Keith and I decided to do another blind tasting, this time with four bourbons bottled at 90 proof: Buffalo Trace, Woodford Reserve, Four Roses Small Batch, and Bulleit.
Like our wheated whiskey tasting, we wanted to stick with bottles that most people could reasonably find. Buffalo Trace can still take a little hunting around here, but it's becoming easier to find.
Kaitlin handled the pouring again, putting everything into numbered glasses in an order neither of us knew. We tasted all four neat and ranked them from our favorite to least favorite.
Here's how we finished:
Mike's Rankings
Buffalo Trace
Woodford Reserve
Four Roses Small Batch
Bulleit Bourbon
Keith's Rankings
Buffalo Trace
Four Roses Small Batch
Woodford Reserve
Bulleit Bourbon
The Results
What surprised me most wasn't necessarily that Buffalo Trace won, but how wrong I was about which bourbon was which.
I was pretty convinced that the glass containing Four Roses was Buffalo Trace. I also thought the bourbon I ranked first was going to turn out to be Woodford Reserve.
Then there was the actual Woodford, which had a bit of rye spiciness that made me think I was drinking Four Roses.
Apparently, I wasn't nearly as good at identifying these bottles as I thought.
Keith had some similar mix-ups, so at least I wasn't alone.
Once we revealed everything, Buffalo Trace had taken first place for both of us. It was just a really nice bourbon with enough character to make it interesting without being overwhelming. Neither of us expected it to come out on top.
Four Roses Small Batch was probably the cleanest of the four, especially in the finish. Very little bite, which Keith particularly enjoyed and was a big reason he ranked it second.
I could have easily put Four Roses in second place myself. It was close, but Woodford had a little more going on toward the end of the sip, and that was enough to give it the edge for me.
Bulleit finished fourth for both of us, but I don't want that to sound like we didn't enjoy it. Bulleit had an earthy, almost herbal character that really separated it from the other three. It wasn't bad at all, just noticeably different, and we both preferred the others.
The Winner
Buffalo Trace took first place on both of our lists, and that was a genuine surprise.
I went into this thinking I had a pretty good idea of what these bourbons tasted like. Turns out I had several of them completely mixed up.
That's probably my favorite part of doing these blind tastings. Even with bottles you're familiar with, it's surprisingly easy to convince yourself you're drinking something else.
And apparently, Keith and I both need a little more practice.