McAfee’s Benchmark Old No. 8 Bourbon is Buffalo Trace’s most basic entry in to the bourbon category and is the equivalent of Henry Mckenna at Heaven Hill or Jim Beam White. It’s a bargain bourbon, a workhorse that delivers big value, but not a whole lot of depth and complexity. But it’s not supposed to, that’s not its purpose on this planet.
This is what I call a “kick-around” whiskey. Something to drink when you’re cleaning the house, doing laundry, dishes, etc. McAfee’s Benchmark Old No. 8 Bourbon is perfect for those times when your only drinking requirement is to have something “not bad” in your glass.
In Buffalo Trace’s Words: Benchmark Bourbon
“Named after the McAfee brothers who surveyed a site just north of Frankfort in the late 1700s, this rye recipe bourbon is yet another label that honors the storied history of the Distillery and the land it sits on.
The nose bears caramel notes with a delicate stone-fruit backdrop. A robust and sturdy palate with some fine leather notes mingling with dry tobacco, a touch of oak and a hint of dried cherries. The finish is smooth and calming.”
Another bit of trivia about this brand is that before 1992 it went by the name of Benchmark Bourbon and used to be made at Four Roses back when Seagram owned them. Seagrams sold Four Roses to Kirin in 2002 so the sale of Benchmark to Sazerac predates that by a decade. After the 1992 sale of Benchmark the name was changed to McAfee’s Benchmark Old No. 8 Bourbon in honor of the above mentioned McAfee brothers.
Now on to the McAfee’s Benchmark Old No. 8 Bourbon and see how my notes compare to the distillery’s!
McAfee’s Benchmark Old No. 8 Bourbon Info
Region: Kentucky, USA
Distiller: Buffalo Trace
Mashbill: Corn, Rye (10% or less), Malted Barley
Cask: New charred oak
Age: NAS
ABV: 40%
Price: $15 (1 Liter)
McAfee’s Benchmark Old No. 8 Bourbon Review
EYE
Light caramel
NOSE
Candy corn, butterscotch, toasted grains, vanilla, corn and light bits of tart caramel apples, nuts and a creamy acidic nature like sour cream. I’ve definitely smelled worse, but it’s not bad for what it is.
PALATE
Candy corn, caramel corn, vanilla, nuts, grain and a touch of oak and spice. The palate is more muted than the aroma, but there’s nothing offensive going on so there’s nothing to get too worked up about.
FINISH
Short drop of nuts, oak, vanilla and spice.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Not fully balanced, thin body and a light watery feel.
OVERALL
The aroma of the McAfee’s Benchmark Old No. 8 Bourbon is a bit more dynamic than the flavor and presents a more interesting experience, but it doesn’t manage to captivate me. It also doesn’t turn me off either. It’s perfectly drinkable and inoffensive, but not daring or interesting either; for my money I’d rather pick up the regular Buffalo Trace or even the Four Roses Yellow.
McAfee’s Benchmark Old No. 8 Bourbon is definitely my least favorite regular release from Buffalo Trace. My all-time least favorite BT release was the rice bourbon, but that was a special edition experiment and is among the worst whiskeys I’ve ever had. Thankfully the McAfee’s Benchmark Old No. 8 Bourbon is nothing like it and that’s something we can all be happy about.
SCORE: 79/100 (C+)
McAfee’s Benchmark Old No. 8 Bourbon Review - Score Breakdown
Summary
McAfee’s Benchmark Old No. 8 Bourbon is ok. Nothing special, but a sold workhorse whiskey.
Overall
- Nose - 78
- Palate - 78
- Finish - 78
- Balance, Body & Feel - 78
I was mislead by the prominent 8 on the label, thinking it was 8 years old, until I saw in small lettering on the neck “aged at least 36 months “, i. e, three years old. And it is frankly a pretty rough whisky but I admit it is quite flavourful.
Hopefully it was at least priced decently!
my state liquor store here in Provo UT has a fifth (750mil) on sale for $10. My go to daily drinker because I drink allot is Old Crow $20 (1.75 L). I gave this a try and was not impressed. The author is spot on watery. No kick. No spice. No complexity. Smooth and bland.
My favorite is WT 101.
Cheers Flint!
I appreciate the author’s tone and cordial response to every comment. People on other whiskey review sites have been downright nasty, which to me is unnecessary as we should all be able to share our views without a kick in the balls. I had not heard of this bourbon until tonight. Was in the store to buy Ancient Age, saws this and decided to give it a try. I am not a beer, wine or whiskey snob, primarily because I can’t afford to be; but know what’s acceptable, and B-8 is definitely there with the goods. My favorite is probably Evan single-barrel but I don’t see it around here much. I am always a sucker to try new bourbons, and I was not disappointed by this. Tupshida!
