BACKGROUND: The Colonel E.H.Taylor Jr. line is produced by Buffalo Trace Distillery and encompasses several varietals, which include Small Batch, Single Barrel, Barrel Proof, Straight Rye, Old Fashioned Sour Mash, Warehouse C Tornado Surviving, Cured Oak, Seasoned Wood, Four Grain, Amaranth, and 18 Year Marriage. All of the various line extensions are aged in warehouses constructed more than a century ago under the strict instructions of Edmund Haynes Taylor Jr. himself. The bourbon’s namesake was not a military colonel, but, like Col. Harlan Sanders and Col Tom Parker, he was, instead, an honorary Kentucky Colonel as named by the governor of the Bluegrass State. Taylor could also legitimately claim that he was closely related to three presidents - James Madison, Zachary Taylor, and Jefferson Davis. E.H. Taylor is mostly remembered within the industry not as a distiller of bourbon but as a banker who financed the purchase and construction of several historically important distilleries like the Old Fire Copper (O.F.C.) and Old Taylor distilleries. He also incorporated innovations in bourbon production, such as the use of copper fermentation tanks and column stills. A four-term mayor of Frankfort and a member of the Kentucky State Senate, Taylor’s most significant contribution to bourbon was his successful lobbying for passage of the federal Bottled-in-Bond Act, which combatted sub-par whiskies being sold and marketed to the public by rectifiers. The E.H. Taylor Barrel Proof bourbon is bottled straight from the barrel and is both uncut and unfiltered, which, according to its producer, Buffalo Trace, reflects the way whiskey was produced in the era before Prohibition. It is made using Buffalo Trace’s #1 mashbill, which is also utilized to produce brands like George T. Stagg and Stagg Jr., Eagle Rare, Benchmark, and Buffalo Trace The E.H. Taylor Barrel Proof bottle that I sampled was purchased at its $69.99 suggested retail price. NOSE: One whiff of the nose transports you immediately to the inside of a bourbon rickhouse with strong scents of oak and an aged and delicious mustiness. A tobacco not is present, as well, but rather than the traditional pipe tobacco notes, it’s Red Man Chewing Tobacco. Fresh baked bread becomes obvious along with a butterscotch, not caramel, aroma. PALATE: Though I am an admitted proof hound, the first sip of this barrel proofer packs a punch, but acclimation quickly takes over. The initial flavor tastes exactly like a carnival midway caramel apple. Strong cherry flavor develops, as well, and as it works its way from front of palate to back, vanilla cake frosting seems to coat the tongue. It is an almost sinfully enjoyable palate made even more so by the syrupy viscosity of the bourbon. FINISH: Black pepper appears on the spicy finish, but it is balanced evenly with the taste of a fresh and sweet breakfast cinnamon roll. The finish lasts longer than a train at a railroad crossing when you’ve really got to pee. The finish seemingly does not end — and you do not want it to. FINAL ASSESSMENT: I am a sucker for Col. E.H. Taylor. His Small Batch bourbon is my favorite whiskey…or at least it was until I tasted this magical elixir. Everything about this bourbon from scent to nose to finish is enjoyable on a level far above its competitors. The fact that I was able to purchase a bottle at basic retail rather than secondary pricing made an already great experience even that much better. I will award E.H. Taylor Barrel Proof what I believe is my highest ever rating.