E.H. Taylor Small Batch
Distillery: Buffalo Trace
Age: No Age Statement (7-8 Years)
Proof: 100 (Bottled-in-Bond)
Verdict: A delicious and distinctive pour with a great backstory.
Score: 7.83
Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor, Jr. was an early Kentuckian, a banker, and a bourbon pioneer – having purchased the OFC Distillery just after the Civil War. Perhaps most notable, though, is his ascribed credit with the shepherding of the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897. The act he championed created higher standards for the industry as a whole and has lasting effects on quality still felt today. It’s only fitting that his namesake bourbons from Buffalo Trace (or most of the line, at least) bear all the trappings and required signage of a bottled-in-bond product, as well as his signature and portrait.
The most basic offering under the EHT banner, E.H. Taylor Small Batch, doesn’t really fall directly into traditional “sweet” or “spicy” categories. It’s made from BT’s mashbill #1, with “low rye” content. You do get subtle vanilla and oak, as well as some spices on the backend, but there’s also deeper leather, tobacco, and floral notes. It has a middle of the road mouthfeel – not thin, not chewy, and some light pepper comes through on the finish. EH Taylor Small Batch isn’t the most complicated thing you’ll ever taste, but it does have some less-than-typical notes and an enjoyable richness.
Overall EH Taylor Small Batch is a delicious and somewhat unique pour. It’s a middle of the pack value at $50 but does come along with some peak packaging – which includes some aforementioned context about the brand’s namesake. The biggest downside is its availability, as a sought-after Buffalo Trace allocation. Its rarity is roughly on par with some other introductory BT offerings, like Eagle Rare and Weller SR. Most places that it’s readily available will have a substantial markup. Having said that, here’s the cheapest shipped option I could locate:
It’s on THE LIST with the others! I’ll be coming back soon with more from the EHT lineup.
Grizz