How Is Buffalo Trace Whiskey Made
Buffalo Trace is bourbon, a type of American whiskey noted for its mash containing at least 51% corn and aged in newly charred wooden barrels. Corn makes up most of the raw material in the creation of Buffalo Trace, with additions of some rye for flavor and barley for additional enzymes to speed up the fermentation process.
What Bourbon Is Sold At Costco
Costco Kirkland Bourbon price: Is it is Costco Kirkland Bourbon? ? The Kirkland Signature Distillery by Barton 1792 Distillery has a product number and a Costco price. You can order a Kirkland Signature Small Batch Bourbon Kentucky bottle from Costco for $18 with item number 1472217. Each bottle costs $99 each.
About Buffalo Trace Whiskey
After a long history and many rebrands, the Buffalo Trace Distillery settled on its name in 1999 and created its new flagship brand: the Buffalo Trace Bourbon. This bourbon is their most affordable and readily available whiskey and is a favorite of whiskey circles for its sweet notes, mild heat, and reasonable price. Up to this day, this brand still uses the techniques and recipes developed in the distillery since its inception.
The Buffalo Trace Distillery is the oldest continuously operating distillery in the United States. It is one of the few distilleries that can show spirits production before, during, and after Prohibition.
Recommended Reading: Member’s Mark Silver Tequila
The Best Way To Drink Buffalo Trace Whiskey
Buffalo Trace is a good sipping whiskey thanks to its sweet nose and spicy tasting notes. Because of its full-bodied but straightforward flavor, Buffalo Trace is enjoyable for bourbon beginners and seasoned drinkers alike.
Buffalo Trace also mixes well with cocktails. Because of Buffalo Traces distinct toffee notes, Buffalo Trace is best with:
- Manhattan Mix Buffalo Trace Bourbon with angostura bitters, sweet vermouth, and maraschino cherry
- Mint Julep Buffalo Trace Bourbon makes a delicious cocktail with just ice and mint garnish. The Buffalo Trace Distillery also sells a Mint Julep Cocktail Mixer to add just the right sweetness.
- Old Fashioned Cocktail keeping it classic, Buffalo Trace Bourbon tastes delicious when mixed with sugar, angostura bitters, and garnished with orange peel. But to make it even simpler, you can buy a ready-made cocktail mixer. The Buffalo Trace Distillery also sells an Old Fashioned Cocktail Mixer.
How Good Is Buffalo Trace Whiskey
Buffalo Trace Bourbon has a good amber color, a sweet scent and taste, and a spicy aftertaste. Although the bourbons suggested retail price is less than $20 for the 375 mL bottle, it holds a good flavor that can be taken neat or in a cocktail. Buffalo Trace provides considerable value for its price, providing caramel notes that quickly morph into spicy notes. It gives good flavor without overwhelming spice, allowing them to taste the distinct toffee notes and finish with heat reminiscent of cinnamon.
With the price point and quality, Buffalo Trace Bourbon could be a good everyday bourbon for both new enjoyers of bourbon and seasoned drinkers alike.
Recommended Reading: The Glenlivet 12 Single Malt Scotch Whisky
What Happens If You Dont Refrigerate Bourbon Cream
After opening a bottle for about 12 months, flavors begin to fade, but refrigeration is not necessary. The company claims that Nooku Bourbon Cream is shelf stable, but there is no specific shelf life information provided before opening. In addition, the product lasts for three years after it is opened. There is no need to keep the refrigerator running.
Buffalo Trace Loves Its Corn
Bourbon has to be made with a mash bill thats minimum 51 percent corn by law . Buffalo Trace wisely keeps its mash bills pretty secretive, but it is fairly well known that its main mash bill, or Mash Bill #1, goes heavy on corn, with some estimates having the corn percentage as high as 90 percent of the yellow stuff. The result is sweeter bourbon with a leaner heat than youd get from a heavier wheat or spicier rye content. Because BT uses more than one mash bill and ages its bourbons differently, youll still get get whiskies that are variously sweeter, spicier, smoother, thicker, perkier, more delicate, sturdier, etc., all under the Buffalo Trace umbrella.
Buffalo Trace Whiskey Prices
| 750ml | $33.59 |
Nose: Spicy and sweet with caramel, creamy toffee eclairs, hints of cinnamon, rum spice, and cereal sweetness.
