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By the third day of the Slacker’s Advent Calendar, I feel like we all started to settle into our own system of reviewing. Some in the group give very detailed notes while others only pick out the top 3 or 5 things they noticed. That doesn’t make one person’s guess better than another and it sure as hell doesn’t make guessing the actual bottles any easier. This day’s bottle initially seemed to be a exposed early on for where it came from. Let’s see if you can pick up on the pattern:
Even though we have one late submission to the group (hey, shit happens), it becomes quite clear what the group was thinking when 10 out of 15 guesses names a Sazerac-owned distillery or product as their guess. I guess I wouldn’t have thought that Buffalo Trace had such an identifiable character to it, but everyone was sure picking up on something that they’ve experienced before. Which traits were those? Let’s look at the prevailing tasting notes chart to see what they thought:
As usual, we see the big 3 typically found in bourbon or rye whiskey – oak, caramel and “spice.” But cherry was also a very popular note to find. I personally think Buffalo Trace’s yeast strain produces a ton of cherry notes, so this might have been the moment most of the group’s participants really leaned into the whole Buffalo Trace idea. I also want to point out the three other notable flavors that were recorded by at least three members of the group – chocolate, “nutty” flavors and black pepper. These aren’t your typical BT flavors in my opinion, which might signal something different at play.
This is where I’d draw your attention back to the guesses graph at the beginning. You’ll notice that 11 out of 13 members that submitted a proof guess said it tasted hotter than 122 proof (12 if you fill in the blank on what Crane guessed for his bottle). And 7 of those 11 members guessed a proof of at least 130. That amount of heat isn’t usually something Buffalo Trace is known for. Well, maybe with the exception of some of their Stagg Jr bottles. For the most part, I find BT products to drink below their proof. This is likely a main reason why so many new enthusiasts migrate to the brand in the first place.
So what was the bottle and what did people think of it?
December 3rd Reveal
I was shocked when it was revealed I got it right. My tasting notes identified a jumble of rye whiskey, wheated bourbon and standard bourbon notes. I also found the proof to be absolutely dominating, but not in a way that chased me off. If I didn’t pick Mister Sam, I might’ve chosen something like King of Kentucky. I also want to put that in my notes I mentioned that I was very close to awarding this a 10/10 blind, but held back due to getting exposed for falling in love with an average bottle.
While an average score like 8.51 might seem like a low score for such an expensive bottle, I look at the bigger picture that 6 people scored this bottle a 9 or higher. For a group of guys who have tasted some of the most expensive bottles out there, getting a 9 from them is quite the feat.
In all of my reviews of Mister Sam (Batch 1, Batch 2 and Batch 3), I have commented that it tastes like Drew Mayville has blended together all the varieties of BTAC barrels with some Canadian Whisky mixed in for good luck. This is why I think so many people can drink this and come away with the feeling that it’s hot like a Canadian Whisky, chocolatey like a William Larue Weller or has the oak of a George T. Stagg. Mayville even told a friend of mine who interviewed him that the typical age range of barrels he uses for each batch of Mister Sam is between 15 and 18 years old. I think this is one of the best modern bottles of North American Whiskey out there.
With a bottle of this caliber in our group advent, it’s pretty much set the bar for one of the most impressive additions to the Advent we’ve had in quite some time. Can anyone catch Steve’s bottle? You’ll have to keep reading to find out.