by Hai Shunxi

Created on: December 31, 2009

My liquor cabinet probably suggests that I enjoy a wee dram o’ single malt of an evening, but I remain an equal-opportunity sipper: whisky or whiskey, depending on my mood. After all, Mom’s a Kentucky girl and, although her side of the family is more likely to drink whiskey from a Mason jar, I have a soft spot a sucker for good bourbon. I’ll happily take it neat if it’s a small-batch bourbon like Knob Creek or Basil Hayden, but I’m also fond of the occasional manhattan. I may refuse to mix the good stuff with anything, but I also refuse to drink rotgut (you know, plastic 1.75 liter bottles for $9.99). So my mixin’ whiskey (as opposed to my sippin’ whiskey) is generally a second-shelf bourbon like Maker’s Mark or Wild Turkey.

Lately, it’s been Buffalo Trace, a 90° (45% ABV) straight Kentucky bourbon that's distilled near the capitol of the Bluegrass State, Frankfort (in, naturally, a dry county). I’d never heard of Buffalo Trace until recently, but the distillery has been in business for two centuries –- one reason they seem “new” is that the distillery changed its name from George T. Stagg to Buffalo Trace ten years ago. The distillery's new name comes from a trace, or rough path, that great buffalo herds carved through the woods along the Kentucky River; a trail also used by westward-bound settlers in the 18th century. Instead of being rectangular, the bottle's label duplicates the irregular shape of the trace and bears a finely-detailed drawing of a buffalo.

Whatever its history, the “new” distillery and its namesake brand have been collecting whiskey awards like small change ever since Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon was first released in 1999. Buffalo Trace is distilled with Indiana and Kentucky corn and Midwestern barley, and is bottled in small batches of 25-30 barrels (53 gallons per barrel). Geographic availability is limited, another reason why I wasn’t familiar with the brand. At about 20-24 $US for 750ml, its price is comparable to or slightly lower than that of Maker’s Mark.

TASTING NOTES:

*The Pour*  Buffalo Trace pours deep gold with the hint of copper that’s typical of straight bourbon whiskey. The color is reminiscent of the reddish hue of Black Hills Gold.

*The Nose*  Oak and vanilla are dominant; with a faint hint of brown sugar and a substantial alcohol “kick.”

*The Taste*  Relatively sweet, repeating the brown sugar aroma. Oaky notes linger; a mild, not serious, alcohol bite.

*The Finish*  Medium to long, smooth, and fairly dry; very faintly astringent.

Buffalo Trace is a classic Kentucky Bourbon that sits proudly on the second shelf. It doesn’t reach the smoothness or subtlety one would expect in a whiskey to be taken neat or with a little water, however it mixes quite well with good vermouth to make an evening’s manhattan.

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