Who Makes Trader Joe's Bourbon?

Should you take the reasonably priced $14 leap on a bottle of bourbon from the spirits aisle in Trader Joe's, you might come to discover yourself pleasantly surprised with the quality. While sipping that surprising whiskey, your mind may wander onto the fact that Trader Joe's doesn't own a distillery, and then wonder, "Well, who does make Trader Joe's bourbon?" There are some who believe that the liquor inside the Trader Joe's bottle is secretly Buffalo Trace. 

On the Trader Joe's website, there is a little clue to the carefully guarded identity of its bourbon. "The distiller of Trader Joe's Kentucky Bourbon Straight Whiskey actually makes one of the best branded Bourbons on the market," the chain teases. "This is a significant value given that it is aged a minimum of 5 years."

Best branded bourbon? Aged for five years? Could that mean Buffalo Trace? Buffalo Trace can be found on some shelves for $30, so why would it dump inventory through Trader Joe's for half as much? The answer is ... it probably doesn't. The bottle's back label reveals that Trader Joe's Kentucky Bourbon is made by Bourbon Square Distilling Company, a shell corporation used to obscure that the private label product is actually from Sazerac. Sazerac produces over 500 brands of spirits, including plenty of "best-branded bourbons," and also some of the worst. The Trader Joe's is likely something in between. But the Buffalo Trace rumor didn't come out of thin air.

Bargain bourbon sleuths have found that Trader Joe's names the Buffalo Trace Distillery on its paperwork with the Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, and Buffalo Trace also happens to be one of the brands in Sazerac's portfolio. To plenty of whiskey enthusiasts, that means an open and shut case. After all, Trader Joe's is already known for sourcing high-quality scotch for incredibly low prices. Unfortunately, this paperwork only indicates where the product is bottled, not where it's produced.

While there is little publicly available proof, discerning whiskey drinkers point to the flavor profile of Trader Joe's Bourbon that gives away some signatures of Sazerac's Barton 1792 Distillery, and not so much Buffalo Trace. Not that it's a bad thing. Reviewers are pleased by Trader Joe's rye-like spiciness that nicely balances tropical fruit and butterscotch. Buffalo Trace can be seen as an easier-drinking whiskey, lacking the spice present in Trader Joe's, evoking instead mild honey and orange zest.

If this inspires you to test for yourself how Trader Joe's Bourbon compares to Buffalo Trace, make sure to snag some of Trader Joe's best snacks to pair with it. If you're always on the hunt for an exciting bourbon that won't break the bank, here are nine more bottom-shelf bourbons that are actually worth it.