Whiskey & Vinyl: Col. E.H. Taylor Single Barrel and Waylon Jennings’ ‘Greatest Hits’

In this week’s Whiskey & Vinyl, we’re pairing together a couple of all-time greats. Pour a glass of Col. E.H. Taylor Single Barrel while spinning Waylon’s Greatest Hits. That’s an order from your Colonel . . . and your Hoss.

Stick around for the highlights.

Col. E.H. Taylor Single Barrel

• Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery
• Location: Frankfort, KY
• Style: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Age: Not Stated
• Proof: 100
• MSRP: $65
• Read the Full Review of Col. E.H. Taylor Single Barrel.

Col. E.H. Old Taylor Single Barrel opens with light ethanol and 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 while we spin Waylon’s Greatest Hits.

Waylon Jennings: ‘Greatest Hits’

• Year: 1979
• RIAA: 5X Platinum (5 million units)
• Billboard Top Country Albums Chart: No. 1 (16 weeks)
• Single: “Amanda” (No. 1)

It’s not every day that a Greatest Hits album becomes significant in its own right, but Waylon’s 1979 offering lives up to the billing. The album featured 11 songs Waylon recorded for RCA Records between 1968-1978—during the height of his Outlaw heyday—including “Honky Tonk Heroes,” “Lonesome, On’ry, and Mean,” and “Ladies Love Outlaws,” among others.

Of course, there were also plenty of No. 1 singles on the album, including “I’m a Ramblin’ Man,” “Luckenbach, Texas,” “I’ve Always Been Crazy,” “Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way,” and “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,” featuring Willie Nelson.

In addition, the album featured a yet-to-be chart-topping hit. “Amanda,” which Waylon Jennings originally recorded on his 1974 album, Ramblin’ Man, but never released as a single, was overdubbed for the Greatest Hits album and officially released as a single. Of course, it skyrocketed to No. 1 in 1979.

Greatest Hits marks the best-selling album of Waylon’s career, moving more than 5 million units and earning 5X Platinum status from the RIAA. It also topped the Billboard Top Country Albums chart for 16 weeks (another Waylon superlative). And the cover is just so damn perfect.