McAfee Brothers
Benchmark
Small Batch
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
90 Proof
Distilled, Aged & Bottled by Buffalo Trace Distillery
MSRP: $17.99-$18.99
Review

Please enjoy our Benchmark Small Batch Bourbon Review!

According to the Buffalo Trace / Benchmark website: “Select barrels are chosen for this small batch bourbon by our Master Distiller. Bottled at 90 proof, this Small Batch bourbon is a testament to quality and craftsmanship.”

What is Small Batch?

So, what exactly is McAfee Brothers Benchmark Small Batch Bourbon? Well, other than being one of the 5 Benchmark bourbons released in late 2020, we don’t really know. That’s the thing about bourbons designated as “Small Batch”. The one thing we do know is that Buffalo Trace blends barrels to achieve a specific flavor profile, however that would be the same for any of the Benchmark bourbons except for the Single Barrel. We are also told that “select barrels are chosen”, but again, that is not very specific.

However, what we do know is that Benchmark Small Batch Bourbon is a Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey. We also can assume that it is at least four years old, since there is no age statement. There would have to be an age statement if the bourbon was aged less than 4 years. We know it is bottled at 90 proof, and we assume the mash bill is the same as the others in the Benchmark Bourbon line. However, we have no idea how many barrels make up the Small Batch, because Small Batch has no specific legal definition. By convention, the number of barrels in Small Batch has to be less than the number of barrels in the flagship Benchmark 8 Bourbon. But that number also is an unknown.

Tasting Notes – McAfee Brothers Benchmark Small Batch Bourbon Review

Let’s taste it:

Rested for 15 minutes in a Glencairn

Nose: Apples, cherry candy, caramel; light honey; mild cinnamon, rye spices and some dry oak; mild alcohol
Taste: Apples and caramel continue; dry oak and cinnamon become increasingly apparent
Finish: Cinnamon continues, but cherries do, too; dry oak lingers and grows, with the dryness becoming dominant later on; some white pepper shows up to join in; Moderately long finish with a relatively mild burn, although the spice continues on

There’s plenty of fruit and caramel up front, but there a noticeable dryness which becomes progressively evident throughout the sip. A dry woodiness and white pepper spice linger for a long time; markedly contrasting how things began.

How It Compares To Benchmark 8 Bourbon

Compared with regular Benchmark: the flavors are similar but are more full and pronounced in the Small Batch. The dryness at the end also is more apparent. Many of the others in the line offer more complexity or more pronounced pleasant flavors. I would suggest that if this is the only one of the Benchmark line that have tried, and you loved it, then great! However, if you didn’t, you might find it worthwhile to try one of the others in the Benchmark Bourbon line.

We hope you have enjoyed our Benchmark Small Batch Bourbon Review! If you would like to learn more about the other Benchmark bourbons, then head on over to our main page about them: The Benchmark Bourbon Collection. You will find the links to each individual Benchmark Bourbon review there.

Would you like to learn more about distilleries and bourbon? Are you planning a trip to Kentucky Distilleries? Maybe you would like to live the bourbon life vicariously through us? If any of these are true, then check out BourbonObsessed.com today!

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