I’ve always noticed the tall, attractive cardboard tube on the top shelf of the whiskey aisle.  It had E. H. Taylor Jr’s fancy signature written across the front.  An image of Taylor on the side.  It looks like a throwback to the old days.  Okay, the really old days… after all, I’m only in my thirties.

The other thing that stands out is “Bottled In Bond” on the bottom of the label.  What the heck does that mean?  Back in the late 1800s, a lot of whiskey that sold wasn’t “pure.”  People were adding artificial coloring and sweeteners and passing it off as straight bourbon.  Here’s where Edmund Haynes Taylor steps in.  He fought to pass the Bottled-In-Bond Act of 1897.  If a bourbon was labeled “bottled in bond,” it meant that bourbon followed compliances and regulations laid out in the Bottled-In-Bond Act.  I’ll get to the specifics of that in a future post.  You’re not here for a history lesson.  You came here for to find out how this bourbon tastes.

In the glass, Col. Taylor Small Batch has a really nice flavor.  I get lots of butterscotch and caramel, but it’s not too sweet.  It’s also a bit spicy.  When I taste this bourbon, I know it’s high proof spirit.  It’s a bit rough around the edges…mainly in the finish.  Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a “I’m drinking pure ethanol” burn.  It’s a slow, slightly unrefined burn in the back of the mouth and throat.  That’s not necessarily a turn-off.  My buddy Hank finds most of Buffalo Trace’s products rough.  I mostly disagree.

What’s this whiskey gonna run you?  Most places have it for around $40…a little overpriced in my opinion.  Luckily, I found this bottle of Col. Taylor Small Batch at Costco for $32.  That’s more like it.

Pick it up if you can find it cheap, and sip while watching “Boardwalk Empire”.   8/10