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buffalo trace kosher wheat recipe review

Buffalo Trace Kosher Wheat Recipe Bourbon

January 12, 2021

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Buffalo Trace Kosher Wheat

Distillery: Buffalo Trace

Type & Region: Bourbon, Kentucky, USA

Alcohol: 47%

Composition: Buffalo Trace wheated mash, speculated to be 70% corn, 16% wheat and 14% malted barley

Aged: 7 years in virgin American white oak

Color: 1.2/2.0 on the color scale (chestnut, oloroso sherry)

Price: $40, but often marked up.

From the Buffalo Trace website:

“Buffalo Trace Distillery produced this Wheat Recipe Bourbon in a partnership with the Chicago Rabbinical Council (cRc). Made with the same grains as Weller Bourbon, this Kosher spirit was aged in specifically designated Kosher barrels. In order to satisfy Passover requirements, these barrels were sold to a non-Jewish executive in a ceremony witnessed by a representative from the cRc. After aging for seven years, this Wheat Recipe Bourbon was bottled…after ensuring the bottling lines were cleaned beforehand and that no contact was made with non-Kosher spirits.”

Company Website

buffalo trace kosher wheat recipe overview

Buffalo Trace Kosher Wheat Recipe is one of three whiskeys (2 bourbon, 1 rye) part of Buffalo Trace’s annual Kosher release after Passover. This Kosher Wheat Recipe uses the same wheated mashbill as everything Weller, so in a lot of ways, you’re getting a 7 year old age-stated Weller with an ABV between Weller Special Reserve and Weller Single Barrel. To my understanding, most Wellers, apart from Weller 12 and William Larue Weller, are 5-6 years old, so this Kosher Wheat is also one of the older Buffalo Trace wheated bourbons you might find these days. There’s more nuance than that given the Kosher label so above I’ve included what Buffalo Trace has on their website, but I’m going to jump into the bourbon in this Buffalo Trace Kosher Wheat Recipe Bourbon review.

Buffalo Trace Lineup of Reviews

Blanton’s (from 2013)

Blanton’s Calvert Woodley Select 

Buffalo Trace

Buffalo Trace Kosher Rye Recipe

Eagle Rare 10

Eagle Rare Potomac Wine and Spirits

EH Taylor Small Batch

EH Taylor Single Barrel

Elmer T Lee Single Barrel

Rock Hill Farms Bourbon

Sazerac Rye 6 Year

Stagg Jr (Batch 7)

Stagg Jr (Batch 10)

Thomas Handy Sazerac

Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 Lot B

White Dog Mash #1

White Dog Wheated Mash

buffalo trace kosher wheat recipe smell

Right off the bat Buffalo Trace Kosher Wheat Recipe has quite a lovely nose with darker honey, apple, peach, orange peel, marshmallow, oak, cinnamon, and clove. There’s an old fashioned cocktail vibe to it. And even though there’s no rye in the mash, I get a light licorice note that is probably from clove and anise. Either way, the nose is already quite dark and fruity, and is already more interesting than Weller Special Reserve and Weller Antique 107.


After swirling, I smell honey, vanilla frosting, preserved citrus and apricot coated in sugar, roasted oak, cinnamon, clove, and cocoa powder. Occasionally, I smell a little candied pecan as well. The heat smells right for 47%, so nothing noteworthy there. The nose is really nice – dark fruit (but not dark berry) forward with a fragrant oaky and wood spice foundation that I don’t get as much of with the Kosher Rye Recipe Bourbon.

buffalo trace kosher wheat recipe taste & aftertaste

Buffalo Trace Kosher Wheat Recipe’s flavors start with honey, vanilla, citrus, peach, cinnamon, and oak. As expected, there isn’t much heat, but the flavors are more rich and potent than the 47% ABV might suggest. It’s not so complex, but it’s still a flavorful start. With more time and “chewing”, I taste very pleasant dark honey, vanilla, dried apricots, citrus, apple, cinnamon, oak, nutmeg, and clove. The slightly pronounced cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove notes are a welcome and complex addition. Even with an extra pinch of wood spices, this wheated bourbon is more fruity compared to Buffalo Trace’s other bourbons, wheated or ryed, and I’m enjoying it a lot. Buffalo Trace Kosher Wheat Recipe isn’t particularly viscous, mind blowing, or complex, but there’s there still a lot to uncover and appreciate, and I certainly am. 

 

At first, the finish is lightly oaky and sweet with honey, ripe peach, cinnamon, and cocoa powder, later changing into candied citrus peel. With “chewing”, it’s lightly roasted and sweet again with honey, apple, dried citrus and apricot, cinnamon, and cocoa powder. It’s a flavorful ending to a quite flavorful bourbon.

Place on the Whiskey Shelf

Mid shelf+

I’m pleased with Buffalo Trace Kosher Wheat Recipe bourbon. First off, I think I like this more than Buffalo Trace Kosher Rye Recipe Bourbon (but I’ll verify that with a comparison). Second, out of the Buffalo Trace wheated bourbons I’ve had (Weller Special Reserve, Weller Antique 107, and Van Winkle 12 year), I think I like this Kosher Wheat Recipe the most. Yes, I’m stating that I like this more than Van Winkle Special Reserve 12 Year. The scents and flavors are livelier and richer than I anticipated, with more preserved citrus, dried apricot and peach, cinnamon, and clove that add a ton of character and enjoyment. Personality-wise, this reminds me more of Weller Antique 107, which is spicier, than Weller Special Reserve and Van Winkle 12 Year, which have more green apple and floral notes.

 

And while Buffalo Trace Kosher Wheat recipe is not the boldest or richest, everything is packaged together well into an enjoyable experience that I’m glad to have. The proof may be the main thing holding this back from being “Top Shelf”, but other bourbon such as Widow Jane 12 Year Single Barrel Bourbon have knocked it out of the park even at < 50% ABV. I guess Weller Antique 107 Single Barrels and Weller Full Proof are there to provide the higher proof experience, but I haven’t had those yet. Although price does not factor into the rating, Buffalo Trace Kosher Wheat Recipe is a very worthy $40 bourbon…if you can find it.

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