EP 31: Bourbon Under $20

Join MikeD and TI as they welcome back their guest Vivian to enjoy some bourbons under $20!

 

Benchmark Small Batch Bourbon $17.99   90 proof  Maybe a Mash bill of 75% corn, 10% rye, 15% barley

The Seagram company started as a Canadian distillery back in 1857 and grew to become one of the biggest spirits companies in Canada. Sometime in the late 1960s, Seagram decided to start a premium brand labeled Benchmark Bourbon. It used to be made at Four Roses back when Seagram owned them.  Seagram sold Benchmark Bourbon to Sazerac corporation in 1989. Sazerac put the label under their Buffalo Trace brand, creating the whiskey at the same Frankfort, Kentucky distillery as the name brand Buffalo Trace. The name Benchmark Bourbon was changed to McAfee’s Benchmark Old No.8 Bourbon. This was in honor of the McAfee brothers, who surveyed the site of the Buffalo Trace Distillery in 1775, long before it was built.

Nose: Vanilla, oak, spice, cinnamon, apples.
Taste: caramel, leather, charred oak, spice, and honey

Ten High Sour Mash $8.99   80 proof  Mash Bill ???

Ten High was established in 1879, although production of the brand began in the 1930s. The 1879 date refers to the founding of the Tom Moore distillery. The name Ten High refers to a barrel storage location at least ten ricks high, as barrels in the upper part of the aging warehouse mature faster. First introduced in the 1930s by Hiram Walker & Sons, now produced by the Barton Brands division of the Sazerac Company since 2009.

Nose: caramel, oak, hint of vanilla,  ethanol
Taste: oak, brown sugar, vanilla ,pepper 

Evan Williams Bourbon $15.99 86 proof Mash Bill 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley

Evan Williams was a natural-born leader, innovator, and entrepreneur. He worked in numerous trades as a businessman, politician, and—most notably—whiskey distiller. In 1783, he founded Kentucky's first commercial distillery on the banks of the Ohio River. Bottled in Bardstown, KY, the product is distilled at the Heaven Hill distillery in Louisville, Kentucky.

Nose: Light with deep vanilla and mint
Taste: Notes of oak, brown sugar and caramel