Botm 12/11: Colonel E.H. Taylor New Release

How 'bout a twofer this month? :grin: EH Taylor Sour Mash BIB, and EH Taylor Single Barrel BIB.


Both are good bourbons, but I prefer the first release myself. IMHO, the Sour Mash is somewhat reminiscent of some older bourbons. Butterscotch on the nose, with a slightly sweet, nougat type flavor. A very nice and easy drinker. The Single Barrel is very different. The nose has a nice musty, earthiness to it, with a touch of spice thrown in. To me, this one tastes just a bit hot. Spice, leather and pepper, with a faint odd alcohol or citrus flavor that I can't quite put my finger on. Acetone, or eucalyptus?

Anyway, let's hear it for the Colonel. Cheers Y'all. Joe

Hey, hey. Not everyone all at once, now.

The single barrel is a delightful bourbon: delicate and nuanced. Well-integrated from nose to finish. Classic bourbon notes of vanilla, caramel, and dark fruit. Wish I would have bunkered a few when they were more readily available.

The sour mash was fine; but to my taste, nothing exceptional and not worth the price.

Wow, I would have expected more of us to have purchased these bottlings.

I myself, never have. That said, I did try the first release at 2011 Whiskey Fest Chicago, and it was a memorable pour. A strain of sweetness from front to back stood out. Quite good, as I remember. I meant to buy a bottle, but could not locate one in Wisconsin.

While I was very intrigued by the mash method of the first bottling, when I learned that they did not repeat this for the second release, I ended up putting my money elsewhere. I'm left wondering what Sazerac wants this bottling to represent. To put it another way, what makes this unique, if you've already changed what made the first release unique? Why should I buy later bottlings?

I popped my Sour Mash last night, and will post more as I get into the bottle further. First impressions were favorable, kind of a sourness behind all the sweet which was nice, felt very balanced. Finish could be longer but you can't have everything!

For me the Sour Mash is butterscotch and soft leather. The taste and the entry to the finish is a little bitter, and even with a little water there is still some heat. The most noticable characteristic though is its very thin mouthfeel.

I totally agree with Joe's description of a dusty. In fact, for me it is a mix of Mattingly & Moore and Old Charter 7.

I very much like the Single Barrel.

The nose has a plum and caramel like quality that I associate with WLW. There is some kind of hard candy hiding behind the nose....maybe watermelon Jolly Ranchers.

The taste though is where it shines. Or maybe more specifically, I can actually taste it. Unfortunately, my bourbon enjoyment is centered around the nose and finish. Rarely do I get very much from the taste (other than some muted sensations of the nose.). This is different. The taste is caramel, Amaretto, and spice. It has that rare quality of tasting *better* than it smells.

The entry to the finish gets a little sweeter, almost like Dr. Pepper soda. The finish then becomes muted (similiar to a sweetnees of the taste) before a napalm burst of woody dry baking spice overcomes that sweetness. It is sweet on the back of my tongue (where I normally perceive bitter) while being spicy on the tip.

I wasn't going to buy the Single Barrel because I wasn't blown away by the Sour Mash. In hindsight, I'm really glad that I did.

I will need to pour the sour mash in the next couple nights to confirm, but the one thing I specifically did not get from it was a thin mouthfeel.

I bought the sour mash when it first released and just picked up the single barrel today! Have yet to open either however.

I liked the first release enough to buy another bottle, even though I resented have to put down $75 for it. No heat for a 100 proofer, but I recall really, really mellow cinnamon-vanilla notes. I think it's a very fine and refined bourbon. It has many many pleasures, none of which knock you over the head, but all of them are pleasant.

Not to reveal to much or speak outside this forum's general conversation, but this bourbon lends itself especially well in partnership with marijuana. I think it's a great stoner's bourbon. On more than one occasion, it hit the spot particularly well whilst in this state. I think it has to do with a heightened palate milking out all of the mellow nuance. Delicious!

I haven't yet tried the SB.