Blind Buffalo Trace Battle Leads To Big Disappointment

[@MJ-km3qz]

Josh you are an expert and do a sensational job organizing, conceptualizing, editing and managing the channel! However, it is the chemistry and fun loving nature between your wife and yourself that makes this standout from the pact. She’s come along way, glad she’s finding her voice “options on the channel” . It has been a wonderfully entertaining delight watching the progression. Thank you both for all the laughs and smiles ;)

[@stuffandwhiskey]

We really appreciate the kind words MJ. They mean a lot. Cheers to you!

[@Best_Served_Neat_On_Ice]

Erin: "When I'm drinking whiskey I want to *taste* whiskey." Josh, she's coming along. 😄

[@TheSanDiegan]

So Josh I *just* found out the source of the ‘21 and ‘24 Coy Hill samples I had with my bourbon Sherpa bro last week. 😎 Also now know where he sent those ‘23 and ‘24 GTS samples. 😀 Your samples were instrumental in my decision to keep (read: not trade) my newly acquired bottle of ‘24 CH for which I had traded a bottle of CYPB, so thank you! I love the higher BP expressions, but tbh both my bro and I found the ‘24 CH to be a bit more put-together, with a concentration of flavor that grabs the wheel from the more proof-driven ‘21 and yanks it towards Flavortown.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Glad the samples were enjoyable and useful as well! Funnily enough, I traded a CYPB for that hazmat Coy Hill some years ago, and would easily trade another CYPB for a 2024 Coy Hill as well. You did good! Hazmat vs 2024 definitely has commonality is the massive concentration of flavor. To me, the hazmats lean heavy into the barrel influence while the newer expressions lean heavy into the vanilla sweetness with more balance like you said. Cheers and enjoy that '24!

[@windy_city_beerman]

Tried some Grand Marnier in an old fashioned today after watching your video, excellent recommendation and great channel! 🍻

[@stuffandwhiskey]

So glad you liked that Old Fashioned variation!

[@kirklandeche937]

Great show as always! Happy New Year! Cheers! 😊

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Cheers, and Happy New Year to you as well!

[@ivanzandt]

Like you guys, I keep a bottle of BT on the counter always. Not sure that funk Erin is getting has anything to do with the bottle, but her palate instead. I’d noticed recently that an open bottle of BT just landed wrong with me when I reached for it one evening. Didn’t register with me at the time, but it registered a few weeks later when I reached for BT again, and it really hit my sweet spot that night. Same bottle. That same phenomenon occurred with one of Erin’s favorites too, Rare Breed. A pour of Rare Breed landed wrong one evening and I didn’t reach for it again for weeks. When I did, enjoying a pour out on the patio on a nice evening recently, it just struck me as utterly enjoyable. Same bottle I’d ignored for weeks. I don’t know what all of the variables are that factor into how a given whiskey hits on any given night, but the phenomenon is real. Whether it’s mood, expectations, ambience, what you’d had to eat, when you brushed your teeth last-ha, ha-you can have very different experiences with the exact same whiskey, and it often has more to do with palate and perception than the whiskey itself. That’s one reason I never give up on a whiskey based on a single pour on a single evening. Just my 2¢. Cheers.

[@Sperggy]

Did a final blind with a BTSiB store pick that blew Hancock's Res for the 4th New Years in a row. I like to start a night of blinds with low proofers & it always shakes up peoples preconceptions.

[@mistermom310]

I agree with the price. Way too much really good stuff in the $40-$60 range.🥃

[@robertlee6781]

I’m with you regarding the Hancocks. It something to buy and share. The price needs to come down.

[@ScottHayes-z8r]

Is this opposites day??? I’ll tell you what’s sweet…. YOU TWO😂

[@WhiskyForBeginners]

❤ *100%*

[@hazydavo]

Oh nooo Erin 🤗

[@brettdowning5335]

Hancocks isn’t $100. That’s secondary in FB groups. Providence W&S had a couple boxes last week for $65/each. Either way, alot of good stuff for that much.

[@paullee2177]

I passed on a Hancock just because it was unknown to me so wouldn't go $100. Doing dry January so it will be a while before I get back to my bottles.

[@matthewdeibel4496]

I get the same funk with buffalo trace as Erin was getting

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Good to know she’s not the only one!

[@Dustbrother1099]

I had a pour of Hancock's at a bar and thought it was OK. Nothing special. One of my best friends loves it and I passed on it a couple of times at $60. Now, I am hunting one for him. It's obtainable for $80--90 on secondary in my area so I think your secondary pricing on it might need to be updated.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

It's been a hot minute since we've purchased Hancock's so I'm out of the loop on current pricing save for the local Total Wine dropping it at $99.99 every so often. Good intel. Cheers!

[@NathanEubank-fk3pv]

I’ve only bought 2 bottles of BT ever. The first was good and what I expected, and the second was horrible. There was a nasty funk on the second bottle that was so bad, it ended up in the drain.

[@CPGumby]

I managed to get a bottle of Hancock's back in 2022 for about $60 - just stumbled into it. Ended up giving it to a friend who likes it, so it all worked out, but now I keep seeing it in Total Wine for $100, and I'm happy to pass it up. Since it's the same mashbill as Blanton's, but a lower proof, and I'm just kinda lukewarm on Blanton's, I don't think I'm missing out on anything. I also don't really by regular ol' BT anymore, unless it's a store pick from one of my local shops that know what they're doing.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Buffalo Trace store picks are a great mention as they're the most fun we have in the low proof Buffalo Trace space. Great call!

