Brian’s Colonel EH Taylor Barrel Proof Batch 8 Bourbon Review:
written on 02-February-2021
COLONEL EH TAYLOR BARREL PROOF BATCH 8 BOURBON REVIEW:
Colonel EH Taylor Barrel Proof Batch 8 (EHTBPB8) bourbon is amazing. It smells, drinks and finishes like a 90 proof pour yet its bottle label puts this whiskey at 129.3 Proof. Subtle dark fruit aromas, spice, brown sugar caramel and oak pass easily to the palate and on through the finish. EHTBPB8’s tawny color belies its age; it tastes old. Do yourself a favor and secure a bottle of this OUTSTANDING bourbon, whatever the batch.
COLONEL EH TAYLOR BARREL PROOF BATCH 8 BOURBON VITAL STATS:
Category: Barrel Proof Bourbon
Region: Frankfort, KY, USA
Distillery: Buffalo Trace
Mash Bill: Buffalo Trace mash bill #1 (consensus internet estimate: ~75% Corn, <10% Rye and ~15% Barley)
Barrel Char: #4
Barrel entry proof: 125
Age: nas; The whiskey is believed to be about 7-8 years old.
(Buffalo Trace indicates EHTBP bourbon is aged exclusively in warehouses built by Col. E. H. Taylor himself.)
EHTBP Bourbon is Uncut and Unfiltered
ABV: 64.65% (129.3 Proof)
Price: $69.95 USD (Sep 2019 Idaho, $80 MSRP 2021)
Availability: Limited mid-year releases are highly allocated
Learn more at Buffalo Trace – Brands and
Colonel EH Taylor Barrel Proof Releases.
EHTBP ENJOYMENT METHOD:
For the evaluation, approximately 1.4 ounces were poured from the newly opened bottle and added to our Infinity Bottle Project. Then small alternate pours were made into two Glencairns until appropriate review amounts were achieved. My daughter and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer Hannah and I enjoyed this whiskey neat.
Check out her review for this bourbon here!
EHTBP NOSE:
Upon first nosing, EHTBPB8 has no discernable heat or alcohol. There is dry warmth, roasted corn, dusty grain and a faint sensation of dark dried fruits: red raisins, dark cherry and a kiss of citrus. Baking notes of allspice, cloves, warm ginger, and nutmeg are blended into light vanilla infused orange sponge cake. Continual nosing brings additional, but subtle sweets of brown sugar, woody caramel, orange blossom honey and toasted almond toffee which are gently hidden among its seasoned dry old oak and toasted barrel haze.
EHTBP PALATE:
EHTBPB8 drinks as it smells: Dry and warm with soft flavors of fruit blossoms, roasted corn and dusty grain. Each sip is easy to hold as it awaits the inevitable chew. As sensed in the aroma, dried fruits of dark cherry, ripe dark plums and raisins come through as do sweet milk chocolate infused with vanilla, brown sugar, burnt woody caramel, dark toffee and now roasted walnuts. Its seasoned dry old oak, hazy toasted wood and the sensation of wet tooled leather, drifts over my tongue before each swallow. While I know this is a 129 proof bourbon, for me it is quite gentle.
Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
EHTBPB8 is a solid and well blended bourbon. From the first sip, I am wowed by its rich creaminess. As it passes through my mouth, its proof asserts itself on the back of the tongue before each swallow. In the Glencairn, the liquid breaks into fast dropping legs, leaving an ill-defined crown of different length inverted droplets before they slide back into the tawny bowl.
EHTBP FINISH:
Colonel EH Taylor Barrel Proof Batch 8 Bourbon offers a medium long to long dry warm finish with little to no heat. The sensations of roasted corn, dusty grain, dark dried fruit, faint cloves and pepper fade gently into this bourbon’s burnt caramel, toasted oak and old leather bliss. When the last dram is downed, dry old oak wafts from the empty Glencairn.
MY EHTBP RATING: 93/100
Will I buy this whiskey again? YES
This bourbon will be difficult to find but any Colonel EH Taylor Barrel Proof Batch will be well worth the search.
Click to read Brian’s scoring process.
Click 93/100 to access other whiskies with this score.
To see other whiskies from this brand, click EH Taylor, Jr.
EHTBP WHISKEY TRAITS AND FLAVOR NOTES AND PROFILE GRAPH:
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