Old Taylor Straight Bourbon

I really wanted to like this. I was prepared to offer highly motivated reasoning borderlining on anti-reasoning for the sake of recommending this bottom-shelf tribute to one of my favorite figures in bourbon history. (Also a shared namesake with one of my favorite bourbons, EH Taylor small batch.) But I can’t. This is not good. Nose is walnuts, bananas, yeast. Black pepper. Body is yeast, vanilla, leather, and brine. Finish carries the brine, and I also get mild orange notes. I think this is the perfect bourbon for your friend who only drinks Jack or Jim Beam, and you want to broaden their horizons. It’s in that ballpark of mediocrity, but it does start to introduce more complex flavors like that orange note (when you really search). It’s unapologetically young, and if I had to reach for a poor-man’s EHT, this wouldn’t even be in my top 3. (Benchmark, Ancient Age, and plain ole BT, if you were wondering.) Yes, you could make the “works okay in mixed drinks” argument… but that still makes me want to rip that red signature off this label. Sad to see this suck. Won’t ever buy another. Edit: out of frustration, I mixed this 1-1 with regular Buffalo Trace to make it go away faster. It is delicious. There is an argument to be made here (especially if you are in camp “BT is too sweet”) that this blend is better than either on their own.

Picked this up to have as a mixing bourbon for family and friends during the holidays. Never put a serious rating to it. Pale golden/dark straw in color. Legs appear relatively quickly and move with similar speed. They do hang well on the glass. Nose shows plenty of vanilla, with a touch of sugar cookie with a fresh cut through old oak boards. Whispy hints of lemon and eucalyptus. Soft but thin mouth feel, it's initially slightly sweet but well balanced with some spice and oak. Light caramel, butterscotch, and barrel char round out the short to medium finish. I would say this is a generally faultless bourbon. It's not impressive in any way, but it's not offensive either!

1.75L from VA ABC. Time to check out the bottom tier of the BT lineup. Neat in Glencairn. Nose is actually pleasant, with none of the cardboard, dry hay, or ethanol I was reluctantly expecting at this price point in a giant plastic bottle. Mild apple peel, hints of baking spice, black pepper, maybe some oak poking through. Taste is also mild, with butterscotch and pepper, more sweet than bitter, a bit oily. Finish does bring some mild bitterness, but remains buttery. Decent enough, I am happy to say. The plastic jug belies the whisky within. 7/16/20

Do not let the low price, $18.99 for a 1.75L plastic bottle, put you off. This is a sweet, smooth sipping bourbon; no mixer need. It pours a little light, is pleasant on the nose and easy on the palate. I am a big fan of Benchmark, but this a better dram and cheaper. It is, even though the Benchmark has gotten somewhat hard to obtain, more scarce than Buffalo Trace’s other bottom shelf iterations.

It doesn't come across harsh at all on the nose and im able to pick up the notes of sweet oak. It doesn't smell overly complex. I do sense some floral notes however. On the palate its not heavy at all. Notes of sweet oak and earth. Not an overly complex bourbon at all. On the finish the notes oak and earth go quickly into memory.

I really liked this one. A much more mellowed bourbon, with very sweet toffee notes, vanilla and flan caramel (creme caramel). Delicious. Same sweet notes with some red fruits too. It is like any other bourbon but a little bit refined, with more bite. Sorry for the simple review. 80 over 100. Slainte!