Here we go! Let’s get down to the competitions. I hope that you guys are as excited by this as I am. Round 1 of the 2021 BourbonGuy.com Bottom Shelf Brackets opens with Division 1 Number 1 seed Ezra Brooks versus Number 4 seed Benchmark.
An interesting thing about both of these products is that neither of the brands originated with their current producers. Benchmark was a Seagram’s brand and Ezra Brooks was created by Frank Silverman in 1957 as a brand to directly compete with Jack Daniels. Current iterations are produced by Buffalo Trace and Lux Row Distillers respectively.
So, first up is the flagship product, and namesake of the Ezra Brooks lineup, and a long-time product of the Luxco/Lux Row. Spawning two current line extensions (Old Ezra 7 Year Barrel Proof and Ezra Brooks 99) and even more discontinued ones, please welcome to the stage the one that started them all: Ezra Brooks!
And their opponent is a true bottom-shelf release. Produced by the Buffalo Trace Distillery and aged for only three years before bottling, please welcome: Benchmark Bourbon!
All of the competitions this year were tasted blind and we knew the winner of the competition prior to any reveal. Notes, thoughts, and conclusions were all from before we knew what was what. Needless to say, some of my conclusions were surprising to me. Tasting notes may be a little unusual since they were being tasted at the same time and could have influenced the perceptions of one another.
Whiskey 1 (Ezra Brooks)
Purchase Info: $12.99 for a 1-liter bottle, Total Wine, Burnsville, MN
Price Per Drink (50 mL): $0.65
Details: 45% ABV.
Nose: Spearmint, dried grain, and vanilla.
Mouth: Cinnamon red hots, spearmint, and just a hint of dried grain.
Finish: Sweet and Spicy. Cinnamon red hots and spearmint linger.
Thoughts: This is a relatively spicy one. A nice flavor of cinnamon red hots playing with spearmint.
Whiskey 2 (Benchmark)
Purchase Info: $13.49 for a 1-liter bottle, MGM Wine & Spirits, Burnsville, MN
Price Per Drink (50 mL): $0.67
Details: 40% ABV.
Nose: Caramel, buttered popcorn, and a hint of vanilla.
Mouth: Caramel, cinnamon, and milk chocolate.
Finish: Warm and medium length. Follows the month with cinnamon, caramel, and milk chocolate.
Thoughts: Sweet like a piece of candy. this is nice. Uncomplicated but very nice.
Winner: Whiskey 2 has a thinner mouthfeel and a candy-like flavor. Whiskey 1 is spicier and drier. If #2 had the mouthfeel and complexity of # 1, it would be the clear winner. Same if #1 had the sweetness of #2. As it stands each of these has a lot going for it, but also has one aspect that holds me back from an easy decision. In the end, I think the spicy cinnamon and nicer mouthfeel gives #1 an edge over #2. I look forward to finishing both of these bottles, but #1 is advancing to round 2.
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