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

I was a huge fan of the Small Batch (along with the rest of the Buffalo Trace collection I've tried to date). I've heard that a good bottling of the SB is remarkable in its own right. Let's put that to the test. Nose: Brown sugar, caramel, and vanilla sweetness. Maybe some honey. Juicy red apple. Behind that is a touch of leather, toasted oak, and black pepper. Very subtle. Some of the classic BT Vicks VapoRub. Butterscotch and raisin and other dried fruits. No alcohol detectable. Classic bourbon nose. Great nose. Palate: Much spicier than the nose. It's mostly baking spice: nutmeg, clove, black pepper, and cinnamon. And it's an oak bomb. Beyond that there is sweet apple pie and cherry. Caramel and butterscotch. Vanilla, brown sugar, and honey. A touch of orange citrus. Some licorice as well. There's a lot going on here, and I'm loving all of it. This powerful, vibrant palate compliments a wonderfully subtle nose. Awesome. Finish: Heavy caramel, butterscotch, and oak. A bit of brown sugar sweetness before it ultimately becomes a long stretch of cinnamon, black pepper, and toasted oak. 50% ABV makes itself known here, and in the best way possible. About as good as they make them. I'm on a roll with Buffalo Trace right now. I gave Elmer T. Lee the same score a couple weeks ago. The only issue I have with BT is their ever-increasing prices and decreasing stock. I know I;m not alone in speculating that the scarcity of these products is a strategy to create hype and trigger impulse purchases at well over MSRP. And it works on me every time. I paid $80 for this one, and it was worth every penny. Just a damn fine product. It's a to see that this one is so rarely available. And when it is, it's often ludicrously overpriced. With that being said, this is has now become one of my absolute favorite whiskies. Very impressed with Buffalo Trace once again. I'll give them this: They're doing something right. It's already up $10 at the store where I purchased this, and I can only assume the price will continue to climb. And ultimately, I'll probably continue to shell out. But if you can find this around $80, it's a no-brainer. You've done it again BT.

Neat from a Glencairn glass. Great nose on this one. Honey sweet, ethanol, cinnamon apples, oak and a slight hint of licorice. 100 proof doesn’t stand out. Oaky barrel spice on the palate, vanilla, caramel and a touch of dark berries. Oily and coats your mouth. Moderately long finish while oak lingers on the tongue then melts into sweet honey/maple. Light dill pickle type flavor at the end. Overall, very balanced at a good proof. This would be a very nice sipper around the cold weather holidays. Unique and deserves a spot on the shelf.

Very smooth. Soft nose. Oak noticeable. A fairly long finish though without the burn. Tough to put my finger on why, but really enjoy it!

Big step up from the Small Batch. The age really shines here. The sweetness is more dark chocolate, brown sugar and caramel. The nose is very smooth, little burn and has the dark theme of the chocolate, brown sugar and caramel with some oak and tobacco. The taste is smooth too with just the right amount of burn for a little hug at the end. The finish is awesome, I love the length of the finish and it really brings the nose home. Really enjoy this at $60-$65, but my score would go down slightly at a higher price. 8.8/10