This review was supposed to run a few weeks ago…and I forgot to schedule it…oops…better late than never!
I started my “bottom shelf Bourbon” series years ago on Leaf Enthusiast and a few of those candidates for review eluded me. This is one of them. Benchmark is a brand that I’m familiar with. I went through a handle of the standard “Benchmark 8,” though it took a couple years. It’s good…but not amazing…bourbon, made by those purveyors of “good, but not amazing,” Buffalo Trace. (Yes, I just said that…and mostly I’ll stick by it. I do think the Weller lines are excellent, but waaaaay overpriced these days thanks to the taters out there driving the price up.)
I have never seen Benchmark Bonded in the state of Tennessee (note: since I wrote this review, it has become a regular item in Tennessee), but on a recent trip to Georgia, I did come across it and decided I needed to grab a bottle while I was thinking about it. As with any whiskey displaying the words “Bonded” or “Bottled-In-Bond,” this bourbon is made in at a single distillery, during a single season (there are two distilling seasons each year), aged in oak barrels in a government bonded warehouse for a minimum of 4 years, and bottled at exactly 100 proof. These rules were meant to enforce a certain standard that could be recognized on sight, although for many years Bonded whiskies were looked down on. Nowadays, there’s been a resurgence and some Bonded spirits have gotten stupidly high in price like most BT products. This one remains around $20 for a 750ml bottle.
Benchmark uses the same mash bill as the standard Buffalo Trace, Eagle Rare, EH Taylor Small Batch…and more of their products. The exact composition doesn’t seem to be public knowledge, but it’s thought to have about 10% rye content. The Benchmark Bonded has a mildly sweet aroma with a hint of alcohol vapor burn in the nostrils. When I took a sip, I got notes of oak and spice up front, with the honey and vanilla sweetness coming through after a few seconds. I think a little water added to it would make it easier to drink, but it’s not harsh by any means. I’ll put this out there, though…it’s as good as regular Buffalo Trace for half the price (BT is in the low $40 range here)…and most whiskey drinkers would not be able to tell the difference. Tune in again soon when I compare Ancient Age (another Buffalo Trace product) to Blanton’s (which it shares a mash bill with).
