Buffalo Trace (40%)
Buffalo Trace is one of the epitomes of American whiskey culture. The Kentucky distillery bottles many different bourbons and ryes under a variety of brands. The baseline is the Kentucky Straight Bourbon. Bourbon without an age statement is bottled here at a very competitive price. This always leads to discussions about the age of the whiskey that is bottled. It is very popular in the USA and there are notorious shortages.
The panel
Mean 68.0 · spread 0
Value for money 4/5
- Distillery
- Buffalo Trace
- Type
- Straight Bourbon
- Country
- USA
- Strength
- 40% ABV
- Character
- delicate
Tasting
Nose
The nose is very classic Bourbon. Strong caramel, vanilla and oak. Sweet popcorn and brown butter also come to mind. There is also the sometimes unpopular slight solvent note. If you leave the bourbon in the glass a little longer, you will also find more exotic notes of rye spice and a hint of mint.
Palate
The layman would describe the taste as 'smooth'. Some caramel and brown sugar shine through, plus a hint of charred oak. Overall, however, the bourbon is a little thin on the tongue.
Finish
Here it continues as expected. On the finish, the wood, brown sugar, mint and slight rye spice remain.
Verdicts
Marcel
Buffalo Trace is a bourbon that’s easy to drink and entertains well with its classic profile. Sure, it lacks that certain something, but especially for the price, it delivers a solid bourbon experience – perfect for relaxed evenings or as a mixer. A bit more punch in terms of alcohol strength would be desirable, though.
Sascha
Buffalo Trace presents itself with a solid, if somewhat thin, body and shows classic bourbon notes of caramel, vanilla, and oak, yet remains limited in complexity. The balance is rock solid, but one misses a more distinctive structure and intensity, especially at just 40% ABV. Interesting for beginners, for connoisseurs more of a reliable everyday whisky.
What it is worth
We do not yet hold bottle-level auction results — that sits behind Whisky Hunter’s authenticated feed. What follows is the market for Buffalo Trace as a whole, which sets the weather for this bottling without pricing it.
Latest mean bid £242 across 153 lots · 2024-08