I've Tried Thousands of Whiskeys. This Affordable Bourbon Is a Bartender Favorite
American whiskey collectors are well acquainted with Kentucky’s Buffalo Trace Distillery. It produces Pappy Van Winkle in partnership with the Van Winkle family and annually releases the coveted Buffalo Trace Antique Collection (BTAC) of limited-edition bourbon and rye whiskeys. But the brand's core bourbon expression—the affordable and dependable Buffalo Trace Bourbon—is also well worth a taste.
Buffalo Trace might not be the flashiest bottle out there, but it's one of the best cheap whiskeys on the market and a reliable favorite of many in the spirits industry.
“What can I say about Buffalo Trace that hasn’t already been said? It may be the most sought-after sub-$40 whiskey on the market," says Ben Wald, spirits specialist and head of beverage programming at The Flatiron Room in New York City. "It sits perfectly at 90 proof and has this great red fruit note to it that keeps me coming back for more every time.”
Mike Vacheresse, owner of Travel Bar in Brooklyn, says that this bourbon is a mainstay at his establishment for those reasons and more: “My love of Buffalo Trace Bourbon precedes me owning a whiskey bar. It's commendable that Buffalo Trace Distillery’s flagship brand is so drinkable, and it makes the leap to the higher-end brands that the distillery produces a solid bet.”
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Keep reading to learn more about Buffalo Trace Bourbon, but if you're interested in more whiskey reviews, check out our deep dives into Wild Turkey 101, Basil Hayden, and Four Roses.
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Buffalo Trace Bourbon at a Glance
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- Bottom Line: Buffalo Trace is a solid bourbon that you can usually find for less than $40. It works well on its own or in cocktails.
- Type: Bourbon
- Casks: New charred oak
- Still: Column stills
- ABV: 45 percent (90 proof)
- Age: NAS (at least four years old)
- Appearance: Dark copper
- Nose: Vanilla, brown sugar, molasses
- Mouthfeel: Creamy and smooth
- Taste: Caramel, vanilla, honey, ripe berries, cinnamon
- Finish: A touch of heat and some sweetness
Pros and Cons of Buffalo Trace Bourbon
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
Great value | A bit on the younger side |
90 proof, meaning more flavor and complexity | Costs more than some comparable bourbons |
Works well in cocktails, but good enough to sip on its own |
Buffalo Trace Bourbon Review
It's hard to focus on a workhorse bourbon like Buffalo Trace Bourbon when there's so much temptation out there in the form of limited-edition, allocated whiskeys—particularly when they all come from the same distillery.
Buffalo Trace Distillery, which is owned by Sazerac, is also where Pappy and BTAC are produced, as well as popular brands like Weller, E.H. Taylor, and Blanton’s. These are all great, although some might argue that a few are overrated and not really worth the time and expense it takes to get a bottle. That's certainly not the case, however, with Buffalo Trace Bourbon. It’s easy to find, relatively affordable, and very tasty.
“Buffalo Trace produces some of the most sought after luxury bourbons on the market, and acts as a conduit for introducing consumers to the wild world of American whiskey,” says Wald. “Master distiller Harlen Wheatley continues to experiment and push the boundaries."
That might be the case when it comes to the distillery’s Warehouse X, which for about a decade has been used as a controlled environment to mature barrels and study the effects of different variables on whiskey as it ages. But the core Buffalo Trace Bourbon is exactly the opposite; it’s a study in consistency.
Although the distillery doesn’t reveal the exact mash bill, Buffalo Trace Bourbon is made with only around 10 percent rye. Although it's low on spice, it's by no means is it a saccharine sipper. In the glass, it has a dark copper appearance. On the nose, it offers notes of vanilla, brown sugar, and molasses, which is followed by a creamy and smooth mouthfeel that tastes of caramel, honey, vanilla, berries, and cinnamon. There's just a hint of heat and sweetness in the finish. You know exactly what you’re gonna get when you pop open a bottle—a classic bourbon flavor profile of a middle-aged whiskey that can be enjoyed any way you care to drink it.
