Colonel E. H. Taylor Small Batch
“Quality is not an act, it is a habit”
Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor (or E. H. for short) was one heck of a guy. If there was to be a 'God' of bourbon then his name would most certainly be in the hat. The Buffalo Trace website lists his long line of contributions as - introducing new copper fermentation tanks, innovating by using state-of-the-art grain equipment & column stills, modernised buildings, finding a more efficient sour mash technique, and inventing a first-of-its-kind steam heating system still used in warehouses today.
The Colonel was also instrumental in bringing about the Bottle in Bond (BIB) act of 1897. Before the Act came into being most of the whiskey on the market, claiming to be 'straight bourbon', had a good chance of actually being paint stripper and tobacco spit - and that was if you were lucky. With the introduction of BIB came laws and rules by which a distillery had to comply with in order to carry the BIB stamp on their label. One of those rules (and probably the only one that still matters today) is that the bourbon had to be bottled at 50%.
Enough waffling, now onto the review of this bourbon. An awesome explosion of aroma of baked toffee apples, cherries, cinnamon and caramel on the nose. A great warmth on the tongue especially on that first sip, lots of oak, chocolate, vanilla, butterscotch. With great balanced flavour leading to some spice on the back end which compliments the overall balance. A rich oaky and creamy vanilla finish.
It's genuinely hard to believe that the Small Batch is the entry level E. H. Taylor offering. There is a lot of complexity in this drink and also a welcome balance between the sweet and the spice. The spice stays around for the finish, which also reveals a lot of oak that backs up the rumoured age of 6-8 years. Overall this is a 100% recommendation from the Gents. Buy it, now. Stop reading this and go find a bottle. Seriously, what are you waiting for? Go!
