🥃Review #12 Benchmark Full Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Benchmark has been bumping around the whiskey world for more than 50 years since its introduction as a luxury bourbon offering by Seagram's in the 1960s, produced at the same Old Prentice Distillery site that would go on to become Four Roses. The namesake was intended to imply that this whiskey was the benchmark against which to measure all others. Sazerac purchased the brand in 1989, attaching the name of the McAfee brothers and making it part of the same family as Buffalo Trace in whose Frankfort, KY distillery it is produced today. The McAfee brothers explored the site of the Buffalo Trace distillery after arriving by canoe, noting the namesake great buffalo crossing and implying that the namesake "Benchmarks"  are the survey markers left by that team of explorers. Benchmark was Sazerac's budget offering and remained an unremarkable 80 proof label for 30 years until the brand was reinvigorated in 2020 with the introduction of "Full Proof", "Single Barrel", "Bonded", and "Top Floor" offerings. This brought renewed interest in the bourbon community and I can remember the bonded edition showing up with regularity at parties as a mixer. But how do we fell about the big fella of the family? 

🛒Sourced: $19.99 Tower Spirits - ATL, GA 750ml

🧪Proof: 125, 62.5%  - Wowzers! Smiles per Gallon

📚Background: Benchmark Full Proof is a blended whiskey at the high octane 125 proof point. It is worth noting that many other barrel strength or cask strength offerings around this price point (Maker's , Knob Creek, Wild Turkey) come in around the 108-115 range, so this is up there with the Booker's and Elijah Craig's of the world at nearly a quarter of the cost. Benchmark barrel proof is a blend (otherwise it would be single barrel and priced higher - you'll find Benchmark SiB for $25).  It is straight bourbon whiskey which implies a minimum of four years in the wood, probably not much more given the flavor profile but more on that below. The bottle has a metal twist top with no cork or plastic fun stopper, which I personally found hilarious. It's a "pour as much as you can handle" dare with a stout glass bottle meant to be used and discarded as the firebreather's daily companion.

🥔Mash Bill: Made from the famous Sazerac/Buffalo Trace Mash Bill #1, this whiskey shares its grains with BT, EH Taylor, Eagle Rare, Stagg, and Old Charter. The exact components are not disclosed but it is a low rye mash, so something like 75% Corn, 12% Rye, 13% Barley could be in the cards.

👃Nose: Surprisingly mild for the proof! I approached it speculatively but found myself taking increasingly deeper sniffs without rancor. Classic whiskey notes of oak and vanilla, some of the signature Buffalo Trace Cherry. Warm and Bright. Not complex but welcoming and I found myself going back to explore the nose more often than I usually do.  

😜Palate: The nose tells it all, follows as you would expect with more of the same flavors. Again, the big surprise here is how smooth it is for its proof. Honestly, I would have told you this was a bonded whiskey until it hit my throat. You do feel the strength as it goes down, but there it is more of a sustained warmth than a true "burn". I got more oak and vanilla, not as much cherry as I had thought from the smell. MAYBE some chocolate or baking spices if you open it up with a drop or two of water, but that's stretching my abilities to detect. Think the lack of nuance on the tongue may have been why I went back so much to the nose, but that's no bad thing. 

🏆 Overall: 6.5/10 - Great - It's not complex, but good lord is this thing a value! At barrel proof, there's not much they can do to hide any off flavors, so I do think you get a more select group of barrels than in other Benchmark offerings outside of Single Barrel. Neat it is a bit much to have in quantity, but with a cube or two of ice, I find it downright delightful. Ice ball enjoyers rejoice! It'll put up with a good amount of melt before going flavorless. I find myself reaching for this when I want a no-nonsense wee dram but not a full Friday pour. This is a sub $20 dollar bottle; for it to be this good is a feat of economies of scale. 

*2025 production caveat - I haven't gotten a bottle yet this year, but have had it on two occasions at friends' places. Both batches were worse than this bottle from 2023 and others have mentioned there being some significant batch-to-batch differences. If I can pull a decent enough cross section, I'll try and put out a side-by-side in 2026. 

1/2 Bottle Update: After having more time with this bottle, I am more convinced of it's failings and high points. For the proof, it is eerily smooth, drinking around 20 points below actual. The flavors though are really quite pedestrian and I have gotten more of the corn and peanut tastes as the bottle oxidizes. Revised to a 6.5 where I think it is still an exceptional value. 

1/4 Bottle Update: I like it a lot. Think Benchmark Full Proof is part of the Castle & Cairn value whiskey meta and will permanently be on my shelf. Oxidation does further mellow the proof, so I'm 50/50 drinking it neat vs. being bad and indulging in a big 'ole ice cube at this point. Off to the store for another!

💵Would buy again? Yes, it's young Stagg

⚖️Rating Scale: 

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out. 

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume it by choice. 

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws. 

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but many things I'd rather have.

5 | Good | Good, just fine.

6 | Very Good | A cut above.

7 | Great | Well above average.

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite.

10 | Perfect | Perfect.

👇Some other Barrel Proof Reviews:

• Larceny Barrel proof bourbon
• Maker's Mark Cask Strength