Distillery: Buffalo Trace
Proof: 100
Age: No Age Statement
Mashbill: Undisclosed (believed to be Buffalo Trace’s mashbill #1)
Price: $100 – $200
Company
Buffalo Trace is arguably the most well-known distillery on the planet. Its lineup includes the likes of Pappy. E.H. Taylor, Blanton’s, Elmer T. Lee, W.L. Weller, and more.
Production
This is the big brother of E.H. Taylor Small Batch. It shares the same proof and Bottled in Bond label–the only difference is it’s bottled from a single barrel. According to their site, many of these barrels are hand-picked from the famous Warehouse C (built by Taylor in 1881).
Nose – 96/100
The nose is rich and delicious with strong scents of caramel and vanilla with a subtle hint of cherry. The ethanol comes through more here than it does in the small batch despite them being the same proof.
Palate – 96/100
The palate is sweet and rich with notes of caramel, vanilla, and oak. It has a bit more spice than the small batch.
Finish – 92/100
A pretty standard finish that’s medium in length with notes of oak, leather, and a touch of spice.
Value – 85/100
E.H. Taylor Single Barrel is one of my all-time favorites. But finding and paying a fair price for it is like the wild west. MSRP is $60, and I’d buy it all day long for $60. Heck, I’d buy it whenever I saw it for $100, but you never know what you’ll see it going for.
Realistically, you can expect to see it for $200+. And very few bourbons are worth that price tag in my opinion. If you love E.H. small batch and find the single barrel, it’s worth splurging at least once. Otherwise, stick to the $50 bourbons (many are similar).
Verdict – 92.25/100
We score each bourbon based on nose, palate, finish, and value.
Scoring System:
- Platinum – 95+
- Gold – 90 – 94
- Silver – 80 – 89
- Bronze – <80
Hunter Branch is the Founder and Director of Editorial for Bourbon Inspector. He has been writing about and professionally reviewing bourbon since 2020 (and has been drinking it for much longer). He’s been able to interview big names in the bourbon industry like Trey Zoeller from Jefferson’s Bourbon and his work has been featured in publications like TastingTable, Mashed, and more.