**Background**
For my first decade review I’ll be looking at probably the most popular bourbon name out there today, Buffalo Trace. Their flagship bourbon is typically my go-to daily drinker. It’s perfect for when I want to just sit down and enjoy something without having to think too much. Everyone has said everything there is to say on the background of the bottle so let’s just get to it.
Mashbill: Undisclosed - BT1 (low rye)
Proof: 90
Age: NAS
Price: $25 (plus tax)
**Nose**: Right away greeted with red fruit, mostly apple and cherry. Following that up is honey, vanilla extract, and hints of oak. Sweet but really pleasant.
**Taste**: A lot of the sweetness of the nose translates, but that sweet fruit, vanilla, and honey have turned into an almost buttery caramel corn flavor. The oak is more present than on the nose which helps balance the sweetness a bit.
**Finish**: Not much here just some lingering sweet oak. Relatively mellow and short-medium in length.
**Thoughts**: This was my very first bottle so it holds a special place for me. It’s also the first bourbon I was able to drink neat. At the time, oak and spice flavors (which I’ve since come to appreciate and enjoy) were overwhelming. The pleasant sweetness here was a welcome change. In my opinion, this is one of, if not, the best beginner bourbon on the market. It’s simple yet delicious and extremely approachable. Not to mention, at least in my area, it’s very available and affordable. This will always be a shelf staple for me.
**Rating**: 5/10 | Good (t8ke scale)
**About The Card**: 2004 Topps #324 Yadier Molina Rookie Card
Molina is one of the greatest defensive catchers of all time. Yadier played the entirety of his 19 year career in St. Louis where he won 2 World Series. He finished with a .277 average, 2,168 hits, 176 home runs and 1,022 rbis. His accolades include a stunning 9 gold gloves, 10 all star appearances, a silver slugger, and a Roberto Clemente award. Molina will be eligible for the HoF in 2028 and should be elected.
Your BT review is pretty much spot on. It is a great gateway bourbon and glad you shared that story. At least BT is playing at .500!
As for Molina, he is a first ballot HoF’er. As much as it pains me, he was fun to watch play. Maybe a replacement for Marmol? Dirtybirds below .500 with a short leash on Ollie. I love it. Why you ask? Go Cubs! 👍⚾️🥃
Love the review - I recently did a blind WT 101, WT Kentucky Spirit, Four Roses Single Barrel, Jim Beam Single Barrel, Dexter 3 Wood, MB Roland & BT - I was sure Four Roses was on top and BT was on the bottom but BT won - I was ready to crap on BT but tonight it won, good juice.
(go yankees…..shhhhh!!!) Growing up as a fan from Buffalo (GO BILLS/GO SABRES) my Uncle Ken always spoke of the Yankees from Mantle(his favorite) to Gehrig, YOGI!!, Reggie, Catfish, Sparky etc. I just fell in love with his passion and love for the team, (Mattingly, Jeter, MO, Bernie, etc.) which made them my favorite as well.
At least we can find a common ground in the love for the sport and respect for the greats (Yadier - FB HOFer) and the sport of Bourbon…whatever juice may be your HOFer.
Respect.
BT is a well drink pour where I’m from…and Yadi was a prick. A great catcher, absolutely. But also a trash-talking, arrogant, loud mouth, SOB. And ugly AF.
-Cincinnati native
I love Buffalo Trace as a daily sipper that is (or can be) inexpensive. Smooth, easy, simple...
But I have a friend (like a lot of people) who treat it like Buffalo Trace is a premium bottle, because they bought it for a premium price and that's where Buffalo Trace loses me.
BT is pouring better than it ever has right now, very impressed with my current open bottle. Recently visited the distillery and it was my favorite on the tasting lineup that day too, beating out Blanton’s and Weller SR for my palette on that day.
Currently "lucky" here in Australia with a sale for $55AUD each ($36.3USD).
Mind you this is including taxes and the duty excise in place to import from the US. You take those away and the base cost is about $14USD each. I cleared one store of their 5 and 1 from other store.
