Buck - 8 Year - Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
$35
Buck – 8 Year – Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Collection: N/A – Small Batch – Sour Mash
Proof: 90
Age: 8 Year
Distillery: Distributed by Frank-Lin Distillers (Believed to be Sourced from an Unknown Distillery)
Type: Straight Kentucky Bourbon Whiskey
Mash: Sour Mash – Specific Bill Unknown – At least 51% Corn
Website: Frank-Lin Distillers
*Disclaimer: A score of 5 is the midpoint for my reviews. Above 5 I like it. Below 5 I didn’t for some reason. Most of my reviews are between 4-7. It takes something really really special to go above 7 or below 4. See the methodologies for rating at the end of the article
Nose: Spicy on the nose. Baking spices such as Cinnamon up front. After the spice you can certainly pick up Brown Sugar and Sweet tones of Crème Brule. Most of the nose is spicy then sweet. I don’t get much bold like Leather, Tobacco, or Wood.
Taste/Palate: Very smooth and soft on the palate. Off the bat it starts sweet with notes of Candied Sugar, Maple, and Molasses. In the midpalate you get some some Oak, and Baking Spices.
Finish: It finishes sweet and fades with some more complex tones coming though. You get your standard Caramel and Vanilla with Maple, but on the finish a tiny bit of the Spice returns and you get Floral notes on the tail end. There’s a Grassy Hay note in the finish. That probably sounds like a detractor, but it’s not at all bad. It’s a Earthy finish.
Verdict: For the price of $35 it’s certainly worth a try. I’ll take this over many $100+ bottles. I expected this Bourbon to hit harder given the initial heat and spice on the nose, but it’s very sweet and smooth similar to Brown Sugar Bourbon. This has that “Thanksgiving in a Glass” feel to it. If you are a hunter and heading to deer camp, this bottle might be a hit with the crew, given the time of year and overall theme of the bottle. This bottle however isn’t something you would expect to upset Bourbon unicorns in a whiskey competition. It’s a great value buy and it’s not at all basic. Just on the sweeter side.
The Story: I divulged to my full time job that I do this on the side as a hobby. Many have looked into my site and also provided suggestions for Bourbons they like and/or one that they want me to review. Buck 8 Year is one of those Bourbons. It was recommended and I’m glad they did. I have a lot of Bourbons at my house and I’m always looking for something in every price point. I’m not sure how long it would have taken me to stumble across this bottle on my own.
The Distillery’s Story: This one is interesting. There is very little on this brand (Buck). I had to sit on Google for quite some time to track it back to Frank-Lin Distillers. I went down the Reddit Rabbit hole to at least read rumors since Frank-Lin Distillers only provides a sell sheet that’s basically the front of the bottle. From all my tracking down all that I could come up with is that this is probably sourced by somewhere in Kentucky. There are some rumors that it’s Buffalo Trace. Honestly I have no idea.
The bottle itself is targeted at the working ranch-hands as it seems. There’s a bucking horse with a Cowboy on mount on the front of the bottle. The phrase “Ranch Hand Certified” is proudly displayed. I don’t know what that means and to my knowledge there is no official certification to be had by ranch hands. There is also a hanger on the neck of the bottle that is a print of a leather work glove that once again states it’s Ranch Hand Certified. On the tag it displays a story of the “Code of the West” where Cowboys would travel long distances in barren plains and when paths crossed between cowboys they would share Whiskey. Sharing the Whiskey is apparently the “Code”.
In Summary: If you are holding this bottle in your hand you basically know as much about this stuff as I do. I don’t honestly need crazy marketing to enjoy a Bourbon, but a website specific to the product would be nice and doesn’t cost much. That aside it’s a solid fall bourbon and it was very good in a Whiskey Old Fashioned (Sweet). It’s good neat, on the rocks, and in a cocktail. If you are more of a Rye drinker you will catch some Rye tones on the nose and on the finish, but overall this might be too sweet for you. It also wouldn’t surprise me if the mash bill contained Wheat in there. I get wheat tones when I reference the spice aspect, but a Wheat taste also shows up in the finish, which might be leading to the earthy tones that I referenced. Just a hunch.
Methodologies for Rating:
1. Dump it down the drain or regift it to someone you don’t care for.
2. This doesn’t even belong in a mixed drink. Use in case of an emergency.
3. It’s really not for me, but I heard some people like it.
4. Its only good when I’ve had too many and it’s decent in a mixer.
5. Solid. It hit all of what’s expected.
6. Above average. Good to bring to an event and you wouldn’t expect any guff from it.
7. Buy two if you see it to make sure you have one on reserve.
8. Very Very good. Constantly a GREAT POUR.
9. Superb. If I were to drink this and only this from now on I’d be a happy person.
10. Perfection is impossible. But this really comes as close as you can possibly get.
Nose, Palate, and Finish I rank regardless of cost. Value (recent addition) is ranked based on taste vs price.
Reviewer: David S
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