Buffalo Trace

Buffalo Trace may be the most exciting distillery in the USA right now - or, if you listen to Jim Murray, in the world. They create a huge range of whiskies of various ages - but this one is their signature, basic, most available bourbon. I took a sick day today (nasty cold, though the bourbon helps!) and also, my new MacBook Pro arrived, so I get to post these notes through my new computer!

The colour is coppery with amber highlights. On the nose, buttered popcorn! Also, lots of oak, vanilla and burnt sugar. Very herbaceous (mint, oregano). But oak keeps pouring off of it. This is a good bourbon nose; water softens it and highlights the corn.

On the palate, the vanillas are tamer, but the oak is stronger. There are hints of minty mouthwash...and grapefruit? Water softens the palate as well as the nose.

The finish is long and peppery and somewhat mouthdrying - not too sweet but just sweet enough. This is an excellent everyday bourbon; I put it well above Jim Beam, Bulleit and most other standard bourbons (though perhaps not above Maker's Mark - with whose pen I wrote these notes!) And it has helped me get through a yucky day of sneezing, sniffling, and file transferring.

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