Colonel E.H. Taylor Jr. Bottled in Bond Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Staff Reviews

DO

David Othenin-Girard

David Othenin-Girard

K&L Buyer

It's been a little while since I've sat down and evaluated this product thoroughly. A standard in my back bar when I can get it, but I tend to drink and not think this one if you know what I mean. The fact that it's recently become slightly more available (for what will certainly be a short period of time) means I get to take some time to consider this one thoroughly for once. Supposedly the same mash bill as George T Stagg I actually get a strong similarity one of the other famously hard to get Buffalo Trace Bourbons, Rock Hill Farms. Maybe it's a warehousing thing or the fact that they're both 100 proof, but the mashbills on the two should be different. The nose still has tons of sweet dark oak spice, strong Tahitian vanilla and caramel. Touches of barnyard and dried vegetation. Big sweet corn on the palate with a lovely kick thanks to the higher proof. This is the perfect whisky to go in between Eagle Rare and Blanton's and the shoe fits perfectly, figuratively speaking. Sad we don't get to sell this on the regular, but hopefully more stocks will continue to open up on this excellent brand.

Notes

Colonel E.H. Taylor Bourbon is named for one of the founding fathers of the modern bourbon industry. Edmund Haynes Taylor, an honorary "Kentucky Colonel," was a descendant of two presidents (Madison & Taylor) and one of Kentucky's last surviving Bourbon Aristocrats. The Colonel purchased the famous Old Fire Copper (O.F.C.) Distillery at the close of the Civil War. There, he introduced scientific method to the production of bourbon, modernized equipment and set standards of production that became ubiquitous for quality bourbon production for the next century. He sold this distillery to George T. Stagg and it would eventually become known as Buffalo Trace. Taylor was a crusader for higher quality standards across the industry and ultimately help pass the 1897 Bottled in Bond Act. No single person can claim as much responsibility for the quality of modern bourbon whiskey as this man. This wonderful Bottled in Bond Small Batch Bourbon, named in his honor, has been extremely hard to get since its release in 2013. It's won countless gold medals in competitions around the world and a rare 5 star review from renowned spirits reviewer F. Paul Pacult. In a world where getting a bottle of Elmer T. Lee, George T. Stagg, or is still next to impossible, finding a bottle of Taylor for a descent price is a coup. E.H. Taylor is right at home in the company of luminaries like these.