Old Charter 8 Year

I’ve been seeing this forever, and it being a Buffalo Trace mashbill #1 bourbon, I thought I’d see what a $16.99 bottle variant of it tastes like. The nose has fresh banana, vanilla and light caramel. The palate has a fairly thin mouthfeel, but slightly oily at the same it. There’s banana, vanilla and light and I mean extremely light oak. The finish is short. To be expected from an 80 proofer. I get a little bit of baking spices here for a second. I mean It’s fine. Nothing harsh about it, which is a victory when trying anything in this price range. It tastes somewhat watered down, so the higher proof version is probably more full. Someone very new to bourbon would probably call this “smooth”.

Old Charter has recently lost its age statement (it's now "Old Charter No. 8"), and this is a review of the non-age stated version. Old Charter is based on the Buffalo Trace #1 (low rye) mashbill, and tastes like what it is: a low-cost bourbon pulled from the barrels that didn't make the cut for standard Buffalo Trace. Flavours are sour, sour cherry, nail polish remover, pecan, green apple, Sharpie. Soggy wood, basement. Caramel (caramel syrup), vanilla. Hot on the mouth, chalky, waves of sweet and dry. Crab apples, faint apple pie. Pine wood. Very "meh".

while being a bit thin and quick on the finish, the one thing this bourbon isnt is acrid, sharp or bitter. there is light caramel, mild oak, mild baking spice, The finish is quite short which might be good. while this whiskey does have flavor that would blow your mind, for the price its got flavor that isnt absolute swill with some whiskey of similar price. Highly reccomend for beginner bourbon drinker or jameson fans looking for a transitional whiskey.

Thin, which i l understandable for the proof. Lacks much flavor outsides oak and caramel. Theres a touch of leather and grass on the nose. No real finish, though its a bit dry. For 18 dollars its a fine purchase. Theres nothing really bad about the bottle to speak of, especially with the price in mind. Its just thin, lacks flavor. But for what it is, its fine.

Sweet vanilla and caramel on the nose. Full rich flavors - more oak than typical. A bit peppery on the finish that lingers a modeste amount of time. A few drips of water really opens it up and the baking spices come through. For $20 a bottle, its beyond a solid pick.

Given an 18 price point it’s really a good value. I wish it had a little bit higher alcohol proof as it would really be a great bourbon. The nose is banana and the palate is more oak. It’s very thin and exits rather quickly but for $18 it’s pretty good.