Colonel E.H. Taylor Small Batch Bottled In Bond Review

Welcome to the review for Colonel E.H. Taylor Small Batch Bottled In Bond. Col. Taylor became  the owner of the Old Fire Copper (O.F.C.) distillery which eventually became Buffalo Trace. He was also said to have lobbied in favor of the Bottled-in-Bond Act, a law that gave participating whiskey producers a tax break and a government certification of product quality. In all, he is said to have started seven distilleries, some of which have been renovated and are in operation today. 

Lots of history with E.H. Taylor, but let's focus on the bourbon. As always, we'll get started with the basics.

Manufacturer: Buffalo Trace
Age: Not provided (but since it is Bottled In Bond, it has to be at least four years)

Location Produced: Old Fashioned Copper Distillery, Frankfort KY

Mash Bill: Unknown

Aroma (from manufacturer): None provided

Taste (from manufacturer): Tastes of caramel corn sweetness, mingled with butterscotch and licorice.

Finish (from manufacturer): The aftertaste is a soft mouth-feel that turns into subtle spices of pepper and tobacco.

Proof/Alcohol: 100 (50% alcohol by volume)

Who is this for?: Colonels, collectors, people who like tall bottles.

Cost (Ohio): $38.06 + tax

Let's start the review. 

Taste - Score 27 out of 35

On the nose, I picked up granny smith apple and an aroma on the sweeter side. For the taste, it came across a bit tart for my liking. I'm through the entire bottle and there wasn't a specific flavor that came across or jumped out at me. 

Smoothness/Finish - Score 18 out of 25

The finish for me was medium, but strong enough to know it's there. It was fairly smooth and was greatly helped by the addition of a single cube of ice.

Intangibles: Color/Appearance - Score 13 out of 15.

This is one of my personal favorite looking bourbons. I love the hard cardboard container that it comes in with the old-timey label. I love the tall bottle with the old pictures and story of Colonel E.H. Taylor on the back. If this were more readily available, I'd always have a bottle or two on display.

In terms of the color of the bourbon... it's a bit on the light side with an amber shade. I compared it with Wild Turkey 101 because it has a similar proof and I wanted to see how it would compare... you can really see the difference when they are side-by-side in the second picture from the bottom in this section.

Availability - Score 0 out of 5

While this does have a price on the Ohio Liquor site, it's listed as Special Order, which means it's incredibly hard to get and not readily available. When I did an inventory search, there wasn't a single location in the state that showed having it 'In Stock.' Additionally, I have never seen this available in any liquor store I've been to in Ohio.  

Overall Value - Score 17 out of 20

Colonel E.H. Taylor Bottled In Bond turned out to be a solid bourbon. It wasn't one of my favorites in terms of the bourbon itself, but it was decent. However, when you add in the price, history, and the bottle, this is one you should have on hand and drink with your friends. Now that I'm finished with my bottle, this is one I'm grateful I had the opportunity to review and I'll buy a bottle if I see it on the shelves and I don't already have one at home, but with how limited it is, I'm not going to go out of my way to track it down. 

What do you think? Let me know in the comments section.

Final Score: 75 out of 100 - Solid

Note: This review was done by Mark with help from The Duchess. The bottle was purchased at Binny's in Bloomington, Illinois at retail price.