McAfee's Benchmark
 | |
| Type | Bourbon whiskey |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Sazerac Company |
| Country of origin | Kentucky, United States |
| Alcohol by volume | 40.00% |
| Proof (US) | 80 |
| Related products | Buffalo Trace |
McAfee's Benchmark is a brand of Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey produced by the Sazerac Company at its Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky.[1] It is an 80 proof bourbon with no age statement.
History
The Mcafee's Benchmark brand was created by Seagram's in the late 1960s to be a luxury or premium-level bourbon. At that time, the whiskey was not called McAfee, but simply Benchmark Bourbon; and the name McAfee came much later. Originally Benchmark was sold in a decanter-style bottle with a black label. It was very good, rich and a little sweet, not complex but satisfying.[2] A single barrel expression of Benchmark was also produced for a number of years.
The Benchmark brand name was purchased by the Sazerac Company in 1989 from Seagram's. It is still owned by Sazerac Brands of New Orleans which also now owns Buffalo Trace distillery in Frankfort, where Benchmark is now made. The origin of the McAfee name is that Hancock McAfee was, in 1775, one of the first European settlers at the site where Buffalo Trace stands today. The original Benchmark was made at Lawrenceburg, KY at the distillery now owned by Kirin, when Seagram owned it.