Colonel EH Taylor Jr Barrel Proof bourbon hails from Buffalo trace and is made from their low rye Mashbill #1 (<10% rye). It’s supposedly a 6-8 year bourbon and basically makes it a barrel proof Buffalo Trace which is supposedly made from barrels around the same age. It also makes it only a small step down, age wise, from the Stagg Jr. which is another Mash #1 barrel proof bourbon from BT, but is made from barrels aged 8-9 years. Comparing the two side-by-side is rather interesting and I wish I had some big daddy Stagg to complete the lineage comparison, but until market conditions change that’s not likely to happen anytime soon.
Stagg relationship aside, the Colonel EH Taylor Jr name is pretty interesting. Back in 1869 Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor, Jr. bought the Old Fire Copper (OFC) distillery to make his bourbon and 9 years later George T. Stagg bought that same distillery. Talyor went on to be a key figure in the Bottled in Bond Act of 1897, but that wasn’t his only legacy. The Old Taylor brand had been around for a long time and has been owned by National Distillers, Jim Beam and in 2009 was purchased by Sazerac which was a sort of homecoming for the whiskey to be made from whiskey distilled at the former OFC, former George T. Stagg, and now Buffalo Trace, distillery.
Colonel EH Taylor Jr Barrel Proof Info
Region: Kentucky, USA
Distiller: Buffalo Trace
Mashbill: Buffalo Trace Mashbill #1 (low rye ~ <10% rye)
Cask: New charred oak
Age: NAS (~6 years)
ABV: 64.5%
Cask Strength | Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Batch: 3
Price: $75
Colonel EH Taylor Jr Barrel Proof Review
EYE
Caramel dipped orange
NOSE
A little light for being a barrel proof bourbon, but has nice notes of caramel, wood, blood oranges, grains, toasted corn bread, rosemary and savory herbs. The Rosemary and savory herbs become a bit bolder when water is added, but not much else changes.
PALATE
Wood, caramel, spice, chocolate licorice, grain, fruit leather and vanilla all meander across the palate accompanied by light notes of Necco Wafers and grilled corn. Adding water brings light notes of savory herbs, biscuits and baking flour which replace the wafers and corn. Interesting.
FINISH
Long dusty trail of grain, wood, toffee and spice.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Decent balance across the palate medium body and a warm manageable burn at full proof.
OVERALL
Colonel EH Taylor Jr Barrel Proof is a good bourbon, there’s no denying that, though I couldn’t help but be a little surprised at how light this Batch 3 is. The nose on the Colonel EH Taylor Jr Barrel Proof comes in a bit light and even after several rounds of adding water no additional layers of complexity were revealed. The Same could not be said for the palate though as water helped open and deepen flavors a bit more there.
Tasting the Colonel EH Taylor Jr Barrel Proof and Stagg Jr. side by side was interesting and while both were good bourbons neither really came close to the 2015 George T Stagg which if I had to pin a solid score on would be a 92. All 3 are barrel proof and all 3 are from Buffalo Trace’s low rye Mash #1 but the Colonel EH Taylor Jr Barrel Proof being the youngest comes in a few years under SJ and around 1/2 the age of GTS. All-in-all I really enjoyed batch 3 and I’d love to try the other batches and see how they compare.
SCORE: 87/100
