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

Orange marmalade

2019 - fantastic

Oak. Has some rye spice. Pepper. Great medium finish. Has some sweetness on the nose and flavor. Carmel. Low heat for proof. Bold and so good.

This batch is from 2019 and comes in at 129.3 proof The nose has green apple, milk chocolate, raisins, maple syrup, a hint of baking spices and baked bread. The palate is sweet and oily, but not too thick. I get green apple, chocolate, buttery caramel, a little bit of leather, oak. It is fairly drying on the palate, which is to be expected from a high proofer. Very tasty. The finish is nice, long and sweet with lingering rich caramel and green apple, while the tip and side of your tongue tingles. Wow, this is very good. I love how it sticks to the E.H. Taylor profile, but just bumped up a lot.

2019 release 64.65% (129.3 proof) Powerful and ultra complex nose of Charleston Chew candy, golden raisin, date, fig, plum, tobacco, leather, sea salt, pepper, cedar, alfalfa, and bubblegum (but not just any bubblegum Bazooka Joe specifically) Yes all those are actually detectable; the aromas are distinct and easy to pick out. Probably one of the most complex noses I have ever huffed. What’s almost hilariously absent in the nose is “cinnamon”, “barrel spices”, and “char” standard aromas found in a million other bourbons. RICH flavor. The bourbon equivalent of eating an entire chocolate cake. So. Much. Caramel. Underneath that, you have all the flavors in the nose above with the fruits (date, fig, plum) and tobacco standing out. Praline, cumin, tamarind and a bit of umami taste in the mid-palate which is just crazy. “Decadent” comes to mind. Finish is super long; everything in the front palate just sort of carries on along with some heat without changing much which is a feature not a bug when you have something this intricate. Maybe a wisp of dark chocolate once all the other flavors and heat have faded. Delicious. Full, viscous, creamy mouthfeel. I paid 129.99 retail on this because it may be my only chance to ever score a bottle. Was it worth it? While I have had other 5 star bourbons for less, I still can’t help but feel I got my money’s worth. It’s that good. Not sure I’d drop that much change again, but if I walked away from another chance to buy a bottle I’d definitely be sad.