Review #738 - Colonel E.H. Taylor Single Barrel Bourbon
There are now a wide variety of Colonel E.H. Taylor releases due to a number of special editions in recent years, which have added to the range. Here's one of the more common options, though: the Single Barrel bourbon, which is bottled-in-bond and presented at a strength of 50% ABV (100 proof).
There are both this 'standardized' version of the single barrel, as well as store pick versions, similar to a scheme run by brands like Russell's Reserve, Blanton's, New Riff, and others. None of these E.H. Taylors carry an age statement, but rumors often point to a range of 7 to 10 years.
This review encompasses 3 different bottles of E.H. Taylor Single Barrel and is meant to be a survey of the product as a whole, not necessarily a review of one specific single barrel.
Colonel E.H. Taylor Single Barrel Bourbon
USA - Bourbon
MSRP: USD 75 (2025)
Available Price: USD 135 (2025, based on recent auction results)
Age Statement: NAS
Strength: 50% ABV
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 5 times over 4 years; bottles at 50% and 60% fill levels, and tasted from a sample. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 15+ minutes
Nose: Dark, with some tobacco and cola up front, but it's somewhat mellow. Sweetness from red fruit like cherries and grape lollipops; there's a soft caramel note and some sweet, dusty corn spirit. Accents across our tastings included cinnamon, plum, vanilla, and brown sugar.
Palate: A little thinner than the fragrant nose suggested; flavors of strawberries, grape, and tart orange oil combine with a decent amount of dusty, dry oak. Vanilla and brown sugar bring more sweetness, but we also get some wood smoke and a dry leather note. The mouthfeel has a medium thickness; accents included lemon candies, honey, and maple syrup.
Finish: Vanilla, grape juice, tart blackberry, and raisins - tons of fruit notes. Some sweetness returns after the stronger oak on the palate, but there are still old oak notes as well, little hints of astringency. The complexion is still quite dark, and this finish has a medium length.
Final Note: We really enjoy that darker, deeper complexion in bourbon, and these examples of E.H. Taylor Single Barrel showed that off nicely. The nose was especially expressive and well-developed, but on the palate, this became a bit thinner and simpler overall. There's a nice combination of drying oak and sweet fruit flavor - those components battle back and forth throughout the different parts of the tasting experience.
Value around MSRP would be decent, but nothing special; at the secondary pricing that's often required to get these bottles, though, value is well below average. This is a good bourbon, but don't spend too much seeking it out, as there are plenty of other rivals that deliver just as much flavor.
Our Rating: 7.1 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating (MSRP): 6.73
Value Rating (Available Price): 5.54
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other E.H. Taylor reviews:
Review #556 - Colonel E.H. Taylor Small Batch
Review #378 - Colonel E.H. Taylor Single Barrel - Wiseguy Lounge Pick 'Tailor Made'
