E.H. Taylor, Jr. is one of those whiskey brands that always seems to have a lot of hype behind it. The Buffalo Trace whiskey wows with special releases from time to time but really shines with its core lineup, which continuously delivers great whiskeys. E.H. Taylor, Jr. has the perfect storm of hype combined with rarity and truly great juice in the bottle. That means you’re going to get some very inflated price points for the standard bottles and limited releases (if and when you can find them).
Since the price points are so high for a lot of these often very rare bottles, I’m going to rank every single E.H. Taylor, Jr. releases that you can find in the wild these days to give you an idea of what you’re getting into with this brand. I was lucky enough to try a few of the expressions that had escaped my grasp over the past month or so, which completed my quest to try them all.
Before we get into that — E.H. Taylor, Jr. is more than just an elite brand from Buffalo Trace out in Frankfort, Kentucky. The brand is named after Colonel Edmund Hayes Taylor, Jr. who was a crucial figure in bourbon whiskey in the United States. Taylor, Jr. constructed some of the first real-deal whiskey distilleries and warehouses that make up multiple distilleries around Eastern Kentucky today, including the famed Warehouse C at the Buffalo Trace Distillery (which is still being used for aging whiskey to this day).
Taylor, Jr. was also crucial in enacting the Bottled-In-Bond Act of 1897. That moment in American whiskey history helped codify what bourbon is on a higher level by ensuring that the whiskey in the bottle came from the same distillery, distilling season (spring or fall), and was aged at least four years before bottling at 100 proof only. Taylor, Jr. was not only instrumental in making some great whiskey from the mid to late 1800s but in making something with real continuity and rules. To that end, Buffalo Trace bottles all but one of their E.H. Taylor, Jr. expressions as “Bottled In Bond” whiskeys at 100 proof.
Long story short(er), E.H. Taylor, Jr. whiskey is one of those brands that touch on real history while also delivering whiskey people actually want to drink. It’s a great combination — so let’s rank some bottles and find the perfect E.H. Taylor, Jr. expression for your bar cart!
12. E.H. Taylor, Jr. Seasoned Wood Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $2,989
The Whiskey:
This expression is all about unique aging. The whiskey starts off with Buffalo Trace’s classic wheated bourbon mash bill (which also populates Weller and Pappy Van Winkle whiskeys) and ages that whiskey for several years in new oak barrels. Those barrels were made with staves that were specially seasoned in a natural outdoor setting before they were turned into a barrel and charred.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s a clear sense of burnt orange and spice barks next to a bowl of botanical winter spices, cedar bark, and a hint of dried sage with a hint of old oak in a lumber yard.
Palate: That orange brightens on the palate with a hint of orange pekoe tea leaves, apple wood, and smoldering hickory next to a touch of almond shells, burnt caramel, and woody vanilla.
Finish: The finish leans into the woody winter spices with plenty of cinnamon bark and cloves over a cedar box full of woody tobacco and another hint of the lumber yard.
Bottom Line:
This is woody. I’m not a huge woody whiskey stan, so this is a tad much for my palate. That said, if you’re looking for that oak bomb, this is it. And look, there’s still plenty going on in this whiskey besides the woody notes, there’s nice and bright citrus, dark caramel sweetness, and almost floral dry tea — all of which are expertly layered in.
11. E. H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $149
The Whiskey:
Buffalo Trace’s Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Small Batch is an entry point to the other 12 expressions released under the E.H. Taylor, Jr. label. The whiskey is made from Buffalo Trace’s iconic Mash Bill No. 1 (which is a low rye recipe). The final whiskey in the bottle is a blend of barrels that meet the exact right flavor profiles Buffalo Trace’s blenders are looking for in a classic bottled-in-bond bourbon for Taylor.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose opens with a sense of soft corn mush with a hint of fresh green chili, Saigon cinnamon (a little sweet), orchard tree bark, and the black mildew that grows on all the whiskey warehouses in Kentucky.
Palate: The palate leans into buttery toffee with a twinge of black licorice next to cinnamon-spiced dark chocolate tobacco and a hint of huckleberry pie with vanilla ice cream.
Finish: The end has a salted caramel sweetness that leads back to a hint of sweet cinnamon and dark tobacco with a light sense of the fermentation room with a hint of sweet gruel.