Thanks for sharing this, and the comment, Michael. I try to be welcoming to everyone’s views and opinions. Except the jerks, I get a little sarcastic with them ;) We all have different tastes, POVs and likes and dislikes and I appreciate you sharing yours. Cheers!
Many years ago, probably the 60s or 70s, Consumer Reports did an article and taste test on bourbons, and benchmark came in either as first or best buy. I remember trying it and liking it back then.
Since then, I have been a Jack Daniel drinker.
Recently I passed a 100 ml miniature of Benchmark on my way out with J.D. at Total Wine. Bought it and liked it after all these years. It’s not J.D., but pretty close. Great value and very good taste.
I am 82 and enjoying it right now.
That’s awesome, thank you for sharing that Stephen. Cheers!
Was the first one that I enjoyed neat when I boldly ventured into the bourbon spirit world over 5 years ago. All previous ones were tried neat, if no good then tried on the rocks, if still no good then they were relegated to mixer duty. B-8 has a sentimental spot in my liquor lovin’ heart.
Salud!
Cheers Dave!
I never heard of Benchmark before, but my local store got a shipment of Blanton’s Single Barrel and it’s bundled with a bottle of Benchmark, so I wanted to see if it would be worth it. Sounds like a good deal, the Benchmark will make a good daily drinker to keep my liver in shape.
It’s a nice easy drinker/mixer so it’ll definitely fit the bill for that. Cheer Sean!
This is the most accurate review of Benchmark I’ve seen. It’s a great “daily” drinker and you can’t beat the price. Thanks.
Cheers John!
I have to confess, I’m no bourbon connoisseur. I don’t like any of it neat. I only like it in Coke. No, I love it in Coke ! I know Jack in Coke is almost one of the basic food groups to a lot of people. But Benchmark #8 is much better and about 1/2 the price. Can’t beat that. I think it compares favorably to Beam or Maker’s in Coke as well. By the way, my formula for a good bourbon in Coke- 1 shot of 80 proof bourbon in 7.5 ozs of Coke. So far, Benchmark is my top pick. Goes great with Pizza, pasta, Mexican or cajun.
Hello my fellow frugal aficionados…
I discovered Benchmark right before a camping trip,just by reading labels…Being a fan of Jim Beam at the time,I was very pleasantly surprised at the taste,price & drinkability of the Old no.8! I ended up having a great time camping & laughing around the campfire…My GF at the time(Hi Jess),actually suggested me not drinking it the following night, as I enjoyed a little too much & climbed one to many trees for her liking…I’ll admit,I tend to prefer remaining a young boy & prefer fun over adulting,but It wasnt Benchmarks fault I climbed the tree…No harm no foul right? Thanks for the good times ,good laughs & good spirits,Old no.8 I appreciate you. Still buying you 17 yrs later! Currently drinking on a bottle of very Old Barton…Pleasantly surprised w/it also…
P.S. I am not a bourbon/whiskey snob. I just like them & I am frugal about ALL things not women or live music…Peace & CHEERS to you,from Texas.
Ha, I love reading this Tony. Thank you for sharing, cheers!
been looking for a less expensive whiskey/bourban than my go to, Jack. A few places you can get a 1750 for $32. But other places, $40+. Ridiculous. I bought one of those little double shots or whatever they are of Benchmark. First thing I thought, wow that kind of tastes like BT. I like it. Tried Jim Beam, tastes like soap. Terrible bitter edge to it. Think I try this for a while.
Awesome, thanks for sharing. Cheers Ron!
This is certainly one of the better value bourbons that I’ve tried. I still very much prefer Evan Williams (black label) which I can often find locally for $10-12 for a 750 ml bottle.
That’s a killer price, it’s about $15-$20 here for EW Black. Cheers Cory!
Just picked this up and was pleasantly surprised! I thought it was smooth and quite tasty! I don’t know all the details of whiskey tasting but “like art”, I know what I like. I’ll be picking this up again as it’s a great find for me. Thanks for making this! Cheers.
If you know what you like, that’s all you need to know. Cheers Mark!
Strong butterscotch! Quite spirity. Almost reminiscent of a Canadian whisky?
When I saw this at the local for under ten bucks, I just had to try it out (Ezra 7 can wait)
Wow, under $10, that’s a good deal for sure!
My buddy brought a bottle to the cookout and we loved it!
Awesome!
Working on my first pour of this ever. Very pleased. Paid $13.99 for the fifth I bought, am thinking it’s worth three or four dollars more. I appreciate that it did not bite back on my first sip as Evan Williams is prone to do to me. I’ll buy it again as my bourbon choice heading into Summer. Thank you, Buffalo Trace.
Nice, glad you’re enjoying it Jimmy. Cheers!
