There doesn’t seem to be a lot of lot of rhyme or reason behind the Colonel E.H. Taylor line. At times the series seems to be a Buffalo Trace dumping ground for experiments/one-offs like the Sour Mash, Warehouse C Tornado Surviving, and Cured Oak releases. In a way, it is almost like Diageo’s Orphan Barrel line. The Rye is an oddity as well in that it has a mashbill of just rye and barley (no corn) making it unlike any other Buffalo Trace rye whiskey. The only real consistency in the line seems to be that the somewhat regularly released bourbons (Small Batch, Single Barrel, and Barrel Proof) come from Warehouse C and were distilled from Buffalo Trace’s low rye mashbill #1.
Up to this point, all of the E.H. Taylor line have been Bottled in Bond except one: Colonel E.H. Taylor Barrel Proof. The Barrel Proof product is an uncut and unfiltered bruiser that is aged around seven years in Warehouse C. This makes it something akin to George T. Stagg but at about half the age. I mention that comparison because the first couple of releases of the official Stagg Jr. product were so dreadful many people felt the Taylor Barrel Proof was more deserving of the Stagg Jr name.
Given my previous glowing review of the second batch of Taylor Barrel Proof, this third release has some big shoes to fill. Also since the Fall of 2013 when batch two was released, Stagg Jr. batch quality has improved tremendously. Is Colonel Taylor Barrel Proof still the closest resemblance to its uncle Stagg or has Stagg Jr. finally stepped up to take its proper place? Let’s find out.
No Age Statement; 64.5% ABV; $80; Released Fall 2014
Nose: Needs a good bit of time airing out to get over the ethanol. Typical notes of sweet and wood but also has some dark ripe fruits like prunes and plums. Great, classic low rye bourbon nose.
Taste: Everything you would expect from a middle aged barrel proof pour. Sweet, woody, and warm. Burnt caramel wood sugar is the dominant note with just a little rye spice bite on the finish. The woodiness is strong but it’s not an old funky wood taste which I like. It’s young enough that there are still some faint new make corn notes at play to make it interesting. It drinks pretty warm as it should given the 129 proof but I think it’s a touch more tame than the 2013 release which was around 135 proof. Very tasty.
Thoughts: This is great stuff. I think it’s a little softer around the edges than the last release but I can’t pick a favorite between the two. The real question though is how does it compare to the last couple of Stagg Jr releases? Well, it’s close but if I had to split hairs I think I’d go with Stagg Jr batch three (132.1) or four (132.2) over the Taylor. The Stagg Jr seems to have just a little bit more age to it (“around a decade” per Buffalo Trace) and it shows with more depth in wood complexity. Even better the Stagg Jr is about $20 cheaper and easier to find. If you have the coin to spare and have access, buy them both. If you can only afford one of them, Stagg Jr is a much better value.
Rating: B+
No comments:
Post a Comment