Buffalo Trace Distillery announced on Wednesday the release of Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Distiller’s Council, a limited release that clocks in at 100 proof. It is the “closest modern interpretation” to the bourbons made under Taylor’s stewardship at the OFC Distillery.
The whiskey is packaged in a Grecian glass decanter meant to mimic the 1950s Old Taylor “Original Recipe” bourbons. The whiskey hosts a suggested price of $1,499.99, though it is likely it will fetch significantly higher prices on the secondary market.
A Release Decades in the Making
The roots of this release date back to 1996, when a team of retired George T. Stagg distillery disciples, including Elmer T. Lee, Orville Schupp, Jimmy Johnson, Garry Gayheart, Al Geiser, Harlen Wheatley, Mark Brown, Ronnie Eddins, Leonard Riddle and others joined forces to reevaluate Buffalo Trace’s distilling processes after sampling over 30 barrels of whiskey.
“Well, we don’t make whiskey the way we used to,” one voice said.
The group joined forces and became the Distiller’s Council, and they decided to try to bring back the way E.H. Taylor made whiskey. The team reintroduced Taylor’s patent-pending sour mashing process, which has remained unchanged since the 1880s.
“Colonel Taylor’s unwavering commitment to quality and innovation has helped shape every decision at our Distillery since he set our standards in 1870,” Buffalo Trace Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley said in a statement. “His enduring legacy left a profound impact on everyone present on that fateful day in 1996. As many of them are no longer with us, we hope they are enjoying the angel’s share with the Colonel himself — watching proudly as we carry his vision forward.”
Colonel E.H. Taylor Jr. Distiller’s Council will be the latest addition accompanying Buffalo Trace expressions like Warehouse C. Tornado Surviving Bourbon, Small Batch, Single Barrel and other expressions.
This seems to be quite the year for E.H. Taylor, and in May, the bourbon brand announced that it was making E.H. Taylor a permanent addition to its antique collection, adding a bottled-in-bond whiskey to honor the Founding Father of Modern Bourbon. The whiskey features a low-rye mashbill and clocks in at 100 proof — a fitting tribute as Taylor established the Bottled In Bond Act of 1897.
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