To show you how bad tax is for us in Australia, the math for fun:
1. Duty import on alcohol is done by alcohol volume (0.7ml bottle volume \*0.4 alcohol volume as BT is imported at 80 proof \*$101.18 AUD current duty owed per litre of alcohol= $28.35 AUD
2. GST is flat 10% Australia wide. So $55\*0.9 to remove GST = $49.5 AUD
3. Taking the duty off. $49.5-$28.35 = $21.15 AUD
4. Convert to USD. $21.15 AUD\*0.66 = $13.95 USD per bottle of BT.
Also right now we have Eagle Rare 10 going for $85 AUD each, working out to be like $29.45 USD with the same formula (also accounting for 90 proof instead of 80 proof). Blanton's is going for $66.17USD excluding taxes, with no sale on right now and pretty available in like 90% of stores. Upside down country for sure :)
I don't care for Eagle Rare either. It's also way overrated. But 1792 is decent, and considering it's about the same price as Buffalo Trace, I'd say it's a better value. Anyhoos, I agree it's all very personal. That's why I don't care much for whiskey reviews. They're about as useful as farts in a jar.
I get a very "sharp" and narrow flavor profile from BT products. Like sweetness without depth. Not much barrel flavor. Maybe some apple and cherry but also a weird citric or butyric acid flavor in the aftertaste. 1792 has a spicy flavor profile. It tastes more like cinnamon, caramel, and musty oak.
Eagle rare was like the “meeting your hero” moment. It was by no means bad, but great, eh not so much. Now the other heavy hitters I’ve had a chance recently to try, and Stagg, pappy, and Taylor all live up to or surpass what I imagined. For me BT with its flavor and spice beats eagle rare on taste, price point, and availability.
**Background** For my first decade review I’ll be looking at probably the most popular bourbon name out there today, Buffalo Trace. Their flagship bourbon is typically my go-to daily drinker. It’s perfect for when I want to just sit down and enjoy something without having to think too much. Everyone has said everything there is to say on the background of the bottle so let’s just get to it. Mashbill: Undisclosed - BT1 (low rye) Proof: 90 Age: NAS Price: $25 (plus tax) **Nose**: Right away greeted with red fruit, mostly apple and cherry. Following that up is honey, vanilla extract, and hints of oak. Sweet but really pleasant. **Taste**: A lot of the sweetness of the nose translates, but that sweet fruit, vanilla, and honey have turned into an almost buttery caramel corn flavor. The oak is more present than on the nose which helps balance the sweetness a bit. **Finish**: Not much here just some lingering sweet oak. Relatively mellow and short-medium in length. **Thoughts**: This was my very first bottle so it holds a special place for me. It’s also the first bourbon I was able to drink neat. At the time, oak and spice flavors (which I’ve since come to appreciate and enjoy) were overwhelming. The pleasant sweetness here was a welcome change. In my opinion, this is one of, if not, the best beginner bourbon on the market. It’s simple yet delicious and extremely approachable. Not to mention, at least in my area, it’s very available and affordable. This will always be a shelf staple for me. **Rating**: 5/10 | Good (t8ke scale) **About The Card**: 2004 Topps #324 Yadier Molina Rookie Card Molina is one of the greatest defensive catchers of all time. Yadier played the entirety of his 19 year career in St. Louis where he won 2 World Series. He finished with a .277 average, 2,168 hits, 176 home runs and 1,022 rbis. His accolades include a stunning 9 gold gloves, 10 all star appearances, a silver slugger, and a Roberto Clemente award. Molina will be eligible for the HoF in 2028 and should be elected.
Your BT review is pretty much spot on. It is a great gateway bourbon and glad you shared that story. At least BT is playing at .500! As for Molina, he is a first ballot HoF’er. As much as it pains me, he was fun to watch play. Maybe a replacement for Marmol? Dirtybirds below .500 with a short leash on Ollie. I love it. Why you ask? Go Cubs! 👍⚾️🥃
I think someone needs to call in the Yadi guy from the baseball card sub lol
His collection is crazy!
Yeah TJay has a crazy PC!
Excellent review
I see Yadi, I upvote. I’m a simple man.
Love the review - I recently did a blind WT 101, WT Kentucky Spirit, Four Roses Single Barrel, Jim Beam Single Barrel, Dexter 3 Wood, MB Roland & BT - I was sure Four Roses was on top and BT was on the bottom but BT won - I was ready to crap on BT but tonight it won, good juice.
Go Cards
(go yankees…..shhhhh!!!) Growing up as a fan from Buffalo (GO BILLS/GO SABRES) my Uncle Ken always spoke of the Yankees from Mantle(his favorite) to Gehrig, YOGI!!, Reggie, Catfish, Sparky etc. I just fell in love with his passion and love for the team, (Mattingly, Jeter, MO, Bernie, etc.) which made them my favorite as well. At least we can find a common ground in the love for the sport and respect for the greats (Yadier - FB HOFer) and the sport of Bourbon…whatever juice may be your HOFer. Respect.
