My relationship with Benchmark Bourbon goes back a few years. The regular Benchmark you see in many stores is a bargain-hunters dream with a handle going for about $20. While it’s not going to win any awards, it’s a perfectly good mixing whiskey and not a bad sipping whiskey. Considering that it’s made by Buffalo Trace with (maybe) the same mashbill as E.H. Taylor, it’s worth picking up. Recently a local store started carrying Benchmark Full Proof and Single Barrel varieties, both of which go for about $25 for a fifth. I wasn’t that impressed with the Single Barrel, but the Full Proof has been one I’ve come back to time after time.
This bourbon is bottled at “the same proof that it enters the barrel”…125 proof, or 62.5% alcohol by volume. At that high a proof, I can safely say…be careful…this stuff can sneak up on you! There is no age statement on the bottle, but the color is a relatively dark amber, hinting that it’s not just a two-year old bourbon. Giving it a sniff, I got a strong oakiness with hints of vanilla and brown sugar, that latter two of which were amplified with my first sip. The bottle suggests a chocolate note, as well, and it is there…but there’s also a ton of alcohol vapor spiciness. This surely could use water or an ice cube or two to tame it and allow more flavor to come through without the overwhelming heat.
I’ve enjoyed this with all but the mildest of cigars…and without cigars, for that matter…it is a seriously good…and cheap…bourbon. Hopefully the taters, amateurs, and speculators won’t ruin that for those of us that just like a good pour of whiskey without the pretense accompanying most of Buffalo Trace’s products at this point.