Bottom Line:
This is a great, classic bourbon whiskey. It’s also a $40 bottle at MSRP and you really need to keep that in mind when buying and comparing it. It certainly punches above its price point, hence the inflated secondary price. Still, this is an essential cocktail bourbon far more than a deep sipper.
10. E.H. Taylor, Jr. Amaranth Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $2,999
The Whiskey:
For this limited release, the team at Buffalo Trace replaced the rye in the mash bill with Mexican amaranth grains, which bring a unique foundation of flavors to the bourbon. The final blend yielded a small run of bottles of something truly unique.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: There’s an almost green cherry fruitiness next to a strong mint tea cut with floral honey on the nose.
Palate: That mint tea starts to lean into a black tea bitterness as rich vanilla oils from the barrel arrive with a soft edge while a hint of red berries, more honey, and a touch of cedar linger on the tongue.
Finish: The end is pretty short all things considered, with the floral notes leading towards a minty tobacco chew, more unripe cherry, and a hint of cedar-infused toffee.
Bottom Line:
This is a great bottle if you want to try something completely different. It’s still bourbon but has a wildly different POV from those classic Kentucky bourbon notes. This is the bottle you buy and sip when you want the opposite of quintessential.
9. E.H. Taylor, Jr. Cured Oak Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $4,999
The Whiskey:
This is standard Mash Bill No. 1 bourbon from Buffalo Trace that’s aged with oak barrels made with staves that were cured for 13 months before construction (Buffalo Trace doesn’t go into exactly how that’s different than seasoning outdoors other than it’s a longer process). Those barrels were left in the famed Warehouse C until they were just right for this blend.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Sticky toffee pudding drizzled with salted caramel and flaked with fresh orange zest drives the nose toward sweet oak, savory summer figs, and chewing tobacco with a hint of black cherry.
Palate: The palate largely follows that direction with soft spiced cake, black tea, and burnt orange next to a hint of marzipan and fig jam over a Southern buttermilk biscuit.
Finish: A hint of honeyed tobacco pushes the finish toward a thin layer of cedar and wild sage with a hint more of that sticky toffee pudding with a dollop of rich vanilla buttercream.
Bottom Line:
This is where we get into some seriously good bourbon. This is a step above the Small Batch expression and far more straightforward than the Amaranth and Seasoned Wood bottles. So if you’re looking for classic and delicious bourbon, track down this bottle.
8. E.H. Taylor, Jr. Four Grain Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $1,443
The Whiskey:
This E.H. Taylor, Jr. expression is from Buffalo Trace’s much rare four-grain mash bill. The recipe is a mix of corn, rye, wheat, and malted barley but we don’t know how much of each grain is in the mix. What we do know is that this one is aged for over 12 years before it’s batched, proofed, and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Salted caramel and vanilla ice cream are front and center on the nose with a light hint of kettle corn and a whisper of rich pipe tobacco smoke with the finest hint of cherry wood.
Palate: The taste really leans into the vanilla and caramel as a fruity base arrives with a mix of red berries and pear swimming in vanilla cream next to an old cedar tobacco box.
Finish: The end has this whisper of peppery spice that’s way more powdery white pepper than freshly cracked black pepper.
Bottom Line:
This is another bottle that’s just good but also stands out with that peppery end and creamy vanilla-ness. It’s a nice balance and truly stands out as something unique in this lineup.
7. E.H. Taylor, Jr. Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
ABV: 65.15%
Average Price: $499
The Whiskey:
This much-lauded and beloved bottle from Buffalo Trace is the only E.H. Taylor, Jr. at barrel strength. The spirit is from Buffalo Trace’s low-rye recipe (Mash Bill No. 1). The juice is then aged in warehouses built by the Colonel himself, yes, Warehosue C. The best barrels are selected yearly for batching and bottling with no water added.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The sip draws you in with a spicy wild berry jam next to a perfumed note (kind of like wet potpourri), buttery toffee sweetness, and a note of pecan waffle.
Palate: The taste, on the other hand, leans into vanilla oils, dry cedar, and a dusting of white pepper that winds back to the spice without the jam or pecan before a wave of warm, buzzing alcohol encompasses your senses.
