of rye really come out and dominate.

Finish: Medium in length with a lot of fresh oak spice. There are some notes of fresh dark cherries.

Conclusion: Bourbon usually isn’t my choice of poison (I think it has to do with how much corn goes into a bourbon) but I did enjoy this one quite a bit. The lovely medicinal notes in the nose were really inviting and the muted sweet notes from the cola / chocolate were delicious. I wish that there was a little bit more complexity to the flavor palate beyond being dark and bold, perhaps some vanilla or honey, as it would have taken this to a really high level. For being bottled at a crazy high 63.2% ABV, I was surprised how smooth this was.

Final Score: 78

American whiskey review #1, Bourbon review #1, Whisky Network Review #32

Scoring Legend:

• 96-100: The perfect dram, nectar of the gods.
• 90-95: Near perfect, there is something truly special about this whisky.
• 85-89: Amazing, will always try to keep a bottle of this in my collection.
• 80-84: Very Good, maybe only one minor nitpick about the whisky keeping it here.
• 75-79: Good, quite enjoyable to drink.
• 70-74: Solid, wouldn’t go out of my way to get it.
• 60-69: Meh, still drinkable.
• Below 59: If you have a bottle of this, start cooking with it instead.