Buck 8 Year

BUCK 8YR *NOSE: Dense Musty Oak, Citrus, Grilled Pineapple, Brown Sugar, and some Ethanol Heat. A Little Sour note, but not enough to be objectionable. *NEAT: Dense Musty Oak is front & center, joined by Eggnog and Canned Peaches up front. Mid to Back of Palate gets Cocoa Powder and Slightly Bitter Tannins. Mild KYHUG and a wonderful layering clingy coating of that Oaky Funk follow a Medium Length Finish. *SPLASH: Add a little water and a Sweet Pink Bubblegum note joins the nose and palate to compliment the Musty Oak. *VERDICT: This one punches way above its weight class. 8YR KSB for under $30? I figured this had to be sourced from reject barrels and was prepared to regret my purchase. Not the case. I expect this is HH sourced, as I tend to get the Eggnog and Musty Oak from some of their older stuff (especially HMcK10). Keep in mind that YMMV as the Funky Oak/Eggnog vibe is just squarely in my wheelhouse, but I heartily recommend this at $30 as an everyday sipper if you can find it. Very close to 4 Stars, and given the incredible value, I'll round up.

A shockingly young smelling and tasting whiskey, given the 8 year age statement. Earthy, peanut butter, peanut brittle, leather, chalky vanilla. Just a touch of honeycomb, apple, peach. There's some sweetness, but the whole affair is a bit thin, and proceedings are dominated by a green-ish, youthful, corn husk, vegetal sort of character. It's a non distillery product, so who knows where it comes from, but it has some flavours I associate with Beam. It's not heinous; it's just not remotely worthwhile at the price point: tastes too young, raw, washed out, and even a bit faintly sour.

One the nose; notes typical of a young bourbon, despite being an 8 year, and most forward with caramel and hints of maple syrup. On the palette; spiciness that hits the tip of the tongue and slowly evolves around the sides and to the back of the throat. Some subtle tannins coming in, quickly overshadowed by a vanilla finish. Overall, tastes very young and a little sharp for a 90 proof, 8 year, bourbon. Easy to drink, however, the shelf price seems to be representative of the age and bottle branding but seems a tad high compared to the actual quality.

I feel like I’m a pretty seasoned bourbon drinker, so I don’t understand all the moderate reviews. There’s a definite confirmation bias effect among many bourbon drinkers I know (ironically, this doesn’t exist in the wine community, in my experience). Price doesn’t always equal taste, although there’s a lot of subjectivity in that regard. I love Buck and At about $35-40, it’s reasonably priced. I didn’t detect any heat or sharpness. It does seem a little like a smooth rye to me. Very good.

I stumbled upon this about 10 years ago before the bourbon craze fully hit. I loved it and hadnt been anle to find it again. Saw they had bottles in kentucky when i was there and grabbed one. It still holds up. Very pleasant mix of oak and sweet taste very sippable and smooth. Not the most complex bourbon and the mystery around where it comes from keeps us guessing but youd be hard found to find a non allocated bottle for thus price range as good

Coconut macaroon, creme de menthe, vanilla, cherry cobbler and peanut shells on the nose. The palate hits spicy, hot and tight with earthy mint, anise and leather, then slightly tangy fruit notes until ultimately settling into toasty notes of firewood, cocoa, and espresso bean. The finish is long and brings off-sweet notes of dark chocolate sea salt caramel. Really lightens up with an ice cube and tames the heat and sweet.