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Episode 07: Buffalo Trace vs Bulleit Bourbon Review

Happy Friday! This is a quick post to compare two widely available American Bourbons; Buffalo Trace and Bulleit. I thought I would share my thoughts on these two, since I find a wide variety of opinions on the net over them and talking about them might help my readers understand my taste profile a bit better.

Buffalo Trace is the name sake of Buffalo Trace Distillery. I believe it has been operating under different names for a very long time, possibly as far back as the end of the 1700s. I really have not researched enough to comment intelligently here, but suffice it to say, they know their stuff. Thet make a large variety of bourbons, including Eagle Rare, George T. Stagg, Van Winkle, Weller, and Blanton’s to name a few. They started releasing Buffalo Trace Bourbon by that name in 1999.  It uses a low rye mash bill. I understand it is their #1 mashbill. Here is a good site to read more if you are interested (http://bourbonr.com/blog/updated-buffalo-trace-distillery-mash-bills/)  I do not have the specifics, but generally this Bourbon would be high corn, low rye and enough barley to smooth it out.

Approaching Buffalo Trace is fairly simply. It has a gentle, sweet nose with notes of caramel or toasted sugar, and just a hint of wood. In the mouth I find it smooth and sweet with vanilla and more caramel. The finish is medium length has welcome amount of wood spice and flavour. Overall it is a classic Bourbon experience and quite nice, especially at this price point.

Considering Bulleit, I find even less about their distillery and history. It is easy to find the story of Tom Bulleit, but I’m not sure of the direct connection to this expression. I can confirm that Diageo owns the brand and originally contracted Four Roses to produce the spirit for them, also starting in 1999.  I believe Bulleit has their own distillery as of 2017 but I have not found much on current production at that site.

This is a rye forward Bourbon. I believe the mash bill is 68% corn, 28% rye, and 4% barley. Right from the start the nose catches me. Spicy, floral, and a bit boozy. The astringency on the nose might put some people off. Taking a sip continues my first thoughts. It is peppery in the mouth, a little thin, but still sweet. A lighter sweet more like honey than corn syrup. The finish is drying and a bit longer. Sipping a few pulls my mouth in a bit.

Both of these bourbons are bottled at 45% abv. They are also widely available and priced to be affordable. For different reasons I would consider having either one. Buffalo Trace is a bit more rounded. From the nose to the finish it feels put together better and is the easier of the two to sip. That said, I enjoy rye, and find I like having a sip of Bulleit later in the night when I want some more spice or have that drying finish of rye. In the end these two have different strengths, but both are good examples of American Bourbons.

Buffalo Trace Rating:✮✮✮✬✰
Bulleit Bourbon Rating:✮✮✮✰✰
Video Review Link: https://youtu.be/-Fjiea-Y9e0

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