Buffalo Trace Binny's Small Batch Select Kentucky Straight Bourbon - Batch #24

VITALS:

- $24

- 90 Proof

- NAS

- Batch #24

- Kentucky

These are bottles that no bourbon drinker should pass up when he or she sees one. Regular Buffalo Trace on its own is worth every penny of the $24 it usually costs. The private picks are, for the most part, anywhere from just as good as the regular stuff to, quite frequently, much better. So, for a mere $24 off the shelf for a private pick of an already decent bottle, it's really a no-brainer.

This is the most recent offering from Binny's, not a single barrel, but a small batch select.  The nose has everything I love about bourbon. It's full of caramel and vanilla, but with a healthy dose of baking spices and brown sugar to round it out. I got a bit of baked cinnamon apples mixed with a sort of cinnamon pastry, which reminded me of elephant ears you'd get at the fair. I could have sat there sniffing this all night and been completely content.

The palate matched the nose in nearly every way. Up front I got a nice blend of caramel and brown sugar, providing a nice but balanced sweetness that I loved! This is one bourbon that, for me, hit that perfect note of sweetness. It also had a touch of spice that I likened to a sweet cinnamon, kind of like a cinnamon sugar.

The more I drank this the more I liked it. At times it came across as more caramel heavy. Also, at times, the cinnamon spice came across more as a light black pepper spice. Throughout, though, the brown sugar was prevalent, giving it almost a root beer note.

It almost had a cookie quality to it. The heavy brown sugar had me thinking of chocolate chip-less chocolate chip cookies--something I actually love and have requested specifically from my wife, much to her chagrin (she doesn't understand the point of not having chocolate in the cookies).  

The flavors in this one were more bold than regular Buffalo Trace. Everything I like about the regular offering seemed to be underscored, italicized and set off in bold-face in this particular bottling. It is honestly one of the best private picks I've had, if not the best.

I took this bottle with me on a recent canoe trip I did with my oldest son up to the U.P.  I found myself really looking forward to each night, when I would get to sit by the fire, staring off into the pitch black forest and sipping on this bourbon. It was absolutely delicious, and I only wish I had more.

Grade: A