According to Buffalo Trace (n.d.), "Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor, Jr. is widely considered one of the founding fathers of the bourbon industry, fighting for the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897...". This single barrel offering is a limited annual release which is aged in the climate controlled Warehouse C that was built in 1881. Bourbon has seen an explosive growth in sales in recent years notwithstanding the renewed interest due to the pandemic situation. What is interesting is the tremendous amount of attention that any product released from Buffalo Trace has been garnering which makes getting a bottle of this a true luck of the draw.
Distillery: Buffalo Trace (Sazerac)
City: Frankfort, KY
Style: Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Mash Bill: 85% Corn, 10% Rye, 5% Malted Barley *
ABV: 50% (100 Proof)
Availability: Limited Release, 750 ml, $60.00 MSRP
Appearance: Tawny (1.4 on a scale of 0.0 - 2.0)
Glass: Norlan Whisky Glass
Nose: Oak, Vanilla, Caramels, Brown Sugar. Baked Bread, Ethanol
Palate: A presence of freshly ground peppercorns is apparent on the front of the palette that starts to spread to the mid palate and slowly fades. I noticed a little bit of alcoholic sharpness in the front but it was not unpleasant. You can detect an oak char from the barrel with a finish that is moderate to long with the baked bread, orange rind making an appearance, and ending with more of the peppery spiciness and some tobacco notes.
The E.H. Taylor, Jr. Single Barrel uses Buffalo Trace's Mash Bill #1, however the distillery does not disclose what the percentages are for any of their mash bills, therefore, the percentages provided above are guesstimates. Since this is a Bottled-in-Bond offering the bourbon is 100 Proof, we know that the age is at least four years, however, the mouthfeel and the pronounced oak and wood show that what is in this bottle is much older.
Overall the pours that I have enjoyed from this bottle is good, while I am sure that there will be those that don't necessarily agree with me (after all this is just my opinion) part of what makes this challenging is the ability for folks to get their mitts on a bottle. Given the chance to get one of these bottles is this something I would buy? It is a resounding yes on that part, however, is it something that you would suffer FOMO (fear of missing out) if you could not get your hands on a bottle? Not really, the great thing about bourbon is that there are others out there that you could readily get off the shelf and be happy to drink. If you can't get your own bottle, consider trying this at the bar if they have it on the drinks menu.
Final Rating: Bottle
Rating Scale (Schwartz, 2020)
Bottle: Buy a bottle
Bar: Try it at a bar
Bust: Buy something else
* Buffalo Trace does not disclose the mash bill used in their products; the percentages shown are speculated values for Mash Bill #1.
References:
Buffalo Trace. (n.d.). E. H. Taylor, Jr. Single barrel. Buffalo Trace Distillery. https://www.buffalotracedistillery.com/our-brands/e-h-taylor-jr/e-h-taylor-jr-single-barrel.html
Library of Congress. (1897, March 3). An Act To allow the bottling of distilled spirits in bond. https://www.loc.gov/law/help/statutes-at-large/54th-congress/session-2/c54s2ch379.pdf
Schwartz, J. (2020, August 28). Whiskey ratings, ratings, ratings! But what do they all mean? Bourbon & Banter. https://www.bourbonbanter.com/banter/ratings-ratings-ratings-but-what-do-they-all-mean/