Buffalo Trace

This is a review of standard Buffalo Trace Bourbon, which has no age statement, but is generally considered to be no fewer than 6 years old, and up to 9 years old. I was recently given a 70% full recently opened bottle from a friend. This is my first ever owned 750 ml bottle of standard Buffalo Trace, and my first review of it. Why? About 9 years ago, in about 2008 I bought a mini of standard Buffalo Trace bourbon which was horrible. This put me off from standard BT for a couple of years. Later I tasted from at least three bottles owned by friends of mine with highly variable taste profiles and highly variable quality levels. All were much better than had been the mini, but I still didn't want to chance buying a full bottle. . Standard Buffalo Trace Bourbon uses Buffalo Trace Distillery's Mash Bill # 1, which has a rye content of approximately 10%. This is among the lowest rye content used by any distillery in the bourbon industry for rye-containing bourbons. Approximately 95% of all bourbons produced use 8-38% rye as the "flavoring grain" along with 5-15% malted barley for enzymes to catalyze the conversion of the grains' starch into sugars. The remainder of the grain recipe, a minimum of 51% by US federal law, up to just under 80%, also by law, is corn. Usually with standard, i.e. rye-containing, bourbon, nearly all of the flavours one encounters derive from new oak aging or from rye grain. Barley always blends into the background, and corn usually blends into the background too, despite frequently comprising 75% of the grain used. Buffalo Trace Mash Bill # 1 is different from most bourbons in that the very low 8-10% rye content frequently allows corn to be actually tasted in the bourbon

Nose: this is the woodiest batch of Buffalo Trace which I have ever tasted. Natural caramel, oak flavours, and vanilla dominate. They are quite refined and beautiful. There is no more than a hint of rye here. The corn, often very noticeable in standard Buffalo Trace Bourbon, is just about invisible in this particular batch. This is a first-rate bourbon nose. Water added brings out confectioner's sugar increased sweetness, and is a beautiful variation. Score: 22.5/25

Taste: even more wood influence in the mouth than in the nose; lots of wood tannins, more than I would like, though not quite enough to ruin the experience. This batch reminds me a lot of Stagg Jr., the first, excessively tannin-laden batch of Stagg Jr. I can just imagine what a steam-roller this batch of BT would taste like at 65% ABV. This batch will divide the wood lovers from those who don't like to taste a lot of wood. Tannins, caramel, vanilla, oak, wood spice...all are strong. The corn has disappeared from this batch, except for the thick body which it gives. Water added mutes the wood flavours somewhat and lowers the pitch. This is different in the mouth with water added, but not necessarily better. Score: 21/25

Finish: the wood tannins evolve more and more acidity and bitterness as they sit long in the mouth. Water added tames the wood flavours somewhat. Score: 20/25

Balance: lovely balance in the nose; overly wood-tannic in the mouth. Score: 20/25

Total Sequential Score: 83.5 points

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Strength: relatively strong flavours in all stages of tasting. Score: 23/25

Quality: very good wood flavours which become overdone in the mouth. It is hard to talk about grain flavours because in this batch the wood makes them nearly impossible to taste. Score: 22/25

Variety: excellent variety in the nose; limited variety in the mouth. Score: 20/25

Harmony: once again, the harmony is excellent in the nose, but excessive wood tannin throws off the balance in the mouth Score: 17/25.

Total Non-Sequential Score: 82 points

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Comment: I have lots of thoughts about this particular bottle of Buffalo Trace, about standard Buffalo Trace bourbon in general, and about standard BT in the context of the full BT line o products. At first, I thought that this was my favourite batch of standard Buffalo Trace bourbon, but repeated tastings made me realise that this batch overdoes the tannin in the same way as did the first batch of Stagg Jr. bourbon, from the same distillery. My thoughts about standard Buffalo Trace Bourbon are now about the same as they were in 2011: It is quite batch variable. At its best it is quite nice. At its worst it is sort of nothing-y on one extreme, or overly-tannic, as is this batch, on the other. I have several times stated over the years, on Connosr.com, that I like standard Buffalo Trace Bourbon OK, but that I like almost every one of the other dozens of bourbons made by Buffalo Trace Distillery better. That is still true

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