Review #378 - Colonel E.H. Taylor Single Barrel - Wiseguy Lounge Pick 'Tailor Made'

Wiseguy Lounge Barrel Pick Series: Part 10 of 20

Colonel E.H. Taylor, or Edmund Haynes Taylor, Jr., was one of the fathers of the American whisky industry - he owned the OFC (Old Fashioned Copper, or Old Fire Copper) Distillery soon after the civil war, a place which would eventually evolve into the Buffalo Trace we know today [after several more ownership changes].

During his time at the distillery, he was one of the innovators of climate-controlled warehouses, and he fought for the Bottled-In-Bond Act of 1897. He also expanded the distillery site during his ownership, adding warehouses such as Warehouse C, which still houses many of the barrels which are destined to become E.H. Taylor bourbon.

While E.H. Taylor Single Barrel is a standardized product, there are also single barrel pick variants - here's one from the Wiseguy Lounge, the speakeasy style bar. There's no age statement on this bourbon, but considering the 'bottled-in-bond' status, we can surmise that it's at least 4 years old; in fact, the QR code on the custom label reveals that it was aged for 11 years. Like all of the E.H. Taylor Single Barrels, this is bottled at 50% ABV, or 100 proof.

Colonel E.H. Taylor Single Barrel - Wiseguy Lounge Pick 'Tailor Made'

USA - Bourbon

Price: USD 120 (2024)

Age Statement: 11 Years

Strength: 50% ABV

Details: Bottled-in-bond

Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 1 time; bottle at 40% fill level at time of review. Tasted in a nosing glass, rested 10-15 minutes

Nose: The complexion is dark and sweet - molasses, dark chocolate, and juicy dark grape. There's a nice maturity to the oak, and then we get more fruit flavors: blackberry, oxidized red wine, a cherry strudel. With time, more sweetness comes from dark brown sugar.

Palate: A medium-thick mouthfeel; smooth, silky, with a nice full texture. Purple grape, molasses, dark cherries, and chocolate cake all add sweeter notes; the oak is more mild now, but adds a pleasant kick. There's a hint of malty grain, and with time, the sweetness almost becomes syrupy.

Finish: Soft dark fruits, Luxardo cherry especially. It's nicely rounded and full of caramel and wood char; there's a cola note near the end, almost like Dr. Pepper. In the aftertaste, we get some leather from the oak - it's a medium-long finish.

Final Note: A very tasty single barrel, which offers lots of those sweet, dark, fruity notes that Buffalo Trace products are known for. The addition of the chocolate and cola notes were an added treat - this is a great bourbon.

Value is fine, though the secondary prices for many E.H. Taylor products can be quite high due to their rarity - we would recommend a purchase of their Single Barrel closer to MSRP.

Our Average Rating: 8.3 / 10

In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.

Value Rating: 6.69

About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.