Buffalo Trace Straight Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey Review

Let’s sit down with a distillery that’s been making great bourbon’s since the 1800’s and launched the Buffalo Trace brand in 1999. This bourbon pours an excellent dark copper with perfect clarity and no cloudiness to speak about.

The Buffalo Trace has a pretty vanilla scent with light notes of campfire smoke mingling with a rich black pepper wrapped in a lightly sweetened caramel candy. On a second swirl and sniff, I get a bit of darker Swiss chocolate with cocoa bean. The nose is quite remarkable, more than I expected from a bourbon. I expected a bit more sour alcohols on the nose but no matter how quickly I breath in over the glass nothing burns my nasal passages.

My first sip was very velvet smooth with a subtle oak and vanilla flavoring. I detect a sweet medium bodied chocolate and vanilla mid-palate transition which finishes with a nutty caramel and a tingle on the tip of the tongue of sweet creamy cocoa. The finish is clean, only hinting at an alcohol bite but far too smooth and balanced to display any intense alcohols.

This bourbon has a great sweet factor which makes it much more approachable to the novice drinker and respected by those that have more bourbon experience under their belt. The most approachable aspect of Buffalo Trace is its price tag, at roughly USD $23.99, this is an exceptional deal for its complexity. This would make a great Manhattan cocktail based on its sweeter aromas and initial attack on the tongue.