Whisky Connosr
Menu
Buy Whisky Online

Buffalo Trace

A great balance of sweet and spicy.

0 687

@MatthieuReview by @Matthieu

11th Mar 2012

0

Buffalo Trace
  • Nose
    20
  • Taste
    23
  • Finish
    21
  • Balance
    23
  • Overall
    87

Show rating data charts

Distribution of ratings for this: brand user

Drunk neat.

Before I start, I'd like to thank Québec Whisky for the heads-up about the availability of this whisky in Québec.

Nose: The oak is strong here, with vanilla and toasted oak arriving first, with spicy rye forming the background. There is also a very slight mint that appears as I dip deeper in the glass.

Taste: The sweet corn hits the palate first, and it makes the body slightly syrupy. Not as much as a Canadian, but it's certainly the most sweet bourbon I've tasted until now. The rye spiciness appear gradually as the bourbon warms in the mouth, but it does not overpower.

Finish: Fruitiness, the spiciness, both coming from the rye. The warmth appears after the initial rye attack and it is of decent length.

I happen to like whiskys that show some sweetness, without being cloying. This is certainly one sweet bourbon, and it hits the spot for my tastes.

Would I buy it again? Yes. It is affordable(sub-40$ in Québec) and the I love its taste. It's not the most complex whisky I own, but it strikes a great balance between the tastes I'm looking for in a bourbon. Buffalo Trace is going to be the "bourbon-with-rye" in my cabinet.

Related Buffalo Trace reviews

6 comments

@kjarsit
kjarsit commented

I enjoyed reading your review, mainly because Buffalo Trace is my favorite every day bourbon. Neat is the only way to drink it. They don't call it Kentucky STRAIGHT Bourbon Whiskey for nothing. The only thing I disagree on is the score. I've had a lot of bourbons, and I give this a 92. The best part is it sells for $21.00 here in Iowa :)

12 years ago 0

@JeffC
JeffC commented

Nice review. I usually like Buffalo Trace too and have purchased a few bottles of it over the past few years. Unfortunately, I have noticed a large variation in quality. Some bottles I might give a score in the low 90s, others in the low 70s. I have been meaning to write a review but am waiting to get a better bottle than the one I have open now. I also find that after opening and having a few drinks, it helps to let it sit (cork in obviously) in my basement for a few months.

12 years ago 0

@Victor
Victor commented

@JeffC, you are one of the toughest critics and hardest graders I know. Why don't you write a Buffalo Trace review and tell the truth about ALL of your experiences of it? As you know, I have never bought 750 ml of Buffalo Trace, because my first 50 ml of it was not something I liked, at all. I've had other samples, given by you, mostly, that I liked much better. When you've been badly burned by a bottle of whiskey, which can sometimes happen even with a good whiskey, it is still hard to have confidence in what the next bottle of it that you purchase may taste like.

I will probably never buy a bottle of Buffalo Trace bourbon, not because it is usually bad, but because there are so many others that I like better. That said, I love and look forward to George T. Stagg, which is basically the hydrogen bomb version of Buffalo Trace.

12 years ago 0

@maltster
maltster commented

@JeffC, I actually like the Buffalo Trace as a standard Bourbon with a decent Rye kick and my currently opened bottle is a good example which I would rate about 85. I noticed exactly the same as you that they have very big variations in quality and that it improves when aerated (which is in fact the case with most of all "bolder" Whiskys). @victor, you should give the BT another chance as it really is a quality bourbon at a decent price - compared to the Stagg it´s obviously underpowered.

12 years ago 0

@Victor
Victor commented

@maltster, I did give Buffalo Trace another chance, and liked it a lot better. I don't dislike a good batch of Buffalo Trace at all, and would rate it in the 80s,...it is just that it doesn't draw me over others,...for example...at least 14 other bourbons I can count from the same distillery.

12 years ago 0

@maltster
maltster commented

@Victor, o.k I got your point...it´s really just a solid bourbon which is not exceptional in any of it´s qualities except the fact that it is reasonably priced and available in many Countrys...

12 years ago 0