Buffalo Trace Unveils New Colonel EH Taylor Barrel Strength Rye

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Buffalo Trace is known for producing some of the most sought after bottles of American whiskey by collectors, namely Pappy Van Winkle, the Antique Collection and WL Weller. The Colonel EH Taylor, Jr. line has also become highly coveted over the years, with special barrel treatments and the Warehouse C Tornado Surviving unicorn expression that survived a natural disaster. The distillery just announced the addition of a new barrel-aged rye whiskey to its lineup, and it’s one that whiskey lovers will likely snap up pretty quickly.

The EH Taylor, Jr. line is named after what some consider the “father of the modern bourbon industry,” as Buffalo Trace calls him. Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor Jr. purchased OFC Distillery in 1869, which later became George T. Stagg Distillery in the early 1900s and Buffalo Trace in 1992 (the “colonel” in the name was an honorary one, not a military one). Taylor is credited with pushing for the Bottled in Bond Act of 1897, which established specific standards for whiskey at a time when much of it was adulterated with questionable ingredients. As a reminder, “bottled in bond” means that the whiskey is at least 4 years old, exactly 100 proof, and the product of a single distillery and a single distilling season.

The entire EH Taylor range is described as ‘bottled in bond’, with the exception of cask expressions, which are obviously not exactly 100 proof (a rare exception being the recent release of Angel’s Envy Bottled in Bond). The new Barrel Proof Rye is the 13th expression to join the line, an uncut, unfiltered rye whiskey that is likely made from a blend containing approximately the legally required 51% rye grain (the distillery does not disclose the exact percentages). It’s bottled at 126 proof, which is certainly high but more into Booker territory than dangerous alcohol levels. We haven’t had a chance to taste the whiskey yet, but the official tasting notes describe white pepper and a nutty aroma on the nose, followed by dried stone fruits, pepper and a woody dryness on the palate with a softer finish.

Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Barrel Proof Rye Whiskey will be available in the coming months, so keep your eyes peeled. MSRP is $78, but you know how it goes: prices range from about $120 for a bottle of Small Batch Bourbon on Caskers to about $15,000 for Warehouse C Surviving Tornado on the secondary market.