Benchmark Bonded Bourbon Whiskey
Benchmark Bonded is a 100-proof (50% ABV) bottled-in-bond Kentucky straight bourbon whiskey distilled at Buffalo Trace Distillery — and one of the best values in the entire bonded category. Bonded by law means a single distilling season, a single distillery, and a minimum of four years in the barrel, which puts Benchmark Bonded in the same legal company as the Colonel E.H. Taylor line, at a fraction of the price. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- ABV: 50% (100 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Age: minimum 4 years (bottled-in-bond requirement)
- Origin: Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, Kentucky; Sazerac Company
- Production: bottled in bond — one distilling season, one distiller, aged at least 4 years in a federally bonded warehouse
Bottled-in-Bond at a Workingman's Price
The Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897 was America's first consumer-protection law for whiskey, guaranteeing authenticity — and Benchmark Bonded delivers that guarantee for about twenty bucks. Bright lemon-honey tartness on the nose, vanilla extract, charred wood, and wet leather give way to oak, vanilla, and caramel with a spicy tobacco edge. It is the connoisseur's pick of the Benchmark line and a fixture in our bourbon collection.
Tasting Notes
The nose is surprisingly bright — lemon-honey sweetness, vanilla extract, charred wood, wet leather. The palate leans into oak and vanilla while honey mellows to caramel with spicy tobacco. The finish is short but sweet, with vanilla, honey, and tobacco.
How to Enjoy
This is an Old Fashioned bourbon — the 100-proof backbone stands up to bitters and sugar, and it drinks beautifully neat with its bonded pedigree on display.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "bonded" mean on bourbon?
Bottled-in-bond whiskey must come from one distilling season at one distillery, be aged at least four years, and be bottled at exactly 100 proof under federal supervision.
What is the proof of Benchmark Bonded?
100 proof (50% ABV) — required by the bottled-in-bond designation.
Is Benchmark Bonded a good alternative to Buffalo Trace?
Reviewers call it the best affordable alternative: same Buffalo Trace Distillery origin, same low-rye mash-bill family, at a workingman's price.
Bonded bourbon this honest shouldn't cost this little — order Benchmark Bonded online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.