Finish: The end is long and really smoothes out, thanks to the vanilla and toffee, as the peppery spice builds towards a pear/cherry tobacco-filled cedar box and a very distant hint of fresh mint.
Bottom Line:
This standard release has a great variance to it, thanks to the mint and mild florals. That makes this a great mint julep base or easy summer sipper over some ice, it is warm. Still, if you’re looking for a great barrel-strength bottle from Buffalo Trace that isn’t Stagg, this is the bottle to buy.
6. E. H. Taylor, Jr. Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $299
The Whiskey:
This whiskey is aged in the famed Warehouse C at Buffalo Trace from their Mash Bill No. 1. In this case, single barrels are picked for their perfect Taylor flavor profile and bottled one at a time with a slight touch of water to bring them down to bottled-in-bond proof.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Dried dark fruits and a hint of vanilla wafers mingle with fig fruit leather, a touch of orchard wood, and a deep caramel on the nose.
Palate: The palate holds onto those notes while layering in dark berry tobacco with sharp winter spices, new leather, and a singed cotton candy next to a cedar box filled with that tobacco.
Finish: The finish lingers on your senses for a while and leaves the spice behind for that dark, almost savory fruit note with an echo of blackberry Hostess pies next to soft leather pouches that have held chewy tobacco for decades and a final hint of old porch wicker in the middle of summer.
Bottom Line:
This is really, really good bourbon. In fact, it’s one of my favorite bourbons from Kentucky. Still, this is a ranking of E.H. Taylor and there are simply some more interesting bottles coming up. That all said, if you’re looking for a phenomenal single-barrel product to add to your shelf, this is a must-have. It’s kind of like Blanton’s Plus.
5. E.H. Taylor, Jr. Old Fashioned Sour Mash Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $23,999
The Whiskey:
This limited-edition whiskey was distilled back in 2002 and left for nine years to rest. All of Buffalo Trace’s mash fermentations are a “sour mash” which means that they use a little of the grain, yeast, and liquid from the last batch to start the new one (it’s like a sourdough starter). This whiskey was designed with a unique flavor profile thanks to how the barrels aged.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: The nose bursts forth with sourdough bread crusts dipped in fresh floral honey, marmalade, and old boot leather with a hint of cherry wood underneath.
Palate: Buttermilk biscuits dripping that honey saddle up next to pecan waffles with a drop of maple syrup, caramel, and vanilla buttercream with more of that cherry wood and boot leather.
Finish: The end leans into the leatheriness with a touch of honey apple tobacco and pecan bread with plenty of soft cinnamon and nutmeg and a powdered sugar glaze.
Bottom Line:
This has a crazy secondary price point. Part of that is that this is an older release and there are just fewer of them out there. Another part of that is that this whiskey absolutely slaps. The profile isn’t unique or funky, it’s just… good. It hits every note so true and precise while delivering a soft and engaging overall experience. That said, maybe just try a pour at a high-end whiskey bar. I can’t justify that price tag for a whole bottle.
4. E.H. Taylor, Jr. Warehouse C Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $1,999
The Whiskey:
This 10-year-old bourbon was aged exclusively in Warehouse C (are you catching a pattern here?) from whiskey made with Mash Bill No. 1. The nuance here is that the barrels were aged on floors 2 and 5 only. That makes this blend a mix of lower-floor and higher-floor barrels. It’s cooler on those lower floors so the whiskey ages more slowly. Likewise, it’s warmer on the higher floors, and the whiskey ages a tad more rapidly. That means the final blend on this one is from whiskeys that feel and taste like they’re at different eras of the life cycle.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Cherry Coke dominates the nose with a big scoop of blackberry cobbler and Tahitian vanilla ice cream next to mild sweet oak with a whisper of warehouse whiskey mold.
Palate: That Cherry Coke drives the opening of the palate as well with a nice vanilla buttercream foundation below dark chocolate-covered espresso beans, rum raisin, star anise/black licorice, and sharp fresh spearmint.
Finish: That mint adheres to cherry tobacco on the finish with a woody winter spice matrix and a dollop more of that vanilla buttercream.
