Brian’s Col EH Taylor Single Barrel Bourbon Review
written on 06-October-2019
GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
In this Colonel E.H. Taylor Single Barrel (EHTSiB) Bourbon review, I note how the whiskey from this barrel produces an apple bomb. I wanted so much to like it, but the pours from this bottling are just good; and the purchase price may not be justified. There is so much to like but in the end, this barrel only offers a simple and gentle sip. Maybe a dram from a different barrel would be better?
COLONEL E.H. TAYLOR SINGLE BARREL VITAL STATS:
Category: Bottled-in-Bond Single Barrel
Region: Frankfort, KY, USA
Distillery: Buffalo Trace
Mash Bill: Unknown but believed to be Buffalo Trace mash bill #1:
Corn: 75%; Rye: <10%; Barley: 15% (approximates)
Barrel Char: #4
Barrel entry proof: 125
Age: nas (Internet sources indicate EHTSiB is aged exclusively in Buffalo Trace’s exceptional Warehouse C, built by Col. E. H. Taylor himself in 1881, and believed to be 7 years old or more.)
Bottled-in-Bond
ABV: 50% (100 Proof)
Price: $69.95 USD in Idaho
Unfortunately, there are no batch or bottle number identifiers
https://www.buffalotracedistillery.com/
ENJOYMENT METHOD:
For this Colonel E.H. Taylor Single Barrel Bourbon review, I shared the juice neat from Glencairn glasses with my daughter and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer Hannah.
Check out her review for this bourbon here!
NOSE:
Col. E.H. Taylor Single Barrel greets the nose with no burn and a gentle hint of apple blossoms. Its apple nectar sweetness blends with fresh citrus, grilled pineapple and bananas. There is also a little vanilla custard and an apple turnover pastry sweetness which mixes with nicely with red licorice, buttery caramel and loads of honey. But this bourbon is simple, with only a touch of fresh cut, toasted sweet oak.
PALATE:
In the mouth, EHTSiB is dry and warm. There is a surprising hint of apple flavoured pipe tobacco along with sweet and sour dried Montmorency cherries mixed with the ever present fresh apples. There is no spice on the palate but plenty of white pepper on the back of the throat and tongue. The honey detected on the nose remains simple but gentle and a little light oak begins to peek in.
Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
This bourbon is well balanced and offers a smooth and pleasant mouthfeel. Its light tickle nearly masks an unusual savory but sweet dried fruit-Thanksgiving stuffing aftertaste. In the Glencairn, many long and clinging toothpick sized legs give way to an ill-defined reversed crown.
Auburn, polished mahogany
FINISH:
EHTSiB offers a warm, medium-to-long finish. The apple pipe tobacco sensed in the mouth carries through to the finish as does light cinnamon and honey drizzled banana bread. An earthy finish also offers hints of leather and toasted, seasoned wood … In fact, only when the dram is gone does any significant oak waft from the Glencairn … and of course it closes with pecks of apples.
MY RATING: 86/100
Will I seek out this whiskey in the future? Yes
At first read it would seem Col EH Taylor Single Barrel would not be a must have in the bunker – BUT this is a single barrel offering. The next bottle from barrel will be different (and maybe better). When another is found at MSRP I will certainly buy.
Click to read Brian’s scoring process.
Click 86/100 to access other whiskies with this score.
To see other whiskies from this brand, click EH Taylor, Jr.
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