Buffalo Trace Review

Buffalo Trace is the bottle that gets recommended when someone asks for “a good bourbon that isn’t silly money”. It’s a straightforward bourbon from a distillery that makes a lot of the most hyped bourbons in the world.

That second part is where it gets interesting, because the same distillery makes the bottles people queue for.

The distillery behind the hype

Buffalo Trace is in Frankfort, Kentucky, on the Kentucky River. It’s owned by the Sazerac Company, and it has been making whiskey on the site for more than two hundred years. The name comes from the buffalo trails that once crossed the area. The distillery makes a long list of well-known brands including Eagle Rare, Blanton’s, E.H. Taylor and, famously, the Van Winkle bourbons.

The flagship Buffalo Trace is a Kentucky straight bourbon, bottled at 45%, with no age statement. It’s made from a low-rye mash bill, which means mostly corn, a small amount of rye and some malted barley. That tends to give a sweeter, softer style than high-rye bourbons.

The honest question

A bottle like this doesn’t need a lot of hype. It’s the one that lets you see whether the distillery’s reputation is justified by the basics. If the base bourbon is good, that’s a decent sign. If it’s merely OK, then the hype is mostly about scarcity.

Trying it

I tried this neat and in a Manhattan. It has a big reputation because of the distillery’s other bottles, so I wanted to see if the basic one holds up. It does.

Nose: Vanilla, a little mint and brown sugar. It smells sweet and clean. No harsh alcohol note.

Palate: Sweet and smooth, with caramel and a light spice. A touch of oak at the end. It’s balanced and straightforward, and not too hot at 45%. It’s not complex, but it’s well made.

Finish: Medium, soft and slightly dry. It fades cleanly. A drop of water didn’t change much, which says it’s balanced already.

Where it sits in the bourbon lineup

Maker’s Mark is softer and wheated. Woodford Reserve is spicier. Four Roses Small Batch is fruitier and a bit more complex. Elijah Craig Small Batch is stronger and richer. Buffalo Trace sits in the middle: balanced, sweet and straightforward. That makes it a good reference bottle for comparing others.

Availability and price

A 70 cl bottle usually costs about £26 in the UK. For the quality, that’s very good value.

Unlike the famous limited releases from the same distillery, Buffalo Trace itself is usually easy to find, although it has sometimes been in short supply in some markets. If the price is much above the usual, the value case gets weaker, because there are plenty of similar bourbons.

Who it is for

It’s for people who want a reliable bourbon at a sensible price. It’s also a good starting point for cocktails. It’s not for those who want something unusual.

The reference bourbon

I think of this as a reference bottle. It’s the one I compare other bourbons against, because it sits in the middle: not too sweet, not too spicy, not too woody. If a bourbon tastes better than Buffalo Trace, it’s doing something right.

Neat, over ice, in a cocktail

Neat, it’s pleasant. Over ice, it’s good, and the mint note is a bit clearer. In an Old Fashioned or a Manhattan it does its job very well. It’s one of those bottles you can use for anything.

At around £26 it’s close to perfect value, and I’d say it’s the first bourbon I’d recommend to a newcomer.

Last word

Buffalo Trace is the sort of bottle that gets overlooked because it’s so common. It’s on every shelf, and nobody posts about it. I think that’s a shame, because it’s a very good bourbon at a very fair price, and it’s the benchmark I’d use for anything else.

If I had to pick one bourbon to take to a desert island, it might be this, mostly because it does everything well and nothing badly. It’s not the most exciting choice, and I’d be perfectly happy with it. For a whiskey that costs about £26, that’s a big compliment.

Verdict

Yes. It’s a solid everyday bourbon. I’d buy it again without hesitation.