Bourbon News

Benchmark Bonded Bourbon Review

McAfee Brothers Benchmark
Bonded
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Distilled, Aged & Bottled By Buffalo Trace Distillery
DSP-KY-113
MSRP: $19.99 at TW
Review

Please enjoy my Benchmark Bonded Bourbon Review!

Have you seen the “new” additions to the Benchmark bourbon line from Buffalo Trace Distillery? They are: Top Floor, Small Batch, Single Barrel, Bonded and Full Proof. I put “new” in quotes because I don’t really understand the way that these bourbons were introduced. They were all released simultaneous around a year and a half ago, apparently only in Indiana. Then, over a year later, they started showing up elsewhere, including in Kentucky. Since I have a great FOMO, I had to drive to Indiana to get them back in 2020. What can I say? I’m sure someone else did that too – am I right?

Today we will look at the Benchmark Bonded Bourbon. The only information available is what is on the bottle: “The Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897 set strict standards for bonded whiskey. This 100 proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey aged four years to meet those standards. Enjoy the rich flavor and long smooth finish.”

Tasting Notes

Let’s taste it:

Rested for 15 minutes in a Glencairn

Nose: Apple, caramel, rye spices, honey, brown sugar, a bit of oak; light alcohol
Taste: Honey, caramel, light char and oak, hint of chocolate ; fairly sweet
Finish: Flavors continue into the finish. Honey is joined by some brown sugar; the char and oak grow later on and linger, with some black pepper spice developing; moderately long finish; medium alcohol burn

Summary

Benchmark Bonded bourbon is a very easy to drink enjoyable bourbon, and is a nice addition to the value Bottled in Bond family. The flavors are far from complex, but they are fairly classic, if a bit on the sweet side. What’s interesting is that there is more oak presence than I would have expected. The bottle states that the bourbon is aged four years. Since it is a bottled in bond bourbon, there can’t be any older bourbon blended in (it has to be the product of one distilling season), so the woodiness is a bit surprising for its age.

Have you tried the Benchmark Bonded Bourbon? What did you think? Check out my Benchmark Top Floor Bourbon review if you’re interested in learning about another bourbon from the Benchmark family. Cheers!