Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Barrel Proof Bourbon

Golden color, surprising for the proof (127.2). This particular bottle belongs to a friend and is about 1/3 the way down after 4-5 years. Nose is Cola, cola, cola... dried apricot? Slight barrel char. A bit of sharp ethanol. I’m looking for nuts or earthy notes but not getting much. Palate is Dexter Poindexter Hot hot, red hot candy, mint? But only for a second. Then vanilla and peach syrup.... some char/smoke. It finishes with a green apple vinaigrette sweetness. Second sip, third sip I get more of the forest floor stank (mushroom and creek cigar?) that I get from other BT mash bulls. I suspect the latter is some ester or aldehyde from their yeast strain(s). It’s delicious and certainly turned up a bit. It differs from the BiB in ways I would not have expected and makes me wonder what in the whiskey is chemically changing through hydrolysis, maybe subtle pH change... I have no idea. I really don’t know that I would tie the two together but, to be fair, should have tried them side by side. It lacked some of the buttery, tannic notes that I’ve grown to love. Might not be a desert island bourbon and if found in the wild would come home with me without blinking an eye.

This was the smoothest dram I have ever had. Hats off to the Wapiti Bar & Grill in Estes Park Colorado for setting me up with this pour. Excellent.

Sweet Carmel smell. Carmel nutty taste. Smooth great drinker.

The perfect combination of flavor, smoothness, and heat. My favorite bourbon yet!

Probably the most aggressive and full nose I’ve ever experienced. Flavor is very very hot, but after the initial burn it pleasantly parts away with a massive flavor profile.

Neat. Opened around 9 months. In a saucy mood tonight and feel like exploring things I haven’t had in awhile. EHTBP has a special place in my heart as the first bourbon to show me what bourbon could be. Still getting cherry vanilla cola on the front of the nose but it isn’t as dominate as the neck pour. Graham cracker covered in honey. Clove. Super charred caramel and butterscotch to go with it. Slight hint of chocolate. It’s a bit hot too, need to approach with care. Perfect, thick and viscous mouth feel. Coats the mouth instantly with heavy oils. Cherry cola explosion at first and then it upper cuts with cherry cola a second time when I let my guard down. Cinnamon and clove. Tons of rich butterscotch. Cherries on the legs and they linger a long time. I just went cherry picking and that notes is fresh in my mind. It is still there a solid two minutes later too. Amazing after taste. Man, what a pour. This bottle is amazing. I loved this on the neck pour and the extra shelf time has just brought so many flavors out and intensified some of the ones I remember from before.

High proof. Flavors last a long time. Delicious dram. Rich toasty oak and vanilla. Caramel and pepper.