Palate: Brown sugar, toffee apple, sweet oak, custard, oily espresso beans, a touch of chocolate-covered raisins, and toasty wood.
Finish: Good length with sweet spices, cinnamon gum, and toffee Master of Malt
What Are The Hardest Bourbons To Find
Alternatives To Buffalo Trace Whiskey
- Eagle Rare Eagle Rare Whiskey is also made in the Buffalo Trace Distillery and uses the same mash as the Buffalo Trace Bourbon. It is distinct from the Buffalo Trace Bourbon because its aged for longer, which may lend a smoother taste profile than its younger brother.
- Four Roses Four Roses is also a small-batch bourbon made with various low- and high-rye content mash bills. Four Roses Bourbon is aged 6-7 years, similar to the Buffalo Trace Bourbon. Because of its similar aging process and mash bill, Four Roses has identical notes to Buffalo Trace.
- Old Forester Old Forester has various low- and high-rye mash bill contents, aged in a similar period as Four Roses and Buffalo Trace Bourbon. Old Forester has sweet tasting notes found in Buffalo Trace but lacks the spiciness found in the latter.
Buffalo Trace Makes One Of The Most Expensive Whiskeys On The Market
Another prestigious bourbon line under the Buffalo Trace umbrella, Eagle Rare bourbon is aged for no fewer than 10 years. And while yes, theres a 17-year-old version, why not get really ambitious and try Double Eagle Very Rare, which is aged for 20 years minimum, housed in a silver box that lights up when you open it, and was made in super-limited quantities? Of course, the price tag is a bit prohibitive the bottle costs anywhere from $15K to $20K.
An Overview On Buffalo Trace Bourbon
While the actual inception of the Buffalo Trace Distillery remains vague, records indicate that distilling on the site began as early as 1775.
In 1812, Harrison Blanton constructed the actual distillery, and over the years, it has changed quite a few hands in ownership.
Probably the most profound is George T. Stagg, as some people still refer to the location as the George T. Stagg Distillery. In 2013, the 130-acre bourbon behemoth was declared a National Historic Landmark.
The Buffalo Trace Bourbon is as carefully made today as it was over 200 years ago: rich and complex, yet incredibly smooth and silky.
The spirit is double-distilled and aged in new oak barrels. It is said that the distillery produces around 10,000,000 liters of this whiskey per year. But why is Buffalo Trace difficult to find?
That Buffalo Trace Umbrella Shelters Some Hugely Significant Bourbons
Pappy Van Winkle, for instance. A wheated bourbon, the invention of William Larue Weller, Pappy has a higher proportion of wheat after that first, legally required 51 percent corn. That isnt the only thing that makes Pappy Van Winkle so expensive or obsessed over. The storied, scarce bourbon has other things going for it: lore, scarcity,aging time, flavor, strange containers.
The Buffalo Trace Distillery Is A National Historic Landmark
Buffalo Trace was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2013, in large part because its the oldest continuously operating distillery in America. Indeed, it is a rare, intact example of a distillery operating before, during, and after Prohibition, according to Buffalo Traces own award submission. .
Does Costco Sell Buffalo Trace Bourbon
Additionally, Costco provides third-party liquor brands from around two hundred leading labels. In addition to The Macallan, Glenlivet, Woodford Reserve, Angels Envy, Makers Mark, Crown Royal, and Buffalo Trace, there are several other brands. Costco normally carries approximately 4,000 SKUs of alcohol, about 220 of which are alcoholic beverages at its average.
Buffalo Trace Whiskey Buying Guide
Buffalo Trace is the flagship bourbon of its namesake distillery, the Buffalo Trace Distillery. Containing a 200-year old recipe containing rye, barley, and corn, Buffalo Trace is smooth, sweet, and has a light spicy taste for easy sipping or bourbon beginners.
Whiskey aficionados and expert tasters consider Buffalo Trace one of the best bourbons globally. Buffalo Trace has consistently won various national and international whiskey competitions since 2000. Their latest awards are the 2020 Gold Medal in the World Whiskies Award and the 2020 Silver Medal in the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, among many others.
Lee Reincarnated Modern Bourbon Buffalo Trace Almost Didnt Hire Him
When Lee first applied to work at Buffalo Trace, he was turned away. Fortunately clearer heads prevailed and Lee eventually became the distillerys first master distiller. Beyond basically saving the bourbon industry, he worked at the distillery from 1949 until his retirement in 1985. And yes, you can technically toast him with any of the delicious craft bourbons he helped pave the way for theres also an Elmer T. Lee bourbon.
