This year Diageo has curated the release with an extra step by designing unique labels for each bottle encompassing stylistic elements of each distillery and the core expression used. Diageo produces one batch of these whiskies per year. The distilleries include: Lagavulin (Islay), Talisker (Islay: Isle of Skye), Cragganmore (Speyside), Oban (Western Highland), Dalwhinnie (Highland), and Glenkinchie (Lowland).Įach expression has a revered legacy in the Scotch world with an expansive history to match. Everyone else can easily pass and not miss a thing.This year’s collection crosses four main distilling regions: Speyside, Islay, Highlands, and Lowlands. If you enjoy Buffalo Trace and don’t mind younger profiles, this will likely be up your alley. It’s about as basic as bourbon comes, save for its somewhat distinct corn-forward character. Regardless, Benchmark Small Batch will likely provide few surprises to its suspecting consumers. Perhaps it has something to do with Buffalo Trace’s largely undisclosed production method(s)? Much of the younger-tasting stuff I’ve had lately lacks a sweet component to soften the rough edges. However, the fact it executes on both of these personalities is throwing me for a bit of a loop. That and the fact it tastes young should be of no surprise to anyone. Buffalo Trace expressions consistently check the sweet profile box, and Benchmark Small Batch is no exception. Could a bottle marketed as a more refined version of a poorly regarded bottom-shelfer prove itself viable in a market with a frankly unhealthy focus on premiumization? In the Small Batch’s case, I wouldn’t rule it out, but I also wouldn’t say it’s a product for me. Part of what compelled me to purchase this bottle was morbid curiosity. There might be light brown sugar, but I’m grasping at straws. Corn feels underdeveloped and, ultimately, less enjoyable. Warm cornbread note with scattered hits of vanilla and hay.įinish: Quite astringent. Like the nose, it’s sweet upfront but quickly makes its rough and flimsy backbone known. Palate: Thin and grainy caramel with a weak structure. Has an alcohol presence that reminds me of cheap hand sanitizer. My expectations are on the low side, especially thinking back to the days when I’d buy Benchmark and mix it with Coke. I decided to take a chance on the Small Batch, which retains the straight bourbon whiskey designation while lacking an age statement, meaning the whiskey should be at least four years old. As expected, these carry slightly elevated price tags compared to the original Benchmark, falling around the $18-$25 range, although I’ve seen stores attempt to charge more than twice that. The lineup consists of five new bottles, each with their own proof point and highlighted aspect: Top Floor, Small Batch, Bonded, Full Proof, and Single Barrel. Buffalo Trace and parent company Sazerac clearly aren’t among them.īenchmark recently went through a brand update, with rollout being quick for some markets and delayed for others. Many companies might be content to let such a product remain in its unflattering light, allowing sales to simply do their thing. Simply put, Benchmark has all the makings of a typical bottom shelf whiskey. Barely hitting a double-digit price tag? Check. Lowly age statement (3 years) written in months? Check. Use of the word “old” and a number (8) on the bottle? Check. Perhaps not to the same degree as Mellow Corn, but it still makes a solid case. I imagine many people look at Benchmark as little more than a meme.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |