Buffalo Trace vs Benchmark 8 & Small Batch Review (2024)

It is tough to think of another distillery that sells better products – from top to bottom – than the Buffalo Trace brand. They are practically thegold standardof the industry. How do we know that? Because every Buffalo Trace product they put out seems to be instantlyallocated.

Allocated means that stores can only buy a certain amount from their distributor. And once they’re gone,they’re gone.Even lowly Buffalo Trace Bourbon, their namesake, now has“Limit 1”signs on it whenever you can find it on a shelf.

Buffalo Trace hastwo solutionsto their problem. The first is to build more capacity (warehouses and distilling equipment) so that they can make more. The second is to release products with less age so they can make it faster.

We won’t be able to experience the result of their expanded bourbon production for several more years. However, we are seeing the results of the latter right now. Say hello toBenchmarkbourbon.

Benchmark Bourbon

Benchmark Bourbon has been around for decades. It wasn’t always owned by theSazerac company(the parent company of Buffalo Trace) but was acquired by them in 1989 from theSeagram Company. Since that time, it’s always been a budget bottle.

The areas that they cut costs on are not hidden either. You can see or taste them all. First, theyproof down Benchmark Old No. 8(also known as adding a little water to it) to the bare minimum allowed by law –80 proof.It’s also bottled at only3 years old(the label states “at least 36 months old”).

In terms of packaging, theglass bottle designhasn’t changed in forever which allows Buffalo Trace to buy in bulk over a long time. Finally, the topper is the cheapest design in the industry –a foil screw-cap.Be careful when tightening it or you’ll ruin the threads!

The OriginalBenchmark Lineup expands

Buffalo Trace spent some time trying to figure out how to get more people to buy Benchmark. They knew they couldn’t cut the price range any more than it already was. They also knew that even if they did, the kinds of people who buy it aren’t going to buy more bottles until they ran out.

But research shows that those same customers could bemore inclined to buy a new versionof their old standby if they saw the same kind of value in it.So Buffalo Trace decided to test this out by expanding the Benchmark line.

A lot of Different Bourbons

They rolled out with 5 new bourbons calledSmall Batch, Top Floor, Bonded, Single Barrel BourbonandFull Proof.None of them were priced over $22 (your store may mark it up more though).

In this way, they hoped that consumers would find more than one to buy. This strategy would still allow Buffalo Trace to keep the masses satisfied with acheap bourbon (not to be confused with bottom shelf)that they could quickly make a lot of.

This would hopefully take some of the heat off of their more aged options like Buffalo Trace, Colonel E.H. Taylor, Eagle Rare, and Stagg Jr.

Buffalo Trace Distillery Whiskeys

In this review, I’m going to compareBuffalo Trace, BenchmarkandBenchmark Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.

All three of these are so similar that they beg comparison. Benchmark is the cheapest, but Benchmark Small Batch isn’t too far behind it. Buffalo Trace is the cheapest bottle outside of the Benchmark line, so it felt right to put it in here too.

Let’s break down what makes them different and I’ll finish with a comparison and a recommendation. Of note: the prices are what I paid for them in 2023 at Total Wine in Indianapolis.

• Benchmark 8 – 80 Proof, Blend of 3 year old barrels, $8 retail
• Benchmark Small Batch – 90 Proof, Blend of 4 year old barrels, $16 retail
• Buffalo Trace – 90 proof, Blend of 7-9 year old barrels, $25 retail

The general trend is that Buffalo Traceincreases the price the older it gets or the higher proof it gets – or both.

What I hope to find is just how closely Benchmark Small Batch competes with Buffalo Trace. And does Benchmark 8 even compete at all?

Or is it simply a cheap bourbon designed to be drank in co*cktails and/or the parking lot of a Baltimore Raven’s game? Let’s find out.

Tasting Notes

Mcafee’s Benchmark Old No. 8

Nose:Thenoseis incredibly light. If you’ve been drinking bourbon over 90 proof for more than a year, it’s going to make you laugh with how weak it is. It’s tough to suss out the notes, but I do eventually get notes of caramel, cherry, raisins and a touch of oak notes. Overall there’s not much here to explore. This is not a bourbon made tonosein aglencairn.

Palate:The first sip is thin and watery and doesn’t improve from there. The flavor profile is weak with notes of caramel corn and vanilla but it gets grainy quick. Perhaps the only redeeming part is that I can taste a little bit of Buffalo Trace’s famous cherry note in the background.

Finish:Grainy and grassy. This finish has no longevity and disappears way too quickly. Weak caramel notes accompany apple juice and cinnamon. Cherry can be found again, but it’s fleeting.

