Rock Hill Farms Single Barrel
Rock Hill Farms is a very good bourbon, and worth trying. If you have an extra $60, give it a shot.
- Price Paid: $63
- Age: No Age Statement (Est. 8-10 Years)
- 50% ABV (100 Proof)
- Distilled/Bottled by: Buffalo Trace, Frankfort, KY (Mash Bill #2)
- Availability: Allocated
What it is:
Rock Hill Farms is another of Buffalo Trace’s fine single barrel bourbons, sharing a mash bill with Blanton’s, Elmer T. Lee, Ancient Age, and Hancock’s Reserve. It is named for a stretch of farmland along the Kentucky River. While nearly all of Buffalo Trace’s top-shelf premiums can be a little hard to find at the moment, this is not a limited release or particularly rare bourbon. It should be available in well-stocked liquor stores with some regularity.
Packaging:
Rock Hill Farms is bottled in a short square bottle with a glass stopper. It is an extremely elegant and attractive packaging, looking as much like an expensive crystal decanter as a shelf bottling.
Appearance:
Poured into a Glencairn, it is a medium mahogany with some amber glints.
Aroma:
Corn, Spice, and sweets, including honey and baked goods. The entire experience is wrapped in aged oak. It’s a spicy aroma, rich and decadent.
Flavor:
Sweet caramel and honey on the tip of the tongue. Ripe pears and fruits mingle on the middle of the tasting, while the back of the tongue gets a brown sugar, maple syrup, and black pepper sensation.
Finish:
Medium-to-long. The caramel and vanilla remain, and are missed with heavier oak and bitter tannins from aged wood on the tail.
Synopsis:
Due to its presumed age, packaging, and mash bill, this bourbon is most often going to be compared to the better known Blanton’s. However, this is a more flavorful and velvety bourbon, with sweeter bourbon flavors prevailing throughout, and what feels like just a touch more aging in the barrel (without an age statement, it’s hard to say for sure). While we greatly enjoy Blanton’s (see our review here), Rock Hill Farms seems like a very similar bourbon done just a touch better…like a more refined big brother.
Rock Hill Farms is a stout 100 proof, and there is enough peppery kick to justify rocks or water with this drink. Both serve to tame the kick just enough, but neither are entirely necessary for those who like the higher rye flavor profiles (Mash Bill #2 is the high rye recipe at Buffalo Trace).
The only real holdup on this bourbon is the price. At $50, it would be a no-brainer. At $63, it should at least give pause to many buyers. Is it that much better than Blanton’s (around $50) to justify the extra price? That’s subjective, and I can’t answer that for everyone else. For me, I’d probably buy another bottle of Blanton’s and save $13 before buying another bottle of Rock Hill Farms, but that’s mainly because they’re similar, and more guests will recognize Blanton’s. Without price as a consideration, I think this is a bigger, more complex bourbon than Blanton’s.
For me, Rock Hill Farms is a very good bourbon, and worth trying. If you have an extra $60, give it a shot. Your best bet may be to split a bottle first, or have a taste from a friend’s bottle before ponying up for one yourself. Either way, you won’t be disappointed based upon flavor; it has that in spades.
ModernThirst.com score: 90 out of 100 points.
9 Comments
Great write up Bill! Couldn’t agree with you more in regards your review of this fine whiskey, along with the comparison to Blanton’s. The only point I’d like to mention is in regards price, which seemed to be a slight sticking point with you. I was able to purchase a bottle of RHF recently for $44, and have seen it hover in the $50 range. Of course I saw it at a local liquor store for $99 the other day, obviously trying to cash in on the “bourbon shortage.” Either way, just food for thought and please keep up the good work!
How do I order a bottle of this
Contact your local liquor store for purchase.
Bought a Bottle for $50. Like it better than Blanton’s for the same price.
It’s a bit hotter on the palate, so it certainly appeals to a lot of people. I go back and forth between it and Blanton’s as my preferred of the two.
Where did u bought it at ?
I searched far and wide for a bottle of RHF for almost a year. Finally found a retailer who had a bottle of it stored privately and only wanted MSRP for it. I really loved Blanton’s but found this little gem to steal it’s thunder. To me the higher proofing and heat brings out more flavor and depth. It’s a close one, but RHF wins in the final round by virtue of a TKO.
How much did u end up paying? If u don’t mind.
Fast forward to 2023, and a bottle of this sells for upwards of $550 now. Sad.