Colonel E.H. Taylor Rye Whiskey

The Colonel E.H. Taylor Straight Rye is a no age statement, bottled-in-bond rye whiskey from the Buffalo Trace Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky. The whiskey was first launched in 2012 and is named after Col. Edmund Haynes Taylor Jr., a staunch supporter of the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897.

A bottled-in-bond whiskey is one that has been distilled just once at one distillery in one season. Bottled-in-bond whiskeys also have to be aged for at least four years. The Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897 was passed to guarantee customers of the authenticity of the whiskey they were purchasing.

History Colonel E.H. Taylor Straight Rye

Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor Jr. was the descendant of two former US Presidents, James Madison, the 4th President of the United States and Zachary Taylor, the 12th President. James Madison went down in history as the “Father of the Constitution” and E.H. Taylor continued the tradition and sealed his legacy as the “Father of Modern Bourbon Industry."

In 1870, Col. E.H. Taylor Jr. purchased an old distillery that was built along the Kentucky River. He called this the O.F.C. Distillery. In 1878, the O.F.C. Distillery was purchased by George T. Stagg but Taylor continued to overlook the operations at the distillery.

The distillery was one of the very few distilleries that were permitted to remain operational during the US Prohibition to make whiskey for medicinal purposes.

Making Process of E.H. Taylor Straight Rye Whiskey

The Col. E.H. Taylor Straight Rye is made from a mash bill of just rye and malted barley that are sourced from local Kentucky and Indiana farms. These grains are passed through a screen to filter them and ensure only the ones that meet the size requirements make their way to the next step.

The grains are cooked using Kentucky limestone water in a steam-generated pressure cooker. Cooking the grains allows the active enzymes to turn the starch in the grains into a soluble sugar. This mixture, called the mash, is cooled and then yeast is added to it along with a small amount of previously fermented and distilled mash. The sugar in the mash along with the yeast produces alcohol.

After the fermentation is complete, the mixture is distilled in tall column stills. The steam in the bottom of the stills rises to vapourise the liquid mixture. These vapours are cooled, re-condensed, and passed through a second still. This helps create a crystal clear liquid which is now ready for ageing. The whiskey is aged in charred white oak barrels for a minimum of four years.

Alcohol Percentage in E.H. Taylor Straight Rye Whiskey

The Colonel E.H. Taylor Straight Rye whiskey contains 50% ABV (100 US Proof), which is higher than the standard permissible limit for Kentucky bourbon whiskeys.

Awards

Silver at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2020.

Silver at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2020.

Silver at the New York World Spirits Competition in 2020.

Silver at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2019.

Gold at Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible Liquid Gold Awards in 2019.

Silver at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2018.

Silver Outstanding at the International Wine and Spirits Competition in 2017.

Silver at the World Whiskies Awards in 2014.