What is EH Taylor?

So BT announced today that they were going to release a new EH Taylor, an 11 1/2 year old BIB single barrel. Press release here: http://www.buffalotrace.com/main.asp?page=pressroom

This, of course, follows the "old fashioned sour mash" release from earlier this year.

For me, this raises the question of what exactly is the EH Taylor series. When BT first bought the Taylor name, they talked about a ryed bourbon equivalent of Van Winkle, which would have regular releases. But now it seems more like another version of the Experimental Collection or maybe an attempt to do something more like Parker's Heritage. Any one have any thoughts as to what BT is up to? It almost seems like they are just sort of winging it.

I have a bottle of the first Taylor but haven't gotten around to it yet. Reviews were pretty midling. I'll be interested to see if this one fares better.

I guess Buffalo Trace has figured out that if they ask the consumer to open their wallets, they will. They really are laying it on thick with the BTAC, BTEC, VW, EHT, Single Oak, and whatever is up their sleeve next. Given there is not a lot of any of the previously mentioned bottles still on the shelves, I would think its working for them.

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Originally Posted by BradleyC

Given there is not a lot of any of the previously mentioned bottles still on the shelves, I would think its working for them.

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You're definitely right about that.

Hats off to them though. We asked, and they are delivering in whatever means they can. I can't keep up with everything, but either can most other people. In theory, we don't all like the same things and this means more of it to go around for all of us. That being said, I am feeling some of these are getting to be overpriced.

Agreed. I didn't mean it as a criticism, just a query. They are sort of going in the direction that Bruichladdich took during the last decade (and are moving away from a bit now), just release a huge number of different things and see what works.

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they talked about a ryed bourbon equivalent of Van Winkle, which would have regular releases. But now it seems more like another version of the Experimental Collection or maybe an attempt to do something more like Parker's Heritage. Any one have any thoughts as to what BT is up to? It almost seems like they are just sort of winging it.

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Seems like it is a Parkers Heritage sort of thing while the above mentioned juice matures. BTW, I thought the specialness of the Taylor that is maturing was that it was the very old mash bill including using white corn rather than #2 notch. Or did I get something mixed up?

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Originally Posted by sailor22

Seems like it is a Parkers Heritage sort of thing while the above mentioned juice matures. BTW, I thought the specialness of the Taylor that is maturing was that it was the very old mash bill including using white corn rather than #2 notch. Or did I get something mixed up?

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I only know what I read in the press release which didn't mention the mashbill at all. The only real detail given was that it was matured in Warehouse C.

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Originally Posted by sailor22

...I thought the specialness of the Taylor that is maturing was that it was the very old mash bill including using white corn rather than #2 notch. Or did I get something mixed up?

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I think you're right.

In another 4 years or so (?) there looks to be a continuous pipeline of the white corn, low off-still proof juice coming on that will be the real product. I say 4 years because Taylor was traditionally labeled as a 6yo in the 86ers, and hovered in that range with the bonds.

I wonder if modern practices will yield the good product at that traditional age, or if it will need to be a year or several years older to fill niches similar to ORVW 10 and Pappy 15, which is where I think this will be meant to sit.

These scattershot bottlings appear to be ways to familiarize the populace with a new, upscale brand that has something new and different in them.

Roger

PS: Do we know that BT has continued to produce this distillate - or was it also a two barrel, one-off micro-experiment that they'll evaluate in a few years to see if they want to start producing it for release as EH Taylor in the 2020's?

Cowdery's blog listed a $60 MSRP for this release which feels more in line with what it is.

I'm anxious to try this new iteration of Old Scattershot ... errr... Taylor.