Ever since I tasted this Bourbon that in my view it compares to Jack D. but you can buy two bottles for the price of one. Most places are having trouble getting it because people are finding out about it. It doesn’t have to be expensive to be good.
It definitely doesn’t, cheers to that Kenneth!
Josh,
For 9.00 a fifth I had to try it for myself and like Ezra Black, I am glad I did. I have a few neighbors over every now and then for a “Bourbon and Bullshit” session and Benchmark was served. Josh, we all liked it and I found it to be a sweet and easy drinking pour. Thanks to your reviews I’m not going broke or serving swill. Keep up the good work!
Awesome man, glad to hear it. Sounds like a great night, thanks for sharing that. Cheers!
Cheap but decent!
I just picked up a bottle from my therapist (local liquor store owner). He had a newspaper article taped to the shelf about this bourbon. Just poured a shot with one ice cube. Let it sit for a few minutes and then enjoyed. Not bad for the price!
Definitely not bad for the price. A nice value bourbon for sure. Cheers Brett!
This is my daily staple. Less than 20 bucks for a 1.75. Can’t beat that! And it tastes like bourbon should!
That’s awesome, glad you love it! Cheers, Gus!
Just tried Benchmark for the first time and was pleasantly surprised! This article is accurate. Benchmark lacks the complexity of Maker’s Mark or Knob Creek or Buffalo Trace or Woodford Reserve….. But given that it’s less than half the price of any of those, it is incredibly smooth. I prefer it over Jim Beam, and it’s cheaper. But it’s not just about the cheapness. It actually doesn’t burn. Even going down straight. It’s definitely 80 (I can feel it) but doesn’t burn.
Cheers Frank!
This is not top shelf, but it is easily worth twice it’s regular price of $10-12. Definitly holds its own against slightly higher priced offerings like Four Roses or Jim Beam. It’s basically a younger, less mature Buffalo Trace
Cheers!
I pretty well agree with your take on this bourbon. Decent but average. It may be the equivalent of Henry McKenna as far as the pecking order in the respective distilleries go, but is far behind in aroma, taste and finish. Just about to polish off my first bottle of Benchmark and it is also probably my last. Too many other delicious bourbons out there!
Indeed. Cheers Kelly!
Right in there with Old Crow, Heaven Hill & Evan Williams ($1 less than EW today for a fifth).
Great daily happiness with a bit of sweet vermouth & a splash of ginger ale (or orange dry).
Cheers to my fellow Bottom Dwellers!
Cheers!
I’ve been thru most of the bottom shelf bourbons. The best was Heaven Hill green label 6-y/o at $9/750ml, but this year they reduced it to 80*, and removed the age statement. Result – sux.
Generally, for $10 bourbon, I’ll buy and enjoy Early Times, Old Crow, and Benchmark.
Maybe that because I also like Old Forester, Buffalo Trace, but strangely have not yet found a Beam line worth its price other than the Old Crow :::shrug:::
Never got to try the Green HH (new or old) since it’s not a West Coast thing, but I’ve heard nothing but good thins about the old 6 year. Though in that vein I really enjoy the HH BiB. Solid stuff at a low price. Cheers!
Ugh!! This bourbon is a fraud. Something people want to like because it’s cheap and not rotgut. For a couple of dollars more you can do much better. To each his own of course but I feel pretty strongly about this. Cheers!!
Such as?
This gives Old Crow a run for it’s money.
Nice campfire whiskey, if you you’re short on change.
Better than most American blended whiskies.
Exception: Triple Crown from McCormick Weston, MO. But it’s $16 and you can get Evan Williams and Olf Forester for the same price.
Best inexpensive bourbon. I expected rot gut whisky. Honestly has a really nice flavor and aroma! Beats the hell out of Fireball!
Haha, that it does. Cheers!
I enjoy Benchmark as my daily drink. Like I have a daily cigar. I can’t afford top shelf of either for everyday, so I go with cheap but, enjoyable. I won’t drink or smoke something unless I actually like it. I mean, what would be the point in that? And in the bottom shelf category of bourbon, Benchmark has become my favorite. Only problem I have is once or twice a year it seems the 2 liquor stores I regularly go to have trouble keeping it on the shelf for 2 or 3 weeks.
Cheers Dano O, thanks for sharing. For a cheap daily drinker it’s a decent one. Mine is WT101 ($22 – $24 a bottle here) as I can’t afford the expensive stuff for daily consumption either :)
I keep it in a small oak barrel. This seems to open it up and greatly improves its drinkability.
This was my standard go-to mixing and highball whiskey for a long time, as well as being the first bottom shelfer that I enjoyed neat or on the rocks. It is a very good pour for the money. Goes for about $12 a 750 here, but since discovering Evan Williams BIB, I usually just kick in a couple extra bucks for that.