How Are Allocated Bourbons Distributed
Supply and Demand Its All About Suppliers, or distilleries, which determine what percentage of premium bourbons each state receives based on supply and demand. They are then sold to wholesalers responsible for retail sales and restaurants who then decide which stores to sell these drinks to. Likewise, wines last a long time as well.
Ways To Drink Buffalo Trace Bourbon
Like other bourbons, you can enjoy Buffalo Trace neat, with a little water, or mixed drinks. Whiskey connoisseurs highly recommend sampling Buffalo Trace Bourbon in its pure, unadulterated form first.
This process will allow you to fully experience all the flavor nuances within the spirit.
Make sure that you use a brandy snifter for the added aroma. However, if you find Buffalo Traces neat is too harsh for you, you can dial the bite down by adding ice or a tiny drop of water .
If you use ice, keep in mind that a larger ice cube is better preferred as this wont easily melt and dilute your drink.
And lastly, Buffalo Trace Bourbon shines beautifully in whiskey-based cocktails.
The Whiskey Sour, Old Fashioned, and Mint Julep are just some of the best cocktails for this spirit. Heres a more thorough liquor guide for newbies.
Buffalo Trace Is Boozier Than It Legally Has To Be
Among the few, but vital, laws governing bourbon production in America is that bourbon must be a minimum of 40 percent ABV in the bottle. Youll see variations, of course, including powerhouse ABVs called cask strength . But standard Buffalo Trace bourbon clocks in at 45 percent ABV, which isnt uncommon among flagship bourbons . This means theres a bit more heat on the palate, though for much of the Buffalo Trace line thats balanced out by heavy corn flavor.
Buffalo Trace Was Only One Of Four Distilleries Boozing It Up Over Prohibition
Prohibition closed down almost every alcohol producer in the country, but for a select few. Buffalo Trace was one of only four distilleries allowed to remain open. While a few wineries remained open to make sacramental wine , the handful of distilleries like Buffalo Trace were making medicinal whiskey, since these were still the days of medicinal booze, and wonderful/quack physicians kept busy writing whiskey prescriptions for fevers, colds, boredom, sobriety, or whatever malady you could present.
A Buffalo Trace Is A Thing
The distillery had a few names over the years. First, it was the Old Fire Copper Distillery. It was later, and for the longest period, called George T. Stagg Company, named after its second owner. It was finally and decisively rechristened Buffalo Trace in 1999.
The name honors old local buffalo trace roadways stamped onto the landscape by actual buffalo roaming the untamed wilderness of early America. The connection to distilling isnt only geographic: Those traces became essential routes for explorers, settlers, farmers, and other early American professionals .
Things You Should Know About Buffalo Trace
When you hear the name Buffalo Trace you probably think of a bottle of bourbon whiskey with a proud- and/or slightly pissed-looking buffalo on the label . But in the world of bourbon, Buffalo Trace isnt just a bottle.
Buffalo Traces legacy basically encapsulates the history of American bourbon itself. The brand has gone through several names, a catastrophic lightning strike, a devastating flood, that little Prohibition hiccup, and even an unlikely rivalry with vodka and gin in the 1970s and 80s. And yet somehow, the brand is still kicking.
Below are 10 Buffalo Trace facts to ponder the next time you pour a couple fingers, whether its flagship Buffalo Trace, a game-changing single barrel called Blantons, or something a bit more expensive
Where To Buy Buffalo Trace Whiskey
Bourbon newbies and seasoned drinkers can purchase Buffalo Trace Bourbon from the Buffalo Trace Distillery gift shop, the Buffalo Trace website, and online through Drizly or SipWhiskey, and brick-and-mortar liquor stores in your state .
In addition, supermarket chains like Walmart, Costco, Safeway, and Kroger most likely have stocks of Buffalo Trace Whiskey on their shelves.
How Its Made
The Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon is specially handcrafted in the worlds most awarded distillery. Its low-rye proprietary mash bill is double-distilled and aged in new oak barrels for eight to ten years before being bottled at 90 proof.
The long aging process ensures that all sharpness is rounded out. Check out the Kentucky Bourbon Festival here.