Seagram's Benchmark

[craigthom]

What about barrel rotation? When did they stop doing that?

Now they take bourbon from all over the warehouse and blend, oh, excuse me, marry or mingle them together to balance them out, but in the past they actually moved the barrels around, didn't they? I'd think that would both make the bourbon more uniform and give it, on average, more barrel character.

I agree that Four Roses Yellow Label is a good example of a soft, rich, not complex (but well "blended") whiskey, sweetish too. However it is a bit more fruity/spicy than Benchmark was and younger, but still excellent. Elmer Lee is older than the old Benchmark but older whiskeys of today sometimes seem similar to whiskeys of a younger age in the past. (This may have something to do with the fact of younger trees being used to make the barrels today).

I agree with Jeff that overall it is difficult to find that profile today. However the 2 brands mentioned are excellent bourbon...

Gary

[Gillman]

Maker's still does barrel rotation but their bourbon seems younger in character than ever to me. I don't rule out rotation as one factor in increasing barrel character but it must be more than that, IMO.

Gary

[Exoticruler]

RE: Seagram's Benchmark

Thanks for giving me the names of those two brands. My town doesn't have a liquor store per se but instead about three aisles in the CVS. This means they only carry the most popular bourbons nationwide. Next time I'm in a larger town nearby I'll find a store and look for Four Roses or Elmer T. Lee. Am I right in that Four Roses is sold only in Kentucky?

I did buy a bottle of Old Forester recently which I find to be a good brand for the money.

[kickert]

As close as, the late 90's their were a couple of variations on the label...with a single barrel and 8yr/80 showing up ,most often. Now, it is only a 4 yr 80 proof.

I could have sworn the last time I had McAfee Benchmark (a few weeks ago) it was an 8 year old. Am I completely loosing my mind?

[mozilla]

What color was the neck ring?

[kickert]

What color was the neck ring?

It was only a 200ml but it had a black screw on cap.

[mozilla]

I remember the neck ring on the 8yr being some shade of green. With a big 8 on the front.

[cowdery]

I don't think anybody really stated it, but I wanted to make clear to the original poster that it is, technically, the same brand, in that Sazerac (Buffalo Trace) acquired it from Seagrams about 20 years ago.

I also agree that probably the nearest product on the market to the way Benchmark tasted originally would be standard Four Roses.

Benchmark had the distinction of being the last new bourbon brand introduced in the U.S. until Jim Beam launched Booker's in the late 1980s, a gap of about 20 years.

[Exoticruler]

Thanks,

The next time I'm in a state where it's available (Four Roses) I'll pick up a couple of bottles. I understand that it is slowly becoming available in states other than Kentucky.

[BourbonJoe]

Thanks,

The next time I'm in a state where it's available (Four Roses) I'll pick up a couple of bottles. I understand that it is slowly becoming available in states other than Kentucky.

I hope you don't live in PA. You will never get it here.
Joe