Colonel E.H. Taylor Jr. Single Barrel Bourbon Review

Colonel E.H. Taylor’s Single Barrel Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon is winning awards, again.

Since 2012, Buffalo Trace has bottled a Single Barrel, Bottled-in-Bond, a fitting addition to their line of E.H. Taylor Bourbons.

What’s in a name? In the Case of Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor Jr., quite a lot!

He is revered as one of the founding fathers of bourbon. In 1869, Taylor purchased the distillery that would become an integral part of Buffalo Trace. He was a key figure in the creation and passage of the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897. The Act was designed to raise the bar on distilling in the U.S. It ensured that customers were getting real whiskey, at a time when counterfeiting was rife. 

Colonel E.H. Taylor Jr. Single Barrel bourbon

 

Taylor was an innovative distiller. He used a “first of its kind” steam heat cycling system, which created a climate-controlled aging warehouse. He pioneered the use of copper fermentation tanks and column stills, allowing for continuous distillation. This increased and improved output, over the batch method required by pot stills. Warehouse C, his favorite barrel aging warehouse, was built by Taylor in 1881 and is still used today. It is where the single barrel bourbons for this spirit are aged.

The Single Barrel, Bottled in Bond which bears his name was first bottled in early February 2012, 124 years after the bill was signed into law.

Colonel E.H. Taylor Jr. Single Barrel Bourbon - The Basics

Buffalo Trace doesn’t provide an age statement or mash bill. But The Whiskey Shelf offered up a guess of 75 percent corn, 10 percent rye, and 15 percent barley with a suspected age of around seven years for the one they reviewed. According to Lost Cargo, the mash bill is Buffalo Trace Mash Bill #1, which uses less than 10 percent rye in its bill, and no wheat.

Buffalo Trace distillery

There are also no specifics on the char level of the barrels, or precisely where in Warehouse C they are aged. We know that it is bottled at 100 proof. And they do state that each barrel is selected for its unique character. Therefore, bottles will vary based on their source barrel.

Colonel E.H. Taylor Jr. Single Barrel

The Awards!

On its first outing, in 2012, E.H. Taylor’s Single Barrel won everything. Awards included a gold “Best in Category” medal from the Los Angeles International Wine and Spirits Competition and an Extraordinary-Ultimate Recommendation from the Ultimate Spirit Challenge. It was listed as one of the top 50 Spirits by Wine Enthusiast magazine, and Top 10 by Wine & Spirits magazine. 

In 2020 it continued the medal-winning trend. It took gold at both the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and the World Whiskies Awards.

It also got a nearly flawless rating of 99 out of 100 from the International Wine and Spirits Competition. It was lauded for its “intense nose of bitter chocolate” and buttery mouthfeel with “touches of peach and pepper in the mid-palate.”

The Reviews

"A very sound whiskey that ably demonstrates the small Bottled-in-Bond sector of American whiskey making." -Paul Pacult's Spirit Journal

Bourbon Pursuit

From the podcast Whiskey Quickies -

Nose: A profound cherry note, sweet oak, and orange peel.

Taste: Spice, oak, caramel, vanilla with a nice mouthfeel.

Finish: Nice spice sits on the palate.

Final Word: A good 100-proof, single-barrel offering.

Mash and Drum

From the Podcast The Mash and Drum, “Non Chill-Filtered

Nose: Typical for Mash Bill #1 - extreme candy on the nose, very vanilla and caramel, the specific barrel has a light butterscotch note which is really delicious.

Finish: Baking spices - cinnamon and nutmeg on the end, but not a super long finish.

Master of Malt

Although they don’t ship to the U.S., Master of Malt is a great resource for reviews.

Nose: “Some pretty spicy notes, rich with oak. It's cooled down with fruity figs and plums.”

Palate: “Sweet and buttery, with a surprising hint of orange peel. Some tobacco smokiness follows.”

Finish: “Very long indeed, the tobacco notes in full effect.”

Overall: “Colonel E.H. Taylor sure knew what he was doing, and the distillers of this single barrel bourbon definitely do too. Simply fantastic.”

The Whiskey Shelf

The Whiskey Shelf always provides detail and depth in their reviews. Below are excerpts from their long-form review.

Nose: “EH Taylor Single Barrel starts with a nice blend of honey, baked bread, vanilla, and light apples, raisins, and grapes, like a lightly sweetened bread stuffed with fruits.

Swirling brings it all together, combining sugar, vanilla frosting, bread, raisins, and just a little raw dough to form a boozy cinnamon bun with a slightly earthy and musty wood note.

EH Taylor Single Barrel is bright and interesting but not quite as rich and developed as I would like.”

Palate: “Moderately strong honey sweetness with fruits, freshly ground black pepper, clove, and charred oak initially cover my taste buds. The black pepper and cloves poke my tongue from time to time, a little surprising given that there’s not much wood on the nose.”

Finish: “The finish starts with honey and apple sweetness, charred wood, and grass. Mint, cocoa powder, and anise sweetness appear as the wood fades. With ‘chewing,’ the finish becomes oakier and sweeter with honey, apples, and buttercream.”

Breaking Bourbon

One of our favorite go-to reviewers, Breaking Bourbon, minutely describe their tastings. Below are the highlights from their review.

Nose: “Oak-infused creamy vanilla is most prominent…. wafts of oatmeal, creamed corn, bubble gum, and fresh summer flowers. There is also the slightest touch of ethanol…less of a distraction and more of a reminder that this is a 100-proof bourbon.”

Palate: “The vanilla carries over to the palate; however, it isn’t the main focus. Instead, many flavors develop alongside, including raisins, brown sugar, butterscotch, rye spice, dried oak, and leather. Its breadth and depth are a delight to explore, and when you add in its creamy mouthfeel, the palate is clearly the star of the sip.”

Finish: “The finish is full of drier flavors, including tobacco, leather, oak, and rye spice. A light dollop of butterscotch helps to temper the dryness. Oak and white pepper linger for an incredibly long time, giving the finish a welcomed staying power that ends on a high note.”

Final Notes: “It’s a bourbon that delivers a more refined sip overall and highlights the capabilities of Buffalo Trace’s Mashbill #1.”

Final Notes

Here’s an interesting thing about bourbon in general, and E.H. Taylor Single Barrel specifically. Each review depends a lot on the tastebuds of the taster.

The reviewers lined up on both sides of the “really sweet/nice balance” line. It's one of the reasons we do our Review Roundups--no two people taste a whiskey the same. Part of the fun is figuring out which reviewers (or your local spirit gurus) have a similar palate to your own.

There are a lot of Botted-in-Bond bourbons out there, but single barrels are exceptional, which gives us an even better reason to try a glass.

As always, leave us a note in the comments about your experience tasting Colonel E.H. Taylor Jr. Single Barrel, Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon. Or check out our articles on the Best Snacks for Bourbon Tasting, Other Bourbons to Try, and our round-up of the Top Bourbons of 2021.

Cheers!