Bourbon Heritage Month 2020 Day 8: Hancock’s President’s Reserve

Sep 8

Hancock’s Presidential Reserve Single Barrel

It would be easy to call this Blanton’s little brother - it’s the same mash bill, slightly lower proof (88.9 vs 93), and aged a little less than Blantons - but Hancock’s knows what it is and has its own well-deserved place on the shelf. As the lowest proof option in the Mash bill 2 vertical, Hancock’s is also a bit cheaper (looking solely at SRP…it might be just as difficult as its brethren to find in the wild). This is also produced by Sazerac’s Buffalo Trace Distillery.

Hancock’s is a sleeper. Even Buffalo Trace’s own website has only the barest of notes on it (tasting notes and the label variances). It’s a single barrel that doesn’t list the barrel, the dates, anything other than simply saying “Single Barrel”. Doing some digging, I found on ScotchNoob.com that the “Hancock” in question is Hancock Lee, who co-founded Leesburg, Kentucky. It’s downright odd that more information isn’t available, especially when Buffalo Trace recently made ALL of their products allocated. I think this baby deserves a little more love and a little more of a history.

Sazerac/Buffalo Trace

44.45% ABV/88.9 Proof

NAS

Eye: I can already smell the similarities to Blanton’s - sweet berries and cream, corn custard and buttered popcorn that becomes corn pudding after some air. Perhaps this is more corn-forward and a little younger tasting than the Blanton’s, but the flavor similarities are there.

Palate: Very little burn - what is there is on the tip of the tongue and is transient. Very corn-forward on the palate with deep, dark fruits adding to the sweetness and richness. Some oak dryness in the back leads to lightly charred vanilla. A custardy mouthfeel, filling but not coating. For me this holds its weight well above its proof in both mouthfeel and flavor.

Finish: Long and sweet, focused on berries, especially strawberries, and corn.

Overall: As you can clearly see, it was impossible for me to review this and not consider it alongside Blanton’s original. Sometimes those kind of unavoidable comparisons are to the detriment of one or the other - not in this case. Hancock’s is younger and more corn-forward to be sure, but it holds its own quite well and balances that youth with a creamy mouthfeel and enough oak to give the flavors a body to roll with.

Rating: 5.7

10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)

9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)

8 | Excellent | Exceptional (12+YO MGP Bourbon, Highland Park Single Barrels)

7 | Great | Well above average (Blanton’s Original, Old Weller Antique, Booker’s)

6 | Very Good | Better than average (Four Roses Small Batch Select, Knob Creek 14+ YO Picks)

5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond)

4 | Sub-par | Many things I’d rather have (A.D. Laws Four Grain, Compass Box “Oak Cross”)

3 | Bad | Flawed (Iron Smoke Bourbon, Balcones)

2 | Poor | Forced myself to drink it (Buckshee Bourbon and Rye)

1 | Disgusting | Drain pour (Virginia Distilling Co. Cider Cask)