E.H. Taylor

Colonel E. H. Taylor is a premium straight bourbon whiskey produced at Buffalo Trace Distillery, Kentucky, USA. The whiskey is named after Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor Jr, an influential figure in the history of bourbon. The range features small-batch, single barrel and barrel proof expressions alongside rye whiskey versions.

The bourbon carries notes of caramel and corn with tobacco and subtle spice. Rye versions, meanwhile, have a woody, spicy character with notes of orange peel and butterscotch.

Colonel E. H. Taylor bourbon is produced at Buffalo Trace distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky.

Core range bottlings use Buffalo Trace’s Mash No 1 recipe. This traditional bourbon mash bill comprises corn and malted barley with a small proportion of rye. Different recipes are sometimes used for limited-edition releases.

Some of the E. H. Taylor expressions are bottled-in-bond. To be considered bottled-in-bond a whiskey must be aged and labelled in accordance with the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897. The spirit must be the product of one distillation season by one distiller at one distillery. It must have been aged in a federally bonded warehouse under government supervision for at least four years. It must also be bottled at 100 proof.

E. H. Taylor bourbon is aged in new oak barrels that are stored in Warehouse C. This treasured warehouse was built by Taylor himself, back in the year 1885.

Edmund Haynes Taylor was born in Kentucky in 1832. His father passed away when he was just 5 years old and young Edmund was sent to live with his grand-uncle Zachary in Louisiana. Zachary Taylor would later become the 12th president of the United States and he ensured Edmund received the best possible education. In 1851, Edmund returned to Kentucky where he trained as a banker.

Through his work with the bank, Taylor got to know several whiskey makers. He became fascinated by their work and often helped them balance their books. Following the Civil War, he toured Europe, learning all he could about modern distilling techniques. He returned home in 1867 and opened his first distillery.

Two years later, Taylor purchased the Leestown Distillery and named it O.F.C. (Old Fashioned Copper). He modernised the plant, incorporating copper fermentation tanks and column stills. He also introduced a more efficient sour mash technique and a first of its kind steam-heating system that's still used in the warehouse today.

Taylor made it his duty to fight for higher standards in the bourbon industry and lobbied in favour of the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897. This new law gave participating distillers a tax break and government certification of product quality.

Taylor ran his O.F.C. distillery successfully for more than a decade before selling to George T. Stagg in 1879. He went on to serve as mayor of Frankfort for 16 years and had the title of Colonel bestowed upon him by the State of Kentucky. His work in whiskey has led many to dub him the Founding Father of the bourbon industry.

Taylor passed away in 1923. By then, O.F.C. had become the George T. Stagg distillery. Later it would be renamed, Buffalo Trace. Today the distillery produces a wide range of whiskies but bottle their Colonel E. H. Taylor selection in honour of the man who helped to shape the bourbon industry as we know it today.