McAfee’s Benchmark Old No. 8 Bourbon Review
By Richard Thomas
Rating: C
The Benchmark brand was created in the late 1960s by the Seagram Company, the Canadian drinks giant of the mid-to-late 20th Century. From the start, it was envisioned as a premium bourbon. The slogan attached to it was to “Measure your bourbon against it.” Initially and for a long time thereafter it was made at the Old Prentice Distillery, now called Four Roses.
Sazerac acquired the brand in 1989, a few years before they bought Buffalo Trace. So, for a while Benchmark production did not have its current home on the banks of the Kentucky River. The name was recently changed to McAfee’s Benchmark, so as to more firmly tie the brand to Buffalo Trace Distillery: James, George and Robert McAfee were the frontier explorers who first surveyed the Buffalo Trace site in 1773.
Benchmark comes from Buffalo Trace’s Mash Bill #1, and in most respects it is very much a counterpoise to another brand Buffalo Trace makes, but does not own: Ancient Age. Benchmark and Ancient Age bear no age statement, but is known to be approximately three years old; the standard Benchmark is bottled at 80 proof; but it is made with the mash bill that is reserved for products owned by Sazerac itself, and not partners.
The Bourbon
A reflection of the youth of the whiskey is the color, which is not full amber, but rather not as dark or intense, being more like unpolished gold. The nose is light, with a drizzle of caramel and a sprinkling of cinnamon. Sipping the bourbon brings on some hints of non-descript dark fruits, caramel and a dash of barrel char. The finish delivers a jolt of spice and wood, but just that jolt, and fades away swiftly.
The Price
In another comparison, Benchmark beats Ancient Age for price. I routinely see it marked for a couple bucks lower than Ancient Age, and to get lower than that price point one is truly in rotgut territory, and this bourbon is not rotgut. A bottle is often available in the $15 to $20 range, but I have seen it priced for as little as $11.
