McAfee’s Benchmark Bonded Bourbon Review

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B-

When Sazerac chose to build up the Benchmark line, it really put its back in and did it in one big push, releasing a five-expression brand extension all at once in 2020. Benchmark Bonded was part of that major expansion.

The Benchmarks are all Buffalo Trace bourbon mash bill #1 whiskeys, that being the mash bill at the distillery with a rye content so low as to be comparable to Jack Daniel’s or George Dickel, but just how low is not actually known. It is also the mash bill reserved for Sazerac’s solely-owned products, as opposed to those made in partnership with Age International/Ancient Age or Pappy Van Winkle. As the bonded version, this made in accordance with the Bottled in Bond statute: the bourbon is the required minimum four years old; made in a single distilling season; and bottled at 100 proof.

The Bourbon
The nose on Benchmark Bonded reminds me of a baked apple dessert (imagine apple pie without crust), topped with berries for good measure. With a sip the bourbon’s flavor runs in much the same way, but with added notes of butterscotch to the sweet side and a dash of pepper to the spices. On the finish, those sweet aspects swiftly evaporate, leaving the spicy elements to fade away one by one, until just a trace of peppery wood lingers on.

With those attributes, this is arguably the best and certainly the most widely appreciable of the Benchmark line.

The Price
The real scoring point for the Benchmark is its ultra-low pricing. This bonded bourbon goes for just $23. I’ve come to think of the Benchmarks as being the opposite of the rest of what Buffalo Trace does accordingly. They’re not bottle hunted to death, so they’re actually available for MSRP. Compare that to the other whiskeys made with Trace mash bill #1, like Stagg or Buffalo Trace Bourbon itself.