10 Bourbons To Try If You Like Buffalo Trace

If Buffalo Trace is your go-to bottle, you're not alone. Like many people, I often enjoy this famous Kentucky bourbon, largely due to its incredible value for money. You'll no doubt appreciate the balance with classic flavors of caramel, toffee and vanilla, with a backbone of light spice and oak. In many ways, it's the epitome of a well-made bourbon. Yet, there's a whole world of whiskey out there to explore. Sometimes this world can feel a little too big. With so many options available, it's hard to know where to turn. Whether buying for yourself or looking for a special gift, I've got you covered.

I have vast experience with tasting, studying, and writing about whiskey. This includes drinking many bottles that share similar traits to Buffalo Trace. Each of the whiskeys here shares some key similarities in terms of taste, price, or composition, but still have significant differences. This allows them to feel familiar without pushing the boat out too far. I have tasting experience with all of these bottles, so you can leave this article feeling confident about what your next steps beyond Buffalo Trace should be.

Before going on, it's important to mention something you may or may not know: Buffalo Trace is produced in a huge distillery of the same name. Crucially, this distillery also creates some of the most iconic bottles in the world of bourbon. Not only that, but some of these brands are made with the same mash bill, meaning they naturally have a similar flavor profile. This is the case with the impressive Eagle Rare 10-year. I haven't ranked this list, but Eagle Rare would probably be my number-one recommendation, as it's the most logical next step after Buffalo Trace. If you love Buffalo Trace for its easygoing character, you'll appreciate how Eagle Rare adds a little more depth and complexity.

Buffalo Trace doesn't have an age statement, but it feels around eight years old. Those extra couple of years of aging help make those notes in Buffalo Trace a little deeper and the mouthfeel richer. Along with the subtle spices and oak you find in both bottles, Eagle Rare allows you to pick up a few new notes, such as chocolate and almonds. The difference between the two isn't vast, but clear enough. Both bottles are a wonderful choice for beginners due to their approachability and balance. For those who want to make a little step up rather than a leap of faith, Eagle Rare 10-year makes a lot of sense.

As with Eagle Rare, Benchmark also comes from the Buffalo Trace Distillery and uses its low-rye mash bill No. 1. Benchmark is one of the best bottom-shelf bourbons, as it comes with an affordable price tag but is still good enough to be sipped neat. There is no age statement, but my guess is that it's about half as young as Buffalo Trace — making it about three or four years old. With that, you get a little harshness and a more basic-tasting profile. Yet it showcases those sweeter notes of caramel and vanilla.

The mouthfeel is a little dry rather than rounded, but it's still an enjoyable bourbon. Despite its young aging, you still get a pronounced barrel influence, with flavors of tobacco and oak. If you like Buffalo Trace but are looking for something cheaper, a bottle of Benchmark is a perfect choice. It also works if you want a bourbon that is great for simple cocktails or mixers. As with any whiskey, it's important to appreciate it in the context of its price. Benchmark's bright and clean nature makes it an incredible value for money.

I'll be going back to the Buffalo Trace Distillery a little later, but for now, I'll highlight some other great producers that have a similar tasting profile. There are several unique facts about Four Roses distillery, with one of them being how it utilizes 10 different mash bills to make its range of bourbons. It uses four of them in its Four Roses Small Batch. This bourbon shares its core toffee and vanilla sweetness, along with a balanced oak profile, with Buffalo Trace. 

The biggest difference is Four Roses's fruitier flavor, which is bright and expressive when it hits your taste buds. You can pick out a variety of berries along with red apples and cherries. It helps give it a lively complexity and more depth than Buffalo Trace. The mouthfeel is also slightly fuller and transitions into a gently spiced finish. I prefer Buffalo Trace's sweet notes, but this small batch does offer a greater array of flavors. Both are impressive, and Buffalo Trace fans should opt for this bottle if they want to taste how different mash bills can combine to create a unique bourbon.

Elijah Craig is another small batch bourbon of similar quality. It's from Heaven Hill – a distillery that produces many fantastic brands. Its mouthfeel is rich with a prominent oak influence. It offers a similar sweetness to Buffalo Trace, but isn't as cloying. Instead, it's earthier, with a nice range of baking spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, and clove. It makes this whiskey a little bolder.

Whether this is the right bourbon for you depends on what you like in a bourbon. While the flavors are similar, it is bolder, making it less smooth and approachable than Buffalo Trace. The Elijah Craig Small Batch is a good gateway into bolder bourbons with higher proofs. Both Elijah Craig and Buffalo Trace offer excellent value yet have key differences that can broaden your whiskey palate.

Made at the Woodford Reserve Distillery, this is another bourbon that showcases excellent craftsmanship with great value. What makes Woodford Reserve unique is how it mixes whiskey made in both column and pot stills, creating a mouthfeel that is different from many of its rivals. The result is a rich bourbon that is full-flavored and almost dessert-like in texture. How much you'll like this type of whiskey comes down to personal preference, but since it's only a little more expensive than Buffalo Trace, it's worth a try. It doesn't quite have the clarity or balance of Buffalo Trace, which may be an issue for you if these are the characteristics you most enjoy.

