Review

Buffalo Trace

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Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
45% ABV/90 Proof
$20 to $25
Widely Available

What the Distillery Says
Light bronze in color with streaks of gold, Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey bears a complex aroma of vanilla, mint, and molasses. Its taste is pleasantly sweet and contains notes of brown sugar and spice that give way to oak and leather. The long and dry finish has significant depth. When enjoyed with water, flavors of toffee, dark fruit and anise are revealed.

What Richard Says:
Nose: It takes a little water to open the nose up but when you do you’re rewarded with fruity sweetness, cereal notes of corn, cherry blossoms, honey, vanilla, and a hint of mint.
Palate: Smooth, measured, and flavorful. Creamy, vanilla, and oak. Classic bourbon.
Finish: Dry. It fades away slow and steady.
Comments: Wow, I can’t believe it’s taken us this long to review Buffalo Trace! It’s been a personal favorite of mine since the first time I tried it almost a decade ago. When it was originally released it was touted as being around nine years old. I’m not sure if that’s still the case but this is a fine bourbon. It has great flavor and works equally well in cocktails and by itself both on the rocks and straight up. When you also consider that it can be had for at or around $20 a bottle I really couldn’t recommend this more. They also don’t water it down to 80 proof like some other bourbons. (you know who you are)
Rating: Must Try, Great Value

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Jefferson’s Presidential Select 18 Yr

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Jefferson’s Presidential Select 18 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Batch 28 Bottle No. 1061
47% ABV/ 94 Proof
$80
Available in select U.S. markets

What the Distillery Says:
Jefferson’s Presidential Select is an ultra-rare, ultra-premium bourbon, bottled from the last year in operation of Louisville’s renowned Stitzel-Weller Distillery. This 94-proof, 18 yr old bourbon is a limited offering with a big robust nose and taste balanced with the trademarked Jefferson’s smooth finish.

Nose: Big vanillas with full character, citrus, apple, subtle caramel and assorted nuts
Taste: Balanced and sultry, English toffee, cinnamon, leather
Finish: Long and rounded

What Richard Says:
Nose: More wood, mellow, a little more coy than the 17 yr, less alcohol heat, caramel
Palate: A little hotter, woodier and slightly sweeter than the 17 yr. A little less cinnamon.
Finish: Pepper, oak, very dry. Vanilla comes through at the end. There’s a not so great char flavor that lingers for a while.
Comments: The flavors of the 18 year are more muted and hidden behind more oak than the 17 year. It’s not worse. It’s just different. They only thing I didn’t like was the lingering char on the finish. That would probably put the 18 year below the 17 year on a comparative scale.
Rating: Must Try

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Jefferson’s Presidential Select 17 Yr

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Jefferson’s Presidential Select 17 Year Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Batch 3 Bottle No. 818
47% ABV/ 94 Proof
$80
Available in select U.S. markets

What the Distillery Says:

Jefferson’s Presidential Select is an ultra-rare, ultra-premium bourbon, bottled from the last year in operation of Louisville’s renowned Stitzel-Weller Distillery. This 94-proof, 17 yr old bourbon is a limited offering with a big robust nose and taste balanced with the trademarked Jefferson’s smooth finish.

Nose: Big vanillas with full character, citrus, apple, subtle caramel and assorted nuts
Taste: Balanced and sultry, English toffee, cinnamon, leather
Finish: Long and rounded

What Richard Says:
Nose: Rich and slightly fruity with a floral sweetness.
Palate: Floral (lavender and rosewater) and slightly astringent. It’s rather woody with a noticeable does of cinnamon on a cherry-type fruit. It kind of reminds me of Big Red chewing gum and Luden’s cough drops.
Finish: Notes of lavender with a big dose of cinnamon and oak. Very dry.
Comments: This is a very nice older wheater. It’s not quite as good as Pappy Van Winkle 20 Year or even the 15 Year from a few years back but it’s close. This is the last of the of old stock from the now closed Stitzel-Weller distillery. It’s really sad to see it go. If you’re a fan wheated bourbon I would put this on your buy list.
Rating: Must Try

Side Note: You’ll notice the bottle reviewed here was from Batch 3. I’ve tried several of the batches from the 17 Year bottlings and personally I don’t get much difference. That’s just me. The 18 Year is also the same stuff but they didn’t start bottling it until a year later. I believe the first 25 or 26 batches were 17 years old and then the 18 Year Old picks up there.

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Jim Beam Devil’s Cut

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Jim Beam Devil’s Cut Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
45% ABV/90 Proof
$25
Widely Available

What the Distillery Say:
As bourbon ages, a portion of the liquid is lost from the barrel due to evaporation—that’s the “Angel’s Share.” After aging, when the bourbon is dumped out of the barrel, a certain amount of whiskey is left trapped within the wood of every barrel.
We call that the “devil’s cut.”

To create Jim Beam® Devil’s Cut™, an extraordinary new bourbon experience, we developed a proprietary process that actually pulls the rich whiskey trapped inside the barrels’ wood after they’re emptied. We hold this barrel-treated extract until it develops the proper balance of bourbon notes, then blend it with 6 year old bourbon and bottle at 90 proof. The result: a robust, premium bourbon with deep color, aroma and character.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Initially it’s very sharp, tannic, and alcoholic. Water opens it to be more citrus and botanical.
Palate: The cherry sweetness of Jim Beam is in the back lurking in the shadows but it’s well behind the smoke and oak. Water does nothing good for the palate. It brings forth a little fruitiness but kills the rest of the flavor.
Finish: It’s all smoke and wood on the finish. It’s a medium length finish and a little dry.
Comments: Fred Noe and the folks at Jim Beam don’t want to get too specific about the “proprietary process that actually pulls the rich whiskey trapped inside the barrels’ wood after they’re emptied” but it sounds a hell of a lot like sweating barrels which is something folks in Kentucky have been doing for years. Most likely the “Devil’s Cut” that’s being mixed with 6 year old Jim Beam is either some residual left after dumping or alcohol sweated out with water and heat. Either way it’s an interesting idea. It’s not nearly as harsh as 4 year old Jim Beam White Label and not as sweet as JB 7 Year. I like it. It’s not a stand out bourbon but it’s interesting. One odd side note; with this filling in the 6 year old spot Beam now has products at every year from 4 through 9. That seems a little extreme to me but they’re selling it so who am I to argue.
Rating: Average

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Old Crow

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Old Crow Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
40% ABV/80 Proof
$8 to $10 per liter
Found on bottom shelves around the country

What the Distillery Says:

They don’t really say a whole lot. Press on bottom shelf brands is sparse at best.

What Richard Says:
Nose: Rubbing alcohol, moldy flowers, and wet dog.
Palate: Harsh, a little sweet, and did I mention harsh? Better than Black Velvet though.
Finish: I wish this didn’t stick around as long as it does. It’s bitter and hot on the finish.
Comments: I saw this four $4 a pint when I was at the store recently and thought what the hell. Interestingly, I purchased it the same day I picked up a bottle of Macallan 18 Year Old so I got a pretty funny look from the guy behind the counter. This is an old brand with history dating back to the 1830’s. It’s named after James Crow, a Scottish immigrant who started distilling near Frankfort back then. It was a favorite drink of Ulysses S. Grant but his Old Crow is not this Old Crow. Old Crow now is a 3 year old straight bourbon made from the Jim Beam recipe by Beam Global/Fortune Brands. It’s what you would expect from such a product. No surprises here. I would definitely regulate this to the mixer cabinet if you’re unfortunate enough to own a bottle.
Rating: Probably Pass

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