Buffalo Trace Bourbon

Bourbon, in general, is one of the best bargains in liquor. The quality and variety of bourbon available for under $25.00 is staggering when compared to Single Malt Scotch.   

A Quick Lesson on Bourbon

To be considered bourbon, whiskey must meet the following requirements.  

• It must contain at least 51% corn
• It must be aged in new charred oak barrels
• It must be aged at least two years, four years to be called "straight bourbon"
• It can be no more than 160 proof (or 80% ABV)
• It may not contain any additives, beyond water to control proof 

Contrary to popular belief it does not need to be made in Kentucky, though a great deal of it is. Another misconception is that Jack Daniel's is bourbon. It is not, it is Tennessee Whiskey. You can read more about that here.

Buffalo Trace Distillery

The Buffalo Trace Distillery, previously known as Ancient Age, is located in Frankfort, Kentucky and has been in existence since 1787. The distillery has a capacity of 14.3 million gallons of spirit per year.  

Buffalo Trace's willingness to experiment and take chances has put them at the forefront of American whiskey distilling and has won them a number of awards. They were the first American distiller to release a single barrel bourbon, the delicious and readily available Blantons. Their flagship bourbon is Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.  

The Whiskey

Buffalo Trace is a 90 Proof (45% abv) Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

This is simply great whiskey. The color is deep gold and amber.  

It has a complex nose, which includes leather up front with hints of vanilla, sweet corn, and oak char.

In the mouth Buffalo Trace is soft, but full of flavor. All of the components one expects in a great bourbon are there in perfect measure; sweet corn, vanilla, fall spices, dried fruit and damp leaves. This is a complex yet easy drinking whiskey.   

The finish is spicy and dry.

Overall

I can't say a bad thing about this whiskey and at under $25.00 it is a great introduction to the world of bourbon. It is also a great place to start investigating the wonderful range of Buffalo Trace Whiskey's currently on the market.

I give this a 8/9 value to quality rating.

A $20 Single Malt, Really?

On a recent trip to the store I noticed a bottle of Tamdhu 10 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky for $19. Can a decent bottle of single malt be had for under $20? I had to find out.

What is it?

Tamdhu is a distillery located in the Speyside region of Scotland and its product is primarily used as a blending malt in the Famous Grouse, J&B and several other blends. The distillery produces over a million gallons of distillate a year, which is likely a chief reason for the low price.

How is it?

To my suprise this doesn't taste like vodka that has been passed through a slice of bread. Instead, Tamdhu 10 smells slightly of orange and barley. You really have to breath deep to get to the bottom of it. It is clean and doesn't smell of raw spirit like some other young whiskys. Cut with a little water you can begin to sense some peat on the nose, but it resides mostly in the background.

The taste is somewhat lacking in complexity. It doesn't taste bad and in fact is so inoffensive it comes off a little bland. There is a nice clean hint of butterscotch flavor, which is very nice.  The mouth feel is rather exceptional, with a slight oiliness that warmly coats the tongue.

The finish is sweet with a touch of Speyside chocolate and honey, but it is short and dissipates rather quickly.

Overall

This is by no means a bad bottle of scotch.  It is not great either. If you are having some friends over and plan to put away the better part of a bottle, this will certainly do. If you want to contemplate a glass for a half hour and find the deep nuanced flavors and aromas this is not the one. That is just my opinion, check out the New York Times review. Really, for $20 you can't beat this in the single malt category.

I give it a 9/6 value to quality rating.