Colonel EH Taylor Barrel Proof Rye Whiskey Review

I think the one thing that stands out about the newest addition to the EH Taylor lineup is just how long we’ve had to wait for it. News first broke about a barrel proof EH Taylor Rye Whiskey in 2022. I might be using the word “news” a bit too liberally – it was the Instagram account @Comingwhiskey who first noticed it on the TTB’s page for new labels. But fans of Buffalo Trace went wild upon hearing about it (even the cynical ones) because this was a product they felt had been missing from the lineup for years.

False Start. Barrel Proof Rye on the EH Taylor Team. 2 Year Penalty, Repeat First Down

The Fall of 2022 came and went and so did the entirety of 2023. Where were the bottles of EHTBP Rye? What was holding it back? Some enthusiasts have hypothesized the delay was due to the 2022 breakup of between Buffalo Trace and its primary distributor – RNDC. This shook up the industry quite a bit. Buffalo Trace might not have wanted a patchwork release between the states that RNDC distributed in and control states (OH, AL, ID, VA, etc). It would have created (more) animosity among their loyal customers to see yet another example of uneven Buffalo Trace distribution.

I personally believe that something was amiss behind-the-scenes at Buffalo Trace. Perhaps it involved the quality of the whiskey they were intending to bottle. It wouldn’t be the first time a product had been delayed due to concerns about its quality – just look at the years that Buffalo Trace held back certain Antique Collection releases (2021 GTS comes to mind).

EH Taylor Straight Rye is one of the strangest products made at Buffalo Trace. That’s a statement that I’m not even exaggerating about. One of the main reasons it’s strange is because it seems to be the only product that uses its own mash bill. People like to point out that Buffalo Trace only has four distinct mash bills (2 ryed bourbons, a wheated bourbon and a rye whiskey), but if we are to believe what has been said in the past, the rye whiskey used to make EH Taylor Straight Rye is completely different.

What has been said in the past? That EH Taylor Straight Rye is made with no corn in the mash bill. It’s also been said that there’s a higher amount of malted barley than normal. The ratios that have been floated are generally thought to be 65% rye and 35% malted barley. But take that with a grain of salt.

The standard EH Taylor Straight Rye has never been wildly loved by anyone that I know of. All the reviews point to it being rather lackluster. Perhaps the one thing that Buffalo Trace needed to help it out was to put out a barrel proof version. This may set the record straight on if this unique recipe is better at a higher proof. It’s worth a shot at least, right?

Thanks to my good friend Mike J, I’m getting a chance to try this out. So how is it? I sampled it neat in a glencairn.

Tasting Notes

Nose: Nosing the glass reveals a lot of citrus notes (primarily lemon) and the scent of sweet cream. Lemon Mascarpone maybe? Caramel and floral/botanical notes (geraniums and pine) are really the star of the nose with spices like ground pepper, cinnamon stick and hot paprika hinting to the proof. More sweetness comes from raisins, honey and wood sugars. It’s hard to describe what this smells like, but it’s like sweet barrel char if that makes sense. I even find a sort of earthy and fragrant tea leaf scent to boot.

Palate: Each sip delivers more of the same from the nose. More of that lemon mascarpone from the nose is present and followed by Hungarian paprika, black pepper and cinnamon stick. In a nutshell, it’s a creamy, spicy delight. On the sweetness end of things, I find more honey, barley sugar and dates. There’s even the tiniest flavor of marzipan. Fruit notes center around poached pears, but not much else. Classic rye grain notes of fennel bulb and ginger root give complexity to all of these layers while also highlighting the floral/botanical nature of this whiskey. I can’t put my finger on any tannic notes I find, but the overall profile has a maturity about it that makes me okay even if I don’t have a bunch of oak.

Finish: Spices smolder on the tip of my tongue while oak and brûlée’d sugar dance on the back. There’s a lot of citrus in between. My tongue experiences a menthol cooling effect with peppercorn pops here and there. Other lasting notes include generic botanical flavors coupled with a caramel apple sucker. The whole finish takes a hit by being only short-to-moderate in length. I expected more for being so high in proof.

Score: 8.4/10

Hoping for the worst and expecting the worst (just to convince myself I don’t need this bottle), I was disappointed to find out that EHTBP Rye is actually quite good. It’s not a Thomas H. Handy redux and it’s not close to the impeccable Kentucky Owl Batch 1 (which is more flavorful and balanced), but that doesn’t mean it’s a failure.

But here’s what this bottle of Taylor does right: I found the botanical and herbal notes to be very similar to the ones in Kentucky Owl Rye Whiskey Batch 3. There’s a 12 proof point gap separating the KY Owl and EHTBP Rye, but the Taylor drinks lower in proof. I also find a lot in common with the fruit-forward nature of Michter’s Barrel Strength Rye. There’s even a small element of drinking a well-crafted Canadian rye whiskey as far as the honey sweetness and easy-drinking aspect is concerned (Barrell Craft Spirits Single Barrel Rye come to mind). If you’re a fan of the rye whiskies I listed off, then EHTBP Rye could be for you.

Final Thoughts

I pinged my friends who have tried this bottle and asked for their thoughts. The overwhelming consensus seemed to be how unimpressed they were with it. Other takeaways included an overall feeling was that it wasn’t what they expected it to be with most noting there was a particular flavor note that they didn’t like. When I pressed them more on what that was, none of them could quite put their finger on it.

I tried to isolate the flavors that I found and believe that there is an odd spice note that doesn’t really deliver a “pepper” or “hot cinnamon” note that rye whiskies are usually known for. I refer to that spice as “Hungarian Paprika” in my tasting notes because it has this odd, smoldering heat that’s not like typical rye spices. Additionally, I think that the level of botanical notes is surprising for enthusiasts who like their rye whiskies to include corn. Those styles typically lack them which might be something they’re not used to.

I’ve arrived at the conclusion that enthusiasts that love rye whiskies are probably more prone to liking what Buffalo Trace has put into this bottle. Enthusiasts that prefer bourbon probably will not like what’s in this bottle. That’s because the absence of corn in the mash has created a rye whiskey that’s not instantly recognizable. It pushes the boundaries of what a bourbon enthusiast would like.

But rye whiskey lovers are typically drawn to the spirit based on their love for new, exciting flavors. Rye whiskey is definitely the whiskey for that! So if you’re interested in tracking down a bottle for yourself – but you’re concerned about the reviews you’ve read – you need to ask yourself what kind of American Whiskey drinker you are. The answer could either save you a lot of money or reward you with a completely new experience.