How to Drink Buffalo Trace
Drink your whiskey how you like it, no matter the style, proof, or age. I always recommend starting off with a neat pour first just to get to know any whiskey, and at 90 proof, Buffalo Trace does have a little bit more heat on the palate than you might be used to if you’re a novice.
That higher ABV also means that it can stand up to other ingredients in a cocktail and doesn’t get lost in the mix.
“At The Flatiron Room, Buffalo Trace makes an amazing whiskey sour,” says Wald. “The red fruit flavors and the high proof really play nicely with the texture of the egg white and the citrus that is in a traditional sour.”
Vacheresse recommends using it in a boulevardier, the whiskey version of a Negroni: “The rich flavors balance out the bitter aperitif and sweet vermouth of this classic cocktail perfectly."
History of Buffalo Trace
Author Clay Risen details the history of the Buffalo Trace Distillery thoroughly in his book Bourbon: The Story of Kentucky Whiskey.
“Located on the banks of the Kentucky River, near downtown Frankfort, the state capital, it is also one of the oldest active distilling sites in the country,” he writes. “There is evidence of whiskey being made on its grounds as early as 1775.”
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Over the past few centuries, the distillery has had a few different names. It was the whiskey making home of significant figures in bourbon history like Edmund H. Taylor Jr. and George T. Stagg.
It wasn’t called Buffalo Trace until Sazerac acquired it in 1999, which is also the year the eponymous flagship bourbon was first released. Harlen Wheatley took over as master distiller a few years later in 2005 and has overseen the whiskey making operation there for nearly two decades now.
How Buffalo Trace is Made
Buffalo Trace is made in a similar fashion to other Kentucky bourbons. The mash bill contains well over the required 51 percent corn, along with some rye and malted barley.
After cooking the mash, yeast is added and it’s allowed to ferment for up to five days to produce alcohol and esters for flavor. That liquid goes into a giant column still, followed by a doubler, where it’s turned into high-proof white dog, or unaged whiskey.
That liquid then goes into new charred oak barrels for a minimum of four years, sometimes up to six years or more, and much longer than that for other high-end expressions produced at the distillery.
If You Like Buffalo Trace You’ll Also Like…
Evan Williams Bourbon
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Evans Williams Bourbon is procured by Heaven Hill, another big Kentucky distillery. It’s bottled at a slightly lower proof than Buffalo Trace, but it’s similarly aged and hits all of the right notes. There are single barrel and small batch versions of Evan Williams to try as well, but the core bourbon is an affordable option that won’t disappoint.
Michter’s US 1 Bourbon
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Michter’s US 1 Bourbon is a bit more expensive than Buffalo Trace, but it’s worth tasting if you haven’t tried it before. At 91.4 proof, it’s also slightly stronger than Buffalo Trace, but it is an interesting comparison whiskey with similar notes of vanilla, caramel, and brown sugar, and a bit more spice on the palate.
Bulleit Bourbon
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Unlike Buffalo Trace, Bulleit Bourbon is made with a high-rye mashbill. Bulleit, which is owned by drinks giant Diageo, can be found in nearly every bar and liquor store around the country. It’s an easy drinking whiskey that's relatively affordable, priced similar to a bottle of Buffalo Trace.
Why You Should Trust Me
I've written about spirits for numerous publications for a decade. Throughout that time, I've sampled thousands of bottles in every category of spirits, visited distilleries across the world to see how the juice is made, and honed my palate and nose.
I'm also a judge for two spirits competitions, the John Barleycorn Awards and the New York World Wine & Spirits Competition, for which I blind taste hundreds of spirits to determine what stands out based on flavor, mouthfeel, color, and aroma.
For this review, I sampled Buffalo Trace neat, over ice, and in cocktails, and talked to some experts to provide some insight and context about the brand.
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