After drinking my way through a number of sub $40 bottled in bond bourbon we’ll come to the end of the line with EH Taylor Small Batch and compare it side by side with it’s more expensive Single Barrel expression. As far as I know the EHT lineup are Buffalo Trace’s only bottled in bond offerings, other than the EHT barrel proof of course. In a world where Blanton’s and Eagle Rare are getting harder to find EHT Small Batch is still pretty reliably available at retailish prices here in Austin. But we’re not here to muse on the Buffalo Trace line up so let’s taste some whiskey and see how they stack up against the rest of the bottled in bond drinker lineup!
2018 Colonel EH Taylor Single Barrel
Age: NAS but 4+ years from Bottled in Bond
Abv: 100 proof
Color: A medium gold
Price: $59.99
Laser Code: L18187010722K
Nose:Sweet vanilla, caramel, a touch of citrus and hint of oak
Taste: Caramel and oak dominate with faint spice notes, and a very nice mouthfeel
Finish: Short to medium finish sweet with mostly caramel and a little oak and warm spice
2017 Colonel EH Taylor Small Batch
Age: NAS but 4+ years from Bottled in Bond
Abv: 100 proof
Color: A medium gold
Price: $39.99
Laser Code: L172830112097
Nose: Vanilla, caramel, cherry and oak
Taste: Oak, vanilla, caramel, cherry, slightly thinner mouthfeel than the SiB but still nice
Finish: Short to medium length sweet with cherry, oak and vanilla
Conclusion
These were both very good and handily beat out the rest of the bottled in bond bourbons in this series. I’m a fan of the Buffalo Trace profile and a higher quality, higher proof release at a good price is hard to argue with. After drinking the EHT Small Batch alongside the Dickel BiB I realized that the Dickel wasn’t going to have a long term place on my shelf as long as EHT was easy enough to find.
To compare the two this SiB was a bit better but not by much and definitely not by enough to justify the price increase. Somewhat oddly this SiB did not have nearly as much vanilla as I usually get from EHT. I prefer my current bottle of Blanton’s to both of these and they are on par to slightly better than the bottle of Eagle Rare I have right now. I’ve had some amazing EHT SiB but unfortunately this barrel was just ‘good’. Given the price, scarcity and variance on the Single Barrels I don’t think they are a good value proposition and I’d recommend grabbing the Small Batch over it to most folks. All that said I’ll probably pick another one up at some point chasing those honey barrels.
TL;DR: Great whiskey, go with the Small Batch.
SiB
7 - a great whiskey I’d order at a bar
Poor - Overpriced, not worth the money
SmB
7 - a great whiskey I’d order at a bar
Great - A great deal, I’d buy it again
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