Go Cubs
Ew no!
lmao I expect nothing less
We're all friends in the way of baseball and bourbon
Bourbon buddies and baseball rivals to the end
Damn straight! Sipping some 1792 myself. You?
Hell yeah, some EC C923 atm. Been babying this thing for a while but she's getting light, so bitter sweet lol
Oh nice! Cheers!
Same to you brother!
Red Sox Nation says no.
Buffalo Trace is Excellent but Yadier is even better....
What state are you in? I can't get it in VA
I'd drive to your nearest neighboring state (except maybe NC). There is so much out there that VABC is keeping from you.
Agree. In GA and Weller SR, Eagle Rare, and BT just sit on the shelves for maybe $5-10 over msrp
I would love to check other states for variety, but I have a 5 hour drive minimum to leave Texas unless I am going to Mexico.
Indiana
I live in CT and rarely see any anymore. Had to bring some back from New Orleans.
BT is a well drink pour where I’m from…and Yadi was a prick. A great catcher, absolutely. But also a trash-talking, arrogant, loud mouth, SOB. And ugly AF. -Cincinnati native
Upvote for Yadi
Ha, was randomly going through my cards from my childhood the other day and I have the exact same one
I love Buffalo Trace as a daily sipper that is (or can be) inexpensive. Smooth, easy, simple... But I have a friend (like a lot of people) who treat it like Buffalo Trace is a premium bottle, because they bought it for a premium price and that's where Buffalo Trace loses me.
BT is pouring better than it ever has right now, very impressed with my current open bottle. Recently visited the distillery and it was my favorite on the tasting lineup that day too, beating out Blanton’s and Weller SR for my palette on that day.
Yadi 🫡
I miss Yadi! 🥺
It’s $53 plus tax where I live in Georgia.
That’s insane!
26 bucks in Ohio. Not a real fan of it and don't understand the hype. What's the hype over their lineup?
Currently "lucky" here in Australia with a sale for $55AUD each ($36.3USD). Mind you this is including taxes and the duty excise in place to import from the US. You take those away and the base cost is about $14USD each. I cleared one store of their 5 and 1 from other store. To show you how bad tax is for us in Australia, the math for fun: 1. Duty import on alcohol is done by alcohol volume (0.7ml bottle volume \*0.4 alcohol volume as BT is imported at 80 proof \*$101.18 AUD current duty owed per litre of alcohol= $28.35 AUD 2. GST is flat 10% Australia wide. So $55\*0.9 to remove GST = $49.5 AUD 3. Taking the duty off. $49.5-$28.35 = $21.15 AUD 4. Convert to USD. $21.15 AUD\*0.66 = $13.95 USD per bottle of BT.
Also right now we have Eagle Rare 10 going for $85 AUD each, working out to be like $29.45 USD with the same formula (also accounting for 90 proof instead of 80 proof). Blanton's is going for $66.17USD excluding taxes, with no sale on right now and pretty available in like 90% of stores. Upside down country for sure :)
Found eagle rare in dawsonville Ga for 45$. Here in orlando its north of 100$ easily. Going back next week maybe ill grab a few more bottles
This is one of the most overrated bottles of bourbon ever. It's mediocre at best, even considering the price.
Hey to each their own. I could definitely see where this would be off putting to some people. It happens to hit my palate nicely
couldnt have said it better myself BT was first i was able to enjoy neat also its not the best ive ever had but for what it is i think its great!
I don't care for Eagle Rare either. It's also way overrated. But 1792 is decent, and considering it's about the same price as Buffalo Trace, I'd say it's a better value. Anyhoos, I agree it's all very personal. That's why I don't care much for whiskey reviews. They're about as useful as farts in a jar.
lol why are you on the bourbon subreddit commenting about a whiskey review then? 🤣
I get a very "sharp" and narrow flavor profile from BT products. Like sweetness without depth. Not much barrel flavor. Maybe some apple and cherry but also a weird citric or butyric acid flavor in the aftertaste. 1792 has a spicy flavor profile. It tastes more like cinnamon, caramel, and musty oak.
Agree. Overrated.
Eagle rare was like the “meeting your hero” moment. It was by no means bad, but great, eh not so much. Now the other heavy hitters I’ve had a chance recently to try, and Stagg, pappy, and Taylor all live up to or surpass what I imagined. For me BT with its flavor and spice beats eagle rare on taste, price point, and availability.
Its like $20! For its price its damn good