Tasting Tuesday: Same Mashbill, Same Proof, No Safety Net

I went into this one knowing it could go sideways.

Four bourbons. Same mashbill lineage. Same proof. A lot of shared DNA. I mixed them into a blind with no idea what was in which glass. This was always going to be close, and there was a very real chance the “wrong” bottle would come out on top.

That’s fine. That’s the point.

Let’s see what happened.

The Competitors

Without revealing the pour order, here’s the lineup:

Buffalo Trace
Buffalo Trace Single Barrel
Eagle Rare
Bowman Brothers Small Batch

All four were tasted blind at 90 proof.

The Blind Tasting

Color

All four pours were nearly identical. If you lined them up without knowing better, you’d assume they came from the same source.

One glass (G4) was just slightly darker than the rest.

Color Ranking:
1st – G4
2nd – G1, G2, G3 (essentially a tie)

Nose

The family resemblance was immediate.

Two of the pours (G1 and G3) were nearly identical—apples, grapes, and caramel leading the way. Another (G2) shared those notes but felt more muted in some ways and richer in others. The final pour (G4) was similar but lighter overall.

Nose Ranking:
1st – G2
2nd – G1 & G3
4th – G4

Palate

This is where real separation started.

G1 led with apples and spice, backed by vanilla and caramel. G2 followed a similar path but showed more heat and less character. G3 felt like a more refined version of G1—less bite, more depth. G4 was pleasant and smooth, but more straightforward.

Palate Ranking:
1st – G3
2nd – G1
3rd – G4
4th – G2

Complexity

None of these are particularly complex bourbons, and that’s not a criticism. This is honest, approachable bourbon territory.

That said, G3 and G4 showed slightly more layering and nuance than the others. G2’s added bite didn’t translate into added depth.

Complexity Ranking:
1st – G3 & G4
3rd – G1
4th – G2

Mouthfeel

No meaningful separation here. All four were silky enough, but none stood out as notably viscous.

Result: Four-way tie.

Finish

Two pours (G2 and G4) lingered the longest, with fruit and spice carrying through. G3 followed closely behind. G1 faded the quickest, though it remained pleasant.

Finish Ranking:
1st – G2 & G4
3rd – G3
4th – G1

The Finish Line (Blind Results)

After tallying the points:

G3 – 20 points
G4 – 19 points
G2 – 17 points
G1 – 16 points

Tight from top to bottom.

The Reveal

Here’s how the blind pours mapped out:

G1 – Bowman Brothers Small Batch
G2 – Buffalo Trace
G3 – Buffalo Trace Single Barrel
G4 – Eagle Rare

Final Thoughts

Buffalo Trace Single Barrel edged out Eagle Rare by the narrowest of margins, followed closely by standard Buffalo Trace and Bowman Brothers. On another day, with another pour, I could easily land somewhere else and feel just as satisfied.

That’s the real lesson here.

When mashbill and proof are held constant, the differences shrink. Barrel selection, age, and subtle process choices matter—but they tend to create inches, not miles.

And that realization leads me right back to one of my favorite value plays.

About Douglas Blaine

Capnpen is a writer who was a newspaper and magazine journalist in a previous life. A college journalism major, he now works as an English teacher, but gets his writing fix by blogging about a variety of topics, including politics, religion, movies and television. When he's not working or blogging, Capnpen spends time with his family, plays a little golf (badly) and loves to learn about virtually anything.

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