Today’s review of EH Taylor Single Barrel has inspired a rant. Unless you live or shop in New Hampshire feel free to skip ahead.
Here is another story about how the New Hampshire Liquor Authority is nothing more but a state run mafia. It’s not about fairness to the consumer, its about the heads of the table getting access to liquor the everyday consumer cannot. Walk into any of the established restaurants or bars in the state of New Hampshire and you will see stuff on the shelf that is only made available to consumers via a lottery. And if the state does drop it, via ghost drops someone is tipping off people out of state because they show up hours before the “8 secret stores” receive their shipments in white panel vans and load them up with cases and cases preventing people who work for a living from purchasing since these usually happen early afternoon.
Bar owners and restaurant owners get access to what is available in the warehouse where they can order stuff to be delivered to their local access point (a store). They find out before consumers what has arrived and are able to gobble them up before Joe Public knows.
According to the Buffalo Trace Distillery website, “Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor, Jr. is widely considered one of the founding fathers of the bourbon industry, fighting for the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897, nearly three decades after he purchased what is now called Buffalo Trace Distillery. During his time, Taylor implemented several innovative methods still used today, including climate controlled aging warehouses. Many of the barrels selected for the E.H. Taylor, Jr. Single Barrel are aged in Warehouse C, which was built by Taylor in 1881 and proven to be an excellent aging warehouse. Each barrel is hand-picked and Bottled in Bond at 100 proof to honor its namesake.”
Bourbon Review: EH Taylor Single Barrel Bourbon
ABV: 50% (100 Proof)
Age: NAS
Mash Bill: Buffalo Trace Mashbill #1 (Less that 10% Rye)
Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery
Location: Franklin County, KY (USA)
The Nose: It feels to me like all EH Taylor labeled bourbon and rye hit my nose just right. Classic aromas such as oak and corn are easily identifiable but there is also some summer fruits and an abundance of vanilla which is easy to get lost in. Secondary pulls of the aroma see the vanilla joined by subtle floral component.
The Taste: On the first sip the vanilla that was part of the aroma shows up on the finish of the first sip but there focal bound is a burst of butterscotch, oak and brown sugar. Secondary sips see a less dominant butterscotch joined by oak, leather and a subtle tobacco component and a long finish with white pepper and a subtle heat.
Conclusion: I’ve come to conclusion I won’t be getting a bottle of this in New Hampshire unless some make it into a consumer lottery and I happen to win because it will be at MSRP. Which is a shame because EH Taylor Single Barrel, Small Batch and Rye have become my favorite beverages. In fact this website wouldn’t exist if they were available on the regular. But alas they don’t as Sazarec fails to produce enough bourbon to satisfy their consumers. Which is a shame because it is one of my absolute favorites.
Score: 96
Price: $60.99 (MSRP, 750ml)
