Colonel E.H. Taylor Jr. Single Barrel Bourbon Whiskey Review
(photo by Outsider)
Buffalo Trace Distillery’s Colonel E.H. Taylor Jr. collection features more than a dozen bottles—some allocated, some limited releases, but all increasingly harder to find on shelves. Even the most readily available bottle in the Taylor family—Taylor Small Batch—is becoming ghostly. And the Taylor Single Barrel is basically an apparition. However, we’ve got a ghost story for you today.
It’s no apparition—we spotted (and purchased) a bottle of Col. E.H. Taylor Jr. Single Barrel. Let’s get sipping to see what the Colonel brings to the table.
At a Glance
- Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery
- Location: Frankfort, KY
- Style: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Age: Not Stated
- Mashbill: Not Stated (rumored BTD #1 low-rye)
- Proof: 100
- MSRP: $65
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Col. E.H. Taylor Single Barrel: What We Say
| Nose | light ethanol, whipped cream, brown sugar, toasted oak, stone fruit, lemon loaf |
| Palate | toasted oak, leather, pepper, tobacco, sweet hay, whipped cream, cherry, orange, butterscotch |
| Finish | medium-long, butterscotch, honey, pepper spice, oak |
| What You Can Expect to Pay | $100+ |
| Buy It: Now, Soon, Later, Never | Soon |
| Outsider Rating | 89/100 |
Col. E.H. Old Taylor Single Barrel opens with light ethanol (smells higher proof than 100), followed by the decadent scent of homemade whipping cream—with plenty of rich vanilla. Brown sugar and toasted oak follow. A deeper nosedive yields sweet, dark stone fruit—plum and cherry—followed by a hint of citrus in the form of a baked lemon loaf. Letting it breathe really unleashes the stone fruit. Fantastic.
On the palate, the toasted oak from the nose is forefront, followed by the earthiness of leather and some pepper spice. Sweet hay and tobacco emerge, before the whipped cream really begins to develops. Underneath, sweet fruit crops up, including cherry and orange (really, it’s like a blood orange). A bit of chewing brings out the wonderful butterscotch. Such depth. Again, fantastic.
The medium-long finish lingers with more sweet butterscotch and honey, capped by a touch of oak and subtle pepper spiciness. Pour me another one right now.
What Buffalo Trace Says About Taylor Single Barrel
Many of the barrels selected for the E.H. Taylor, Jr. Single Barrel are aged in Warehouse C, which was built by Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor, Jr. in 1881 and proven to be an excellent aging warehouse. Each barrel is hand-picked and Bottled in Bond at 100 proof to honor its namesake.
The aroma carries lightly toasted oak, with dried figs and butterscotch. One sip brings flavors of sweetness balanced with tobacco and dark spices. The finish is just long enough to prepare the palate for another sip. The bottle itself is a likeness to Colonel Taylor’s original design used over a century ago.
Recommended Sip
Sip this neat. That’s a direct order from your Colonel. There’s no need for ice, water, or—audible gasp—a mixer.
Can’t Find Taylor Single Barrel, Try
- Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery
- Location: Frankfort, KY
- Style: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
- Age: 10 Years
- Proof: 90
- MSRP: $35
- Full Review
Like Taylor Single Barrel, Eagle Rare reportedly comes from the distillery’s same low-rye mash bill. And, yes, Eagle Rare has become difficult to find on shelves, but it’s definitely easier to find than Taylor Single Barrel. Eagle Rare—aged for 10 years and clocking in at 90 proof—delivers plenty of similar tasting notes (oak, caramel, and cherry), but with a much milder finish.