Buffalo Trace Unveils New Colonel EH Taylor Barrel Strength Rye

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Buffalo Trace is known for producing some of the most collectible bottles of American whiskey, namely Pappy Van Winkle, Antique Collection and WL Weller. The Colonel EH Taylor, Jr. line has also become rather 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 cask strength rye whiskey to its lineup, and it’s one that whiskey fans will likely embrace pretty quickly.

The EH Taylor, Jr. line is named after the man some consider the “father of the modern bourbon industry,” as Buffalo Trace puts it. 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 his name was honorary, not military). Taylor is credited with lobbying for the Bottled in Bond Act of 1897, which established specific criteria for whiskey at a time when much of it was adulterated with questionable ingredients. As a refresher, bottled in bond means that the whiskey is at least 4 years old, exactly 100 proof, and the product of one distillery and one distilling season.

The entire EH Taylor range is considered to be bottled in Bond, with the exception of the barrel proof expressions, which are obviously not exactly 100 proof (a rare exception was the recent release of Angel’s Envy Bottled in Bond). The new Barrel Proof Rye is the 13th expression to join the range, an uncut and unfiltered rye whiskey that is likely made from a legally required mashbill of around 51 percent rye grain (the distillery does not disclose exact percentages). It is bottled at 126 proof, which is certainly high but more in Booker territory than dangerous alcohol levels. We have not yet had a chance to taste the whisky, but the official tasting notes describe white pepper and a nutty aroma on the nose, followed by dried stone fruit, pepper and an oaky dryness on the palate with a smoother 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.