Advent Spirits Day 19: Traveller Whiskey

Earlier this year I was at a fundraising dinner for some worthy cause (although I confess I don’t remember what the cause was). In the back of the room they had a bunch of tables with silent auction items. Most of them were the usual baskets of stuff purchased from Target and arranged around some theme, like a “movie night” basket with popcorn and nuts and coffee table book of Roger Ebert’s top 100 reviews. Or maybe a “margarita basket” with two plastic margarita “glasses” and a bottle of mixer and some rimming salt. But what caught my eye was a glass decanter in the shape of a motorcycle with a bottle of whiskey to fill it with. This was pretty much the only thing on the table that I couldn’t just go out and easily buy on my own at Target. My bid went unchallenged, and I went home with the decanter and a bottle of Traveller Whiskey. (The British spelling is theirs…which is weird, since it comes from Kentucky.)

I had never heard of Traveller Whiskey before, but I assumed it was decent, given the minimum bid they had set. (Only now does it occur to me that they might have paired the motorcycle with Traveller Whiskey as a nod to the linking theme of transportation.) In any event, Traveller Whiskey is our Advent Spirit, so we’ll be able to determine whether I was ripped off or not!

Now, Traveller is made by Buffalo Trace, which is a respected pedigree. It’s also another one of those collaborations with a musician–this time a country singer-songwriter named Chris Stapleton. I hadn’t heard of him, but apparently he’s popular and accomplished enough that more culturally-aware people–like yourself–have heard his music. (Evidently he’s known for his cover of the classic country song “Tennessee Whiskey” from his debut album Traveller. So that explains the name…but not the spelling.)

Anyway, I still don’t put much stock in which musicians are associated with my whiskey. I just want to know how it tastes. The website isn’t of much help. They say “For this first-of-its-kind collaboration from Buffalo Trace Distillery, Traveller brings together the collective artistry of 11-time Grammy Award-Winning musician Chris Stapleton and Buffalo Trace Distillery Master Distiller, Harlen Wheatley.” They also say, somewhat apropos of nothing, “Traveller Whiskey is the first-ever Official Whiskey of Major League Baseball.” OK….

So I see that the only way we’re going to understand what’s going on with this whiskey is by pouring a shot. Here ‘goes.

Appearance: Whether by design or not, it’s the color of the highlights in Chris Stapleton’s beard.

Aroma: It also smells like Chris Stapleton’s beard. Haha! That was a little joke. It actually smells like his feet.

Taste: Can we please get serious? The taste is decent enough. It’s pretty smooth. This is a blend of various straight whiskies (which must each be aged for at least 2 years). Given that it’s from Buffalo Trace, I’d guess the component whiskies are aged longer than that. This doesn’t feel as “hot” as a young whisky can, and you really taste the layers of oak, toasted nuts, vanilla, and unleavened bread. So put that in your motorcycle and drink it!

Finish: It’s a smooth finish with no burn. It seems to resolve into hot buttered vodka. And that’s a good thing.

Bottom Line: I’d consider adopting this as a staple for my bar. But I’d use it as a mixer, not as a sipper. Now, if you’ll excuse me I’m going to go put some Chris Stapleton on the turntable and see what all the fuss is about.