Buffalo Trace
“The coat of the buffalo never pinches under the arm, never puckers at the shoulders; it is always the same, yet never old fashioned nor out of date.”
Buffalo Trace bourbon is, unsurprisingly, made at the world-famous Buffalo Trace distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky, USA. It is the oldest continuously operating distillery in America, a national historic landmark and it is allegedly also the world’s most awarding winning distillery! What cannot be disputed is the sheer output of liquor - 10 million litres of whiskey per year, over 40 different products ranging from straight, rye and wheated bourbon to rye whiskies and even vodka (Wheatley). It also uses 1.5 million gallons of water a day to keep up with this production demand!
For all bourbon lovers, the famous names produced here just roll off the tongue, George T Stagg, Eagle Rare, WL Weller, Blantons, Elmer T Lee, Sazerac Rye and Pappy Van Winkle. If the Gents could name a distillery anywhere in the world where we would want to get locked in overnight, I think this would be our preference.
Buffalo Trace bourbon itself has been around since 1999 and the surprising facts for us when researching the spirit were that for such low price bourbon, it is only blended from between 25-30 barrels and aged between 7-9 years. Another surprise was that the US version is bottled at 45% ABV whereas the version available in the UK is at 40% ABV (We think that is correct, if you’re better at googling than us, please let us know).
Buffalo Trace joins our increasing list of everyday sippers. So pour yourself a measure or two, sit back, relax, and revel in what an exceptional value-for-money bourbon you have in your hand. Savour the oak, caramel, raisins, citrus, & burnt orange peel nose, followed by the toffee apple & burnt wood that follows on the palate. A classic that everyone should own.
