By Richard Thomas
Score: B-
(Credit score: Sazerac)
When Sazerac selected to construct up the Benchmark line, it actually put its again in and did it in a single massive push, releasing a five-expression model extension all of sudden in 2020. Benchmark Bonded was a part of that main growth.
The Benchmarks are all Buffalo Hint bourbon mash invoice #1 whiskeys, that being the mash invoice on the distillery with a rye content material so low as to be corresponding to Jack Daniel’s or George Dickel, however simply how low shouldn’t be really identified. Additionally it is the mash invoice reserved for Sazerac’s solely-owned merchandise, versus these made in partnership with Age Worldwide/Historic Age or Pappy Van Winkle. Because the bonded model, this made in accordance with the Bottled in Bond statute: the bourbon is the required minimal 4 years outdated; made in a single distilling season; and bottled at 100 proof.
The Bourbon
The nostril on Benchmark Bonded jogs my memory of a baked apple dessert (think about apple pie with out crust), topped with berries for good measure. With a sip the bourbon’s taste runs in a lot the identical approach, however with added notes of butterscotch to the candy aspect and a touch of pepper to the spices. On the end, these candy features swiftly evaporate, leaving the spicy parts to fade away one after the other, till only a hint of peppery wooden lingers on.
With these attributes, that is arguably one of the best and positively probably the most extensively considerable of the Benchmark line.
The Value
The actual scoring level for the Benchmark is its ultra-low pricing. This bonded bourbon goes for simply $23. I’ve come to consider the Benchmarks as being the alternative of the remainder of what Buffalo Hint does accordingly. They’re not bottle hunted to loss of life, so that they’re really accessible for MSRP. Evaluate that to the opposite whiskeys made with Hint mash invoice #1, like Stagg or Buffalo Hint Bourbon itself.