Score: 4.1/10

Benchmark Small Batch

Nose:Coming fresh off of my glass of Benchmark No. 8, thenoseon this glass of Small Batch immediately smells miles ahead. The same notes are present, but all of them feel stronger – like a real bourbon!

The youthful graininess I observed in No. 8 is still present, but doesn’t seem as bothersome. Caramel, cherry and cinnamon all play nicely with a little bit of seasoned oak spice. Simple, yet effective.

Palate:Switching from an 80 to 90 proof version sure puts things into perspective quickly. The mouthfeel is so much fuller. An extra set of fruit notes can be found too – peach and orange peel. It accompanies the traditional cherry notes.

There is a prickle of rye spice notes that are restrained by sweeter vanilla flavors. I can even find some faint oak as I roll it around in my mouth.

Finish:After the sip is complete, the baking spices begin to reveal themselves. Nutmeg and cinnamon accompany cornbread and caramel. The cherry notes from the palate turn a little more medicinal like a cough syrup.

Score: 5.8/10

Buffalo Trace:

Nose:Sweet and fruity notes likecherries, raspberries and grenadine syrup.The fruits are given extra depth with strongervanilla and caramelscents. It should be inviting to both inexperienced and experienced drinkers alike. I even smell some of theoakthat surely come from the older bourbon barrels in every batch.

Palate: Much more fruity than you’d think. The fruit comes in two forms: natural (likesweet cherries and a bit of peach)and artificial, like flatFaygo orange soda.

They are surrounded with a touch ofcreaminess. I am finding a bold taste ofcarameland a little bit of tannic oak too.

Finish:A sweet, lingering flavor ofmuddled cherries and orangeswith asweet caramelsticks around on the tongue, much like an Old Fashioned. There’s verylight oakand somevanilla. Overall, this is a very pleasant finish to a very pleasant bourbon.

Score: 6.2/10

Having had no experience with either of the Benchmarks before, I wasn’t sure what to expect. After tasting them, the Benchmark No. 8 is definitely my least favorite and it’s not even close. It didn’t even taste like it was supposed to be drank in anything other than a co*cktail or with a can of soda.

Moving up to the Small Batch was a significant upgrade.This tasted close very close to Buffalo Trace. The fruit notes were on point, but there was a combination of grainy and cornbread notes that I found here and there that still showed its youth.

Buffalo Trace is really where it’s at in terms of the total package among these three. The fruits, spices and even oak all taste much more developed and mature.

That’s to be expected seeing as how it uses older barrels in its blend. The Buffalo Trace is the one that you want to sip neat but should also provide a more fulfilling experience in a co*cktail.

Final Thoughts

If you are reading this to form an opinion on what bottle to buy, then let me lay it out for you:

Buy the Benchmark No. 8if you are on a budget and need a passable bourbon for a mixer. If you don’t yet understand the more delicate flavors and nuances of bourbon, at least you know you won’t be wasting money on more than you need. There’s no shame in admitting this either.

Buy the Benchmark Small Batchif you’re a Buffalo Trace fan but want to be a little more thrifty with your purchases. You’ll find a lot of similarities to Buffalo Trace Bourbon inside this bottle. Benchmark Small Batch is a little brighter and more lively than Buffalo Trace, but that’s not always a bad thing in bourbon. What’s more is that it’s easier to find and less expensive –a win-winif you ask me.

And if you do like the Small Batch version, make sure to check outBenchmark Bonded,Benchmark Top Floor,Benchmark Single BarrelorBenchmark Full Proof Bourbon Whiskey.

Those four will give you a taste of the different characteristics that Buffalo Trace distillate can achieve at different proofs and from different warehouse locations. In Indiana these are at affordable price points of anywhere between $17 to $22 depending on the label.

Buy the Buffalo Traceif you know that straight sippin’ is most appealing to you. Sure, you could mix it because it’s cheap enough to not be wasted, but why would you? Buffalo Trace is not necessarily a great bourbon, but it is a quality product that is much better than a lot of other brands’ comparably priced bottles.

The secret is because Buffalo Trace treats their namesake product as a way to build repertoire with bourbon drinkers.They know that if they buy a bottle, they’ll be hooked on the brand, so they make it the best bottle they can give them for the money.

They figure that if enough people are introduced to a really affordable,good bourbon like that,they’ll want to explore their other products.You can’t deny that it has worked because they are viewed as a premium brand and one of the top Kentucky distilleries and the United States.

In car culture, the common adage is“there’s no replacement for displacement.”This applies in the bourbon world too because there’s often no replacement for higher proof.

No whiskey will ever gain flavor with more water added to it and Benchmark No. 8 shows us that. For No. 8 purists out there, it’s as simple as switching it up to the Small Batch for an experience that’s well worth the money. Happy sipping!