Bottom Line:
This is lush AF. It also builds and takes you on a journey through berry-forward bourbon toward older and spicier barrels with deep cherry and vanilla. Goddamn, this is a good whiskey. It’s instantly recognizable from the first nose why this whiskey is so sought after. It really does live up to the hype.
3. E.H. Taylor, Jr. Warehouse C Tornado Surviving Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $9,999
The Whiskey:
This very limited release was made after a tornado meandered through central Kentucky back in April 2006 and tore some of the wall and roof off of Warehouse C. This exposed a bunch of Warehouse C barrels to the elements for a whole summer while repairs were underway. Several years later, it became apparent that those exposed barrels had taken on a profile unlike any other barrel of Taylor in the warehouse. So, those barrels were batches as this special one-off release of Warehouse C Bourbon.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Figgy pudding with clove drives the nose toward spiced holiday cakes, old oak cellars, falling autumn leaves, and blackberry jam over butter-griddled sourdough pancakes.
Palate: The dark berry leans into a woody huckleberry on the palate that’s accented by vanilla almond cake dusted with powdered sugar, smoldering black tea leaves, and a whisper of spicy nasturtium.
Finish: The end layers in cinnamon bark, allspice berries, and star anise with a hint of spiced holiday nut bread, creamy vanilla butter, and dark cherry syrup.
Bottom Line:
This is Kentucky bourbon turned up to 11. It’s so luxurious on the palate with a laundry list of quintessential flavor notes. But more importantly, it is lush. This is a truly emblematic Buffalo Trace bourbon.
2. E.H. Taylor, Jr. Straight Rye Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey Bottled In Bond
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $349
The Whiskey:
This rye from Buffalo Trace is a beloved bottle. As with all Buffalo Trace whiskeys, the mash bill and exact aging are not known. It’s likely this is made from a mash of very high rye mixed with just malted barley, maybe. We do know that it is not the same mash bill as Buffalo Trace’s other rye, Sazerac.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: This nose is vibrant with hints of freshly plucked pears next to black peppercorns, soft cedar, winter spice barks and berries, and a hint of fresh mint chopped up with fresh dill that leads to a minor key of spearmint and maybe some fresh chili pepper on the vine.
Palate: The palate holds onto the fresh green chili pepper as the pear gets stewed with those winter spices and drizzled with a salted toffee syrup cut with sharp burnt orange and bitter chinotto leaves.
Finish: That sweet and citrus bitter vibe leads back to dark and woody clove and anise with a dash of sasparilla and salted black licorice before some fresh mint and dill return to calm everything down.
Bottom Line:
I really wanted to rank this number one. This is both findable and just f*cking delicious. This is a phenomenal Kentucky rye that really stands out from the rest of the E.H. Taylor, Jr. pack. Everything about this whiskey is perfectly balanced and distinct.
If you can find this at MSRP, you’ll be way ahead and have a truly great rye whiskey. That said, I’d pay secondary to keep this stocked on my bar cart. It’s that good.
1. E. H. Taylor, Jr. 18 Year Marriage Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Bottled In Bond
ABV: 50%
Average Price: $2,999
The Whiskey:
This is one of the most fleeting E.H. Taylor whiskeys ever bottled. The whiskey in the bottle is a three-whiskey blend of two different rye bourbon mash bills and one wheated bourbon mash (basically a blend of the three main bourbon mash bills at Buffalo Trace). After those barrels hit at least 18 years old, they were blended, kissed with soft limestone water, and bottled as-is.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Soft and moist vanilla white cake frosted with buttercream and drizzled with salted caramel draws you in on the nose with a twist of cinnamon bark, clove buds, and this fleeting echo of fresh spearmint.
Palate: The taste is pure velvet with subtle nuances of that soft white cake and caramel that leads toward cinnamon chewing tobacco, dark cherry cordial, dry Earl Grey leaves, and stewed prunes with a whisper of salted dark chocolate.
Finish: That cinnamon bark comes roaring back with a hint of cedar bark braided with wild sage next to more salted caramel Kentucky bourbon sweetness and a sharp spearmint finish.
Bottom Line:
This is the best E.H. Taylor, Jr. bottle. This is fantastic Kentucky bourbon. I’d go far as to say this is one of the true bests.
