Blind Buffalo on the Homestead.

 With my weekend arriving and some exciting college football match ups on the calendar I decided it was a good night to dip into the whiskey library and do a blind...

Had lots of options but decided to dig into some classic "allocated" goodies from the buffalo trace facilities. I have sipped a good portion of these through the years and also have been lucky enough to try most of the BTAC (Buffalo Trace Antique Collection) as well but tonight it was just about putting the 5 bottles I had acquired over the holidays together and see where they stood in my current drinking preferences. I don't pay over msrp for anything, its built into the distribution here in the state of Maine. That is the good news, the bad news is that even to score a bottle of regular Weller Special Reserve or Eagle Rare, you gotta "WIN" a lottery or have some friends in the right places. Its a double edged sword but anytime I look online at "secondary" prices, I realign my stance and am grateful when my name is drawn from the hat or the owner of the shop shows a little kindness and pulls me a bottle from the back room. Typically I reserve my "favors" for things other than bottles like these, but also won't ever turn down a finely crafted spirit at msrp. I feel all of these bottles are well worth those prices. 

the LineUp.

Again, I asked my lovely wife to pour the five samples, label them accordingly and serve me the flight without any knowledge of which is which, hence the blind aspect!

I sipped each one and broke them down from aromas, to flavor and overall complexity and drinkability.

Tasting Notes

A. Blantons Single Barrel 82pts

(spicy nose, sawdust, cocoa dust, peanut shells, sneaky palate, cherry skin, soft caramel)

Notes: Quick finish, easy drinker but lack comlexity

B. Eagle Rare 10yr 86pts

(baking spice nose, graham cracker, anise, pecan pie, lumberyard, vanilla icing)

Notes: Evolving palate, some age here with nice long vanilla frosting finish

C.Weller Special Reserve 87pts

(burnt caramel, toffee, vanilla bean, powdered sugar, burnt toast)

Notes: Sweet confectionary and caramel body with herbaceous rustic spice nuances on the finish.

 

D. EH Taylor Small Batch 88pts

(burnt toffee, dried grass, white pepper, cocoa dust, stonefruit)

Notes: Dry complexity with nuanced sweet undertones, viscous body woody undertones and lingers cherry skin tannins.

E. Blantons Gold  88pts

(Cinnabun, werthers candy, toffee, cinnamon, stonefruit)

Notes: Evolving sweetness balances nicely with spicy undertones and boozy complexity. 

Notes were taken as I wittled them down by giving them all number ratings. Cleanse the palate with water and align them according to scores. The two front runners were tied so after picking those two apart sip after sip I made my decision and confirmed the final order of the last three.

Final Results

WINNER * Blantons Gold * WINNER

EH Taylor Small Batch

Weller Special Reserve

Eagle Rare 10yr

Blantons Single Barrel