Carbon & Oak

Buffalo Trace itself has one of the longest continuous whiskey-making histories in America. The distillery traces its roots back to the late 1700s, when travelers and herds of buffalo carved paths across the Kentucky frontier to the banks of the Kentucky River.

A revived label from the Lawrenceburg distillery Julian Van Winkle once ran — recommended over the rye by a liquor-store owner, and worth listening to.

I can't say I grew up knowing much about the brand. When I first started drinking bourbon, I was firmly in the Jim Beam camp. In our group of friends, there was only one die-hard Jack Daniel's fan, and over time even he graduated to Gentleman Jack. But that's about as "premium" as our shelves ever got. Woodford Reserve simply wasn't part of the conversation.

Most people assume "straight" means no coloring or flavoring added. That's not it — no bourbon can have additives. Here's what the word is actually doing on the label.

This one just happens to carry the name of the man who started it — the master distiller who selected the barrels that became Blanton's, and later got a bottle carrying his own name.