“As founding father of the bourbon industry, Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor, Jr. left an indelible legacy. His dedication to distilling began at the close of the Civil War when he purchased O.F C. Distillery. There, he developed innovative techniques that are still in use today. Made by hand, this Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey has been aged inside century old warehouses constructed by E.H. Taylor, Jr. Barrels are evaluated and selected to create a perfect blend of distinctive character that is like no other. This bourbon is a true sipping bourbon that honors the uncompromising legacy of E.H. Taylor, Jr.” -Buffalo Trace, thanks guys for making my job easier!

We were also lucky enough to hit up Buffalo Trace for a distillery tour during our visit last year, with the fabulous Freddie as our tour guide.  His father and grandfather also worked at Buffalo Trace, so he has a lot of history there. If possible, make sure he’s your guide. We also witnessed someone breaking a bottle of Pappy! Yikes! I think everyone on that tour died a little inside in that moment. ???

Company: Sazerac

Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery

Location: Frankfort, KY

Mash bill: Buffalo Trace Mash Bill #1 (low rye)

Age: NAS

ABV: 50% (100 proof, BIB)

Released: Ongoing

Price: $35

Color: Honey Blonde

Nose: Slight ethanol upfront, cherry, oak, vanilla, and caramel.

Taste: The taste upfront is heat but with sweet honey. I’m also getting some vanilla, it tastes like the nougat in a Snickers bar. Boom.

Finish: It finishes with a bang, sweet spice that doesn’t linger, leaving a sort of dry bitter feeling, and then I’m sad because it’s gone. Not my favorite finish overall. Sorry, Colonel.

Overall:  When I think of this bourbon, I can’t help but think that it’s one of my “go to” Bourbons, but I feel like I say that about a lot of bourbons, so who can really trust what I say… Anyway, here’s another Bourbon that I know I can go grab when I’m unsure of what else to choose. (As long as the bottle is still half full, once they start to get half empty, I savor them more.) And, the price tag is pretty reasonable.

Now onto bottle design (because I love things that are aesthetically pleasing): I really like the old style label and, though it can get confusing, I like that all the bottles look the same. They’re all the same bottle with the same label, with the only difference being, the signature’s color is different on each label. And, they look lovely all standing together in a row.

Rating: 3.5/5