The Still & The VineSchool of Wine & Spirits
Benchmark Top Floor Bourbon Whiskey
BourbonIssue 137

Benchmark Top Floor Bourbon Whiskey

Benchmark · Buffalo Trace Distillery

$1580 proofNASKentucky, USA
This is not a bourbon that demands your attention — it earns it by being unpretentious. Buffalo Trace's value-tier offering uses the same distillery pedigree at a fraction of the price, making it an ideal daily pour or cocktail backbone.

Kit Aromas

Tasting Notes

Nose

Clean corn sweetness with faint vanilla and a touch of caramel. There's a light breadiness beneath, with gentle oak and a whisper of cherry.

Palate

Thin but honest. Corn and wheat softness lead, followed by mild butterscotch and a brief flash of brown spices. The mouthfeel is light, but it doesn't feel hollow.

Finish

Short, clean, with lingering corn sweetness and a dusting of oak.

Specifications
Mash Bill
Mash Bill #1
Barrel Type
New charred oak
Bottled in Bond
No
Single Barrel
No
Wheated
No
Serve & Pair

Cocktail Suggestion

Bluegrass Highball — 2 oz Benchmark Top Floor · 4 oz chilled ginger ale · 2 dashes Angostura bitters · Build over ice in a Collins glass, garnish with a lemon wheel.

Food Pairing

The bourbon's corn sweetness and mild oak balance the sweet-smoky glaze on pulled pork, while the light body keeps pace with soft brioche buns and pickled slaw.

The Story

Distilled at Buffalo Trace in Frankfort, Kentucky, Benchmark represents the distillery's commitment to making honest bourbon at an accessible price, using the same limestone-filtered water and copper stills that produce their most celebrated expressions.

Train These Aromas
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