Buffalo Trace Bourbon

There will be no math…but there might be some chemistry…

Buffalo Trace

ABC - $28.99 

TW - $42.99

Class VI - Not Available

ABV - 45%

NAS

Mashbill - Unknown

From the VA ABC website:  Light bronze in color with streaks of gold, Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey bears a complex aroma of vanilla, mint and molasses. Its taste is pleasantly sweet and contains notes of brown sugar and spice that give way to oak and leather. The long and dry finish has significant depth. When enjoyed with water, flavors of toffee, dark fruit and anise are revealed.

Buffalo Trace Bourbon, Jim Beam, Jack Daniel’s, Four Roses, Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond - all really good entry-level bourbons.  Not familiar with bourbon?  These bourbons are in the $20-$30 range and a great place to start.  

If you look at the Jack Daniel’s label, you’ll see that it calls itself a ‘sour mash’ bourbon.  Buffalo Trace, however, doesn’t list that.  So I guess BT isn’t a sour mash bourbon, right?  Not so fast.  

After extensive research using both the internets (and mah belly!), I can tell you that BT is, in fact, a sour mash whiskey.  All that’s great, but what is a sour mash whiskey?!

Well, here’s the problem:  Both distillers and beer brewers have a conundrum.  Their mash is delicious.  We love it - but we’re not the only ones.  There are various germs and bacteria that love it too and when they get into the mash, they multiply like crazy.  The problem is that they spoil the brew and the result is less-than-delicious mash for distilling.  

So to prevent those unwanted bugs getting into the mash, distillers will take a certain amount of “backset” or spent mash liquid (mash that’s been distilled and is waiting to be thrown away) and they’ll add an amount of that spent mash to their next mashing to increase the pH.  That spent mash has a higher acidity than the current mash.  Adding the spent mash increases the acidity making life miserable for the bad germs that will ruin it.  How much spent mash do distillers add?  No idea.  I think it’s a trade secret and probably depends on the pH of the mash they’re about to distill.  

So sour mashing is a good thing.  Then why does one distiller put it on their label and the other doesn’t?  As we saw with, ‘straight bourbon whiskey’, those words have a very specific meaning that is protected by the U.S. Federal Government.  The words, ‘sour mash’ are not required from the Feds and therefore optional for the distillers to display on their label.  You could, in theory, list your bourbon as a sour mash even when it isn’t.  (interestingly, Jack Daniel’s does not list itself as a ‘straight’ Tennessee whiskey even though it does meet those requirements).  

So then, what is ‘sweet mashing’?  Well, it’s making your mash with all fresh ingredients - as you would imagine.  How do they keep the bad bacteria from getting into their mash?   That’s addressed by sanitizing the tubs, pipes, and other equipment between batches. In my research I learned that Wilderness Trail Distillery uses the sweet mash process.  I happened to be enjoying their rye whiskey when I learned that.  I’ll cover Wilderness Trail Rye in a future Whiskey of the Week (hint:  It’s delicious!).

Essentially, if it doesn’t say, ‘sweet mash’, it’s probably a sour mash regardless of what’s on the label.  

 In addition to promoting clean fermentation, the sour mash process aids in consistency between batches of whiskey. The flavor of each new batch is influenced by the flavors in the added spent mash from the previous batch.  Our friends at Whisky Advocate are always a wonderful source of whisk(e)y knowledge.  You can learn more from them here.  If you love whiskies of all types, I highly recommend subscribing to their magazine.  

Some distillers say sweet mashes give distillers complete control over the flavors imparted from fermentation, whereas sour mash whiskies will carry the DNA from the prior batch due to that included backset.  I’ve seen a recurring theme in my research about sweet and sour mashes - they’re different, but one is not better than the other.  So what the distiller gains in consistency, she loses in whiskey complexity - according to some.

In a broad sense, whiskey is simply distilled beer (their grains, mashbills, and yeast may be different, but the fermenting concepts are similar).  That led me to wonder - do brewers sour their mash?  

Several days ago, I happened to be at an event at Aslin Beer Company in Alexandria.  They have locations in Herndon, Alexandria, Virginia Beach, DC, and Pittsburgh.  I had a hefeweizen and one of their lagers - both were excellent.  Their wings and pizza were also delicious.  If you’re having an event, I recommend them - or - just go for a beer.  You’ll love it.  Anyway.  I figured I’d find their brewer and ask about brewers sour mashing.  Aslin’s professional staff were happy to track down Tony Zapp, one of Aslin’s brewers and he spent much time with me answering my sour mash questions during his dinner break.  I asked:  Do brewers sour their mash?

Wellll…Kinda.  They have the same errant bacterial concerns, but they don’t take backset from previous mashings to increase the acidity.  Instead, many brewers will buy their preferred acids separately (often lactic acid).  They then add the proper amount to the mash to prevent problems.  Interestingly, he told me that some home brewers will take advantage of the lactic acid found in yogurt to balance their mash’s pH.  (Pro tip - don’t use the fruit-on-the-bottom yogurts.)  Tony assured me that they don’t do use yogurt at Aslin, and by the taste of their beers, I believe him.  

So now we know that the word ‘straight’ has a specific meaning (among other things, extra ingredients, such as caramel coloring and flavoring, are forbidden) and the words ‘sour mash’ doesn’t - it can be on the label or not.  Depends on the distiller.   

Buffalo Trace Bourbon is a quality bourbon.  I think you’ll like it.  É sù!