As for the tasting notes, Woodford Reserve offers both beautifully rich vanilla and a smattering of dried fruit. There are baking spices present, along with a lovely brown sugar flavor in the background. The finish is okay and long enough, but Buffalo Trace's is a little cleaner. Woodford Reserve is an excellent choice if you want to experience how a different production method will affect the whiskey.

Here we have possibly the most significant diversion from Buffalo Trace's tasting profile. That's because Maker's Mark is one of the best wheated bourbons, meaning it uses wheat in its mash bill instead of rye. The wheat helps make bourbon soft and mellow. However, the lack of rye can take away some of the bourbon's depth, especially when it comes to spicier notes. The reason it's a good alternative to Buffalo Trace is because it's approachable and almost impossible to dislike. It makes many Maker's Mark bourbons, and the entire range won't disappoint.

Both Buffalo Trace and Maker's Mark have a lovely sweetness, but in different ways. Maker's Mark's sweet notes are a little darker, but you also get warm vanilla and spice with them, even without the rye. Both bottles are similarly rounded, with a pleasant alcohol warmth without any bite. They are both unpretentious bourbons with everyday appeal. Trying Maker's Mark is the sensible first step into wheated bourbons, and it's bound to deliver a great bourbon experience. 

For those wanting to experiment with a range of different bourbon styles, look to Old Forester. Out of all its bourbons, the Old Forester 100 is the most similar to Buffalo Trace. It's a little cheaper and has a few significant differences. The sweetness here is mostly in the form of toffee and honey, which are more pronounced than in Buffalo Trace. That sweetness comes with more spice, especially in the form of pepper. 

The best bold bourbons are able to deliver power without being rough, but this whiskey does have a little alcohol burn. It in no way ruins the tasting experience, but you can immediately tell it's not as refined as more expensive bourbons in this class. The reason it's on this list is mainly its price point. Old Forester 100 gives you an excellent introduction to a different side of bourbon without feeling out of pocket. If you want to explore a bourbon with more intensity to broaden your tasting experience, it's a great place to start. Even if it's not to your taste when sipped neat, you'll enjoy it in cocktails and with mixers.

For the last three bourbons in this list, I'm flipping back to the Buffalo Trace Distillery, but highlighting some of its premium expressions. E.H. Taylor, Jr. is always a fantastic bourbon and one I was able to enjoy on a visit to the Buffalo Trace Distillery in London. It's good value for money, but a significant step up in price; a bottle costs about $100. Although it's more expensive than Buffalo Trace, you get a wider range of complex tasting notes. It still gives you that familiar sweetness you most likely love, with caramel and vanilla being especially rich. Along with this is warm spice, which is something you'd expect from an older whiskey.

Whereas Buffalo Trace feels easygoing, E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch allows you to focus more intently on its range of tasting notes, including toasted oak, dried fruit, tobacco, and citrus zest. Bottled at 100 proof, it's only a small step up from Buffalo Trace in terms of strength. It helps it stay approachable and easily drinkable, despite being more complex. If you're used to paying Buffalo Trace prices, you may be hesitant to spend more on a premium bottle. Yet, this bourbon is a sure bet. If you want to buy something special, you won't go wrong with this E.H. Taylor, Jr. expression.

This is also from the same distillery as Buffalo Trace, but is different in that it uses the No. 2 mash bill. That means it's made with a little more rye than the others featured here. Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon has an interesting history in that it helped premium single-barrel bourbon gain popularity in Japan before it was ever a big thing in America. It's mainly for this reason that there are a few types of Blanton's exclusively sold overseas. Thankfully, Blanton's Original Single Barrel has become more widely available in America and is an excellent stand-in for Buffalo Trace.

Each bottle of Blanton's comes from a single barrel, meaning there are often subtle differences from one bottle to the next. However, it always delivers a familiar excellent quality. It mostly presents a caramel sweetness elegantly combined with orange peel. There is also a strong earthy depth here, with cloves and toasted oak. Where Blanton's excels is being able to give you extra depth while still being deliciously smooth. For Buffalo Trace lovers, it gives you a familiar yet elevated bourbon experience. It shares much of the same smoothness and similar flavors, but with a much greater richness and complexity that you'd expect from a premium bourbon.

The last bourbon I have in this list is one of the most premium bottles that comes from the Buffalo Trace Distillery's No. 1 mash bill. It's an iconic bourbon that forms a part of the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection. It may be crafted with the same distillate as the distillery's flagship bottle, but is taken to extremes in terms of age, strength, and complexity. It doesn't showcase an age statement on the bottle, but it is stated that the whiskey is at least 15 years old. The other unique aspect of this whiskey is how it's bottled uncut and unfiltered at barrel proof. This means what you get in your glass is exactly what came out of the barrel.

It's not for the faint-hearted. It's a bold and rich bourbon with all of those familiar hallmarks. Here the taste of vanilla is sumptuously deep, accompanied by the beautiful flavor of toffee. You'll also find dark chocolate and tobacco, common signs of extended maturation. Other notes such as cinnamon, clove, leather, and cherry highlight a complex tasting experience with a full-bodied mouthfeel. Its layered flavor does come with a steep price, especially if you have to settle for buying it on secondary markets. Yet if you are able to sample this fine bourbon, it's a showcase of how that classic Buffalo Trace profile can be transformed into something powerful and legendary.