“Ancient buffalo carved paths through the wilderness that led American pioneers and explorers to new frontiers. One such trail led to the banks of the Kentucky River where Buffalo Trace Distillery has been making bourbon whiskey the same way for more than 200 years.”
https://buffalotracedistillery.com/brands/buffalo-trace
Since the late 1700’s, Buffalo Trace (@buffalotrace) has survived the challenges of Mother Nature and those of politics alike, but has produced exquisite whisky without compromise. The timeless dedication of the people behind the scenes has been elemental in shaping the distillery to what it is today and with it, a splendid story that has made its mark on the American spirit industry.
An evening dedicated to this incredible distillery was essential – to allow us to explore a selection of whiskies from the vast collection that Buffalo Trace has been producing over the last two centuries. So, the club met on Wednesday 17th July at our usual venue at The Bottlescrue for a special Buffalo Trace evening.
The event was superbly organised by Jez (@jb_tlwc) and we saw another edition of the now trending TLWC tasting mats, enthusiastically designed by me (@sattudotcom). As has become the norm now, we had great turnout – with old faces continuing to support wholeheartedly and new ones joining in as well. The evening was led by Joe Gabbitas, Key Account Manager of Hi-Spirits Ltd. and an avid whiskey lover, who guided us through the tasting and shared his plethora of knowledge on American whiskey and Buffalo Trace.
We started with exploring the new makes – White Dog and its different mash bills before tasting the influence of casks and ageing on the spirit– initially with the entry-level bourbons and ryes, moving onto some special bottles including a Colonel E.H Taylor Small Batch, a BTAC Weller and a Van Winkle 10.
Full list of drams on the official tasting –
- White Dog; Mash #1, 62.5%
- Buffalo Trace, 40%
- Eagle Rare, 45%
- Colonel E. H. Taylor, Small Batch, 50%
- White Dog, Rye Mash, 62.5%
- Sazerac Rye, 45%
- White Dog, Wheated Mash, 57%
- W.L. Weller, Buffalo Trace Antique Collection, 62.85%
- Old Rip Van Winkle 10 Year Old, 53.5%
As we know, there is always more to a TLWC evening than just the official set list of drams. And this evening, once again, lived up to that reputation. The additional drams that members generously shared were as follows:
- Weller Antique 107, 53.5% (La Maison Du Whisky Store Pick)
- WhistlePig 10, Single Cask 57.3% (British Bourbon Society Private Barrel Select)
- WhistlePig 10, Single Cask 60.7% (British Bourbon Society Private Barrel Select)
- Lawrenceburg Indiana Light Whiskey, Rum Cask, 53%
With very limited experience of American Whisky (even after having lived in America for over 7 years), I found this the perfect opportunity to further expand my knowledge of American whiskey. I was very surprised to discover that I appreciated rye whiskies more and the stand out dram for me was the Whistle Pig 10 Single Cask (60.7%), mainly because it was full bodied and had the complex spiced, dark chocolate and minty notes that are characteristic of a rye whiskey.
To sum up, it was a great evening with some amazing drams, and to thank are those who shared their bottles – the success of the club is deeply rooted in the generosity and commitment of its members!
It has been an excellent year for the club so far and we look forward to future events lined up after a short summer break. At the next club event we are welcoming back Ibon, the brand ambassador for the Loch Lomond Group on 11th September 2019 for the much awaited Glen Scotia Distillery tasting. Whiskies aside, Ibon was the one element that made all the difference to the Loch Lomond tasting event back in February and I am positive that this will be another great evening.
