Colonel E.H. Taylor Small Batch Bourbon Review — Score & Tasting Notes

If Blanton's is the bourbon the world hunts for its bottle, E.H. Taylor Small Batch is the one connoisseurs hunt for the liquid inside. This Bottled-in-Bond offering from Buffalo Trace has quietly built a reputation as the distillery's finest widely available release—a step above Eagle Rare and Buffalo Trace in both complexity and conviction—a bourbon that backs up its ornate packaging with genuine substance.

The Bottled-in-Bond designation guarantees 100 proof and a minimum four years of age, but E.H. Taylor exceeds these minimums with an estimated 7-8 years of maturation. The result is a bourbon with considerably more depth than its entry-level stablemates, while maintaining the approachability that makes Buffalo Trace products so universally appealing.

The nose is a carnival of sweet indulgence: butterscotch, caramel, cherry Twizzlers, and vanilla wafers parade past in delightful succession. There's a chocolate note—dark, almost mocha-like—with brown sugar, orange zest, and a cinnamon warmth that makes the glass impossible to put down. This is one of the most inviting noses in bourbon.

On the palate, E.H. Taylor unleashes a syrupy, almost decadent sweetness. The mouthfeel is notably thick and coating, carrying explosive flavors of candy cherry, strawberry, and apple alongside rich caramel and hints of pumpernickel bread. There's a mint-citrus brightness that prevents the sweetness from becoming cloying, and the 100-proof backbone provides enough structure to keep everything in elegant balance.

The finish is where this bourbon truly distinguishes itself. A delayed onset of cinnamon and black pepper arrives with surprising intensity, transitioning into bold oak and tobacco before settling into a creamy vanilla that lingers long after the last sip. This is a finish that rewards patience—and patience, in bourbon, is always rewarded.

At MSRP ($45), E.H. Taylor Small Batch is a slam dunk of extraordinary proportions. The only tragedy is that finding it at retail requires the same determination as its more famous stablemates. But trust us—this is the Buffalo Trace bottle worth pursuing.

Tasting E.H. Taylor blind is a humbling exercise. Across three separate sessions, I ranked it higher than every bourbon under $60 in my cabinet, and it held its own against several north of $80. That Bottled-in-Bond 100 proof hits a sweet spot that lower-proof stablemates can't reach: enough power to deliver flavor without requiring a water dropper or a tolerance for heat. The cherry-forward palate especially shines blind—it's so distinctive that experienced tasters can often identify it even without the label.

For the full Buffalo Trace experience, pair this bottle with Blanton's (Mashbill #2, lighter and more citrus-forward) and the flagship Buffalo Trace (Mashbill #1, the approachable gateway). If you want to explore beyond the distillery at this quality level, Four Roses Single Barrel offers comparable complexity with a completely different flavor architecture—high-rye spice versus Taylor's fruit-bomb sweetness. Both belong on the short list of the best bourbons you can buy under $50.