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

Amazing smell and taste of caramel

127.5 Proof, Batch #5 (May 2016)

Colonel E.H Taylor Barrel Proof 129.7 proof Pour at a bar since I can never find a bottle. $16/2oz pour Nose: fresh raspberries are the first thing I immediately pick up on. Honestly smells like a boozy raspberry pie. Really nice pastry notes to accompany the fruit. Blueberries and vanilla also make an appearance. Probably the most berry forward nose I’ve experienced in a bourbon. Let’s see if these fruit notes carry over to the palate. Palate: lots of spice off the bat. I suspect a fair amount of rye went into this mashbill. Blueberries carry over to the palate more than the raspberries. Big hit of mouth-drying oak upon delivery. With a little water, vanilla comes out in decent doses. Finish: medium finish length. Vanilla carries over from the palate and lingers for a while. Not getting any of the previous fruity notes from the nose and palate. Overall: man, I wish I could find a bottle of this stuff. So far I’ve only been able to get the small batch and single barrel offerings. The barrel proof has to be my favorite that I’ve tried from the EH Taylor line so far. The nose is the standout here for me. The berry/bakery scents just come up every time I go for a sniff. Very enjoyable bourbon overall. Cheers!