Hancock’s President’s Reserve Bourbon Review
Hancock’s Reserve is the poor cousin of the Buffalo Trace Mash bill #2 line. You won’t find much information on the bottle label, nor is there anything about Hancock’s Reserve on the Buffalo Trace Distillery web site.
BOTTLE DETAILS
- DISTILLER: Buffalo Trace Distillery
- MASH BILL: Buffalo Trace mash bill #2 – the high rye mash bill
- AGE: NAS – No Age Statement
- YEAR: 2017
- PROOF: 88.9 (44.45% ABV)
- MSRP: $59.99
- BUY ONLINE: Wine-Searcher.com
LEE'S NOTES
NOSE: Strawberries | Vanilla
TASTE: Vanilla
FINISH: There wasn’t much finish on this at all. A vanilla lingering in the mouth and towards the end of the pour a slight chest warming.
SHARE WITH: I would share this with anyone who enjoys bourbon.
WORTH THE PRICE: I paid $57.99 for this bottle. I would buy Blanton’s, Rock Hill Farms or Elmer T. Lee before I would buy this again.
BOTTLE, BAR OR BUST: Try it in a bar before you buy.
OVERALL: Hancock’s Reserve is the poor cousin of the Buffalo Trace Mash bill #2 line. You won’t find much information on the bottle label, nor is there anything about Hancock’s Reserve on the Buffalo Trace Distillery web site. It can be found on the website greatbourbon.com, a site run by the Sazerac Company. Hard to find, I had once had a pour of it in Nashville a few years ago and recently came across it during a drive through eastern Tennessee.
When I had my first pour of this, my thought was there is nothing here. Not much nose, taste or finish. But I enjoyed it. I waited a week and came back to it. The second time around I got a nose that reminded me of those strawberry shortcake ice cream bars I used to get from the Good Humor Man as a kid (for a quarter!). I enjoyed sipping it. It is a nice tasting bourbon but comes in behind Rock Hill Farms, Elmer T. Lee and Blanton’s in the lineup.
BRAND NOTES
In 1775, the Leestown settlement was established along the banks of the Kentucky River by Willis and Hancock Lee. Soon this became a well-known shipping port for tobacco, hemp and whiskey. The Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey pays tribute to the pioneering spirit of Hancock Lee.
Tasting Notes
This Single Barrel bourbon whiskey is deep amber in color. The nose is light and sweet with traces of mango and papaya. The body is full and the palate shows a nice balance of honey, clover, fruit and a dash of spice. The finish is long and warm.