This Bourbon was a Christmas present from my wonderful husband, Kris. I saw a present that was wrapped like a giant candy that looked an awful lot like an E.H. Taylor container and got super excited. He let me open it early, because neither he nor I can wait until actual Christmas to open presents. You know you’ve got a problem when all of your presents start to become either things with unicorns or Bourbon. Though, I’m definitely not complaining about either of those things, keep ’em coming everyone!

Onward!

“Crafted from hand-selected barrels, this bourbon is bottled directly from the barrel; uncut and unfiltered at more than 125 proof. It reflects the way whiskey was produced in the days before Prohibition, when Edmund Haynes Taylor, Jr. was the owner of Buffalo Trace Distillery. Drawn from barrels aged in warehouses constructed over a century ago under Taylor’s watchful eye, the taste is smooth, yet powerful and uncompromising, just like its namesake.” -buffalotracedistillery.com

We’ve reviewed lots of E. H. Taylor here at Barrel and Mash if you are interested in reading our other reviews you can find them here.

Company: Sazerac

Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery

Location: Frankfort, KY

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

Age: NAS

ABV: 63.6% (127.2 proof)

Released: Ongoing

Price: $70

Color: Auburn gal.

Nose: Heavy brown sugar, caramel, red apple, slight lemon, has some fruity goodness.

Taste: Warm vanilla spice, has that red apple which is nice, (apparently I like red apples in Bourbon form) slight caramel, dark chocolate, has some nuttiness to it, almond and something else I can’t quite pinpoint.

Finish: A slow burner, the heat comes in at the end, very slowly and lingers, eventually moving to your throat and stomach. Lovely. That’s my favorite kind of finish, a slow burner. Mmmmm.

Overall: Wow, that was not what I was expecting. I was expecting to be blown away with heartburn. It did sit around for a bit while I tidied the house and came back to it. So, that could be it.  It’s beautifully balanced.  These E.H. Taylor’s just get better and better for me with each review. Man, I love Bourbon, and especially well balanced ones like this. E.H. Taylor continues to impress me.  Crossing my fingers I’ll get to try next year’s releases, the Seasoned Wood and O.F.C. I’m unsure about the latter, though, we’ll see, I have high hopes!

Note: If you are new to the Bourbon game, try the E.H. Taylor Small Batch first, then work your way to this one. It’s not for the faint of heart. Though, it would definitely warm you up on a cold winter night!

Rating: 4.5/5