[@LP23D6]

Interesting. I thought for sure Erin's glasses got switched but she disproved that. What's all the hub-bub with Buffalo Trace? It's over hyped for what I get out of the glass. I have a few bottles and even the picks are pretty uneventful. Cheers.

[@jasonczfan8658]

It’s a sub $25 bottle so expectations should be limited based on that. I’d much rather have some of their benchmark bottles for the price

[@WhiskyForBeginners]

I'll try Benchmark if it ever shows up here, but otherwise I don't care to buy anything from Buffalo Trace anymore. It's not that it's bad - it's just that it's nothing special. The only thing from Buffalo Trace that's ever impressed me was Blanton's Straight From the Barrel, and even that isn't worth the trouble and money it'd take to get it. There's plenty of stuff out there that's just as good as what BT turns out if not better, is easier to find, and costs about the same or even less.

[@chasesguitar]

I also live in Nashville. Where do you usually find your allocated whiskeys that aren’t marked up too high? There’s a few places in Bellevue I’ve found EH Taylor SB and Eagle rare for $60, and stagg jr for $99. But I would love to find another store that has other allocations for better prices. Cheers!

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Hey neighbor! Everything around here in Nashville seems to get marked up, or you have to be a regular and spend big money frequently just to get bottles at retail--which doesn't make sense dollars and cents-wise. Example: I used to go the relationships route and I spent **thousands** in stores annual just to get a few middling allocated bottles throughout the year and then Stagg Jr for $99 at the end of the year. I could've saved thousands overall just by buying Stagg Jr at secondary rates in the first place. These days the only stores I'm interested in are the stores with great barrel picks. For my palate, that's Nashville Daily Spirits here in town and Elixir south of town. There are some other good stores in the area too, but allocated for retail is rough in Nashville because all the stores know what they've got. Unless you have a hook-up, getting high profile bottles at retail here is really just a crap shoot on end-of-year lottery raffles.

[@chasesguitar]

@ gotcha that makes sense! I was fortunate enough to walk in to a store in Bellevue and they were putting up Stagg Jr on the shelf for $99, so I bought 2! Thank you for the recommendations I will definitely check them out. I love your channel and hopefully one day we’ll run across each other I would love to talk bourbon in person!

[@thomasshadix3163]

I just got hancocks for $60 bucks in Nashville this week

[@jamesstreet1144]

I’ve bought 2 bottles of Hancock’s Presidents Reserve for $59.99 and$69.99

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Much better than the $99 we’ve seen!

[@jamesstreet1144]

@ the stores here don’t even realize it’s a Buffalo Trace product

[@877-MASH-NOW]

WHISKEY CHEERS 😎

[@sal6199]

Leave bottles out , when comparing them. Let us see the bottles.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

We use a lot of samples from our Patreon community and rarely have the bottles on hand. We’re also completely blind and have no clue what we’re drinking while we’re drinking it.

[@brettheiner7125]

I don’t know that I’ve ever read or seen a favorable review on the Handcock’s…

[@bigreb62]

Love BT

[@heatherharrison264]

Knob Creek 18 is a strange choice for a warm-up. It is rather intense, and it might overwhelm something lighter that is tasted immediately afterwards. For warm-up pours, I like something light and low strength that works well as a palate cleanser. Lately, I'll usually go for Green Spot or Crown Royal Reserve, as they are light, clean, and rather inoffensive. A low intensity tequila or even a clean, higher quality vodka works too. Buffalo Trace is fine for the price, but I wouldn't hunt for it, as there are other good options in its category. I've never had Hancock's, and I doubt I would ever buy it at its current price, but I might consider trying it if it shows up at a bar. With very few exceptions, I find lower strength Buffalo Trace products to be underwhelming.

[@stuffandwhiskey]

We did manage to finally finish that darned bottle of Knob Creek 18 though, so that's a win. Our usual warm-up is actually Buffalo Trace or something else light and easy like Four Roses Small Batch.

[@jasonczfan8658]

Hancock’s is definitely overpriced but the bottle looks nice on your shelf 😊. The other night I was sipping on some different things and everything tasted like garbage and felt like it burned my tongue. Probably something I ate before or maybe I wasn’t feeling that great. Tasting can be a challenge

[@stuffandwhiskey]

Tasting definitely can be a challenge when you're not feeling your best!

[@darkpatches]

What does it even mean that "I might buy it [Hancock's] at some point. It would be fun to share." $100 for a mediocre NAS bourbon? Have fun, guys!

[@stuffandwhiskey]

We like to host in our home and not all our guests are keen on the proof that comes with some of our favorite pours like George T Stagg, King of Kentucky, Booker's Rye, Russell's 15, etc and they much prefer to try lower proof bottles that they've never had the opportunity to try. That's why we keep Blanton's and Weller 12 around, and Hancock's would fall into that same category. Will we buy one? Eh, probably not. But maybe, just because we like to be good hosts that can offer guests something they've never tried before.