Colonel E.H. Taylor Small Batch Bottled-In-Bond
Colonel E.H. Taylor (CEHT) is a brand made at the Buffalo Trace Distillery, one of the most respected distilleries in the market. Off the top of my head, I don't think I've ever tasted a bad bourbon from them, this leaves high hopes for what's about to hit my lips.
The CEHT brand has been releasing some great limited releases mixed with their yearly offerings:
- Small Batch (Yearly)
- Single Barrel (Yearly)
- Barrel Proof (Yearly)
- Straight Rye (Yearly) - Old Fashioned Sour Mash - Warehouse C Tornado Surviving - Cured Oak - Seasoned Wood
- Four Grain (New Release this year)
We'll need to take a moment and appreciate the effort Buffalo Trace puts into this aspect of their business, as the brand itself, pays homage to a true pioneer in bourbon, Taylor, himself. In the late 1800s, he's credited with pioneering climate-controlled aging, you have to respect a man that helps bring about consistency with bourbon!
Age: No Age Statement. Generally thought to be at about 7 years old.
Proof: Like all Bottled-In-Bond, 100.
Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery
Mashbill: Unknown.
Price I Paid: $38.99
Year Bourbon Was Released: 2016
Aroma: From bottle to nose, the initial smell is heavily overpowered by alcohol. After letting it sit for a couple minutes, the nose changes completely. Quickly become overrun with a load of different smells. The first smells that come to mind are a combination of burnt caramel, dried fruits, butterscotch and hints of baked spices. Each time smelling leads to different combinations on what is the lead smell. Honestly, I really enjoyed this and spent more time than normal taking in the aroma.
Score: 30/33
Taste: I'm a huge fan of bourbons that provide me with an experience. Based off of the aroma, I was expecting some spice and heat once it hit the tongue but pleasantly that wasn't my initial experience. The first taste to my mouth was a mixture of white pepper with hints of caramel. The second taste give me more flavors, including nutmeg and toffee. Overall this change in flavors from taste-to-taste left me wanting more, in a good way.
Score: 31/33
Finish: This is where this bourbon feels like it drops the ball to me. Due to the aroma and taste, I had such high expectations of what the finish would be like. While the finish lasts a nice amount of time, it's a dull finish. No real changes to the profile from the initial mouth feel, but a little bit of burn at the very end. The burn was a bit of a disappointment because I didn't get much on the front end, so it caught me off guard.
Score: 30/34
Overall: For $40, knowing that the tube consists of about 5-10 dollars of the cost, I really can't complain about the price. After all, I'm a sucker for tubes and boxes with my bourbon. Luckily where I live, small batch is still available, though I have a couple stashed away. This bourbon easily puts itself in a category of being considered a drink I'd love to sip on daily. It's delicious and the price point doesn't drain the wallet. I'd love if there wasn't a last second burn at the end of the finish, but to be honest, that's my only real issue with this bourbon.
Final Score: 91/100
