E.H. Taylor, Jr. Four Grain is a bottled-in-bond bourbon from Buffalo Trace made with corn, rye, wheat and malted barley in one mash, rather than choosing between rye and wheat. It was distilled in 2005 and released in 2017, with a second and final release in 2018.
About This Bourbon
The recipe combines corn, rye, wheat and malted barley, which sets it apart from Buffalo Trace's usual rye-recipe and wheated bourbons. The spirit was distilled in 2005 and entered the barrel at 104 proof. The first release came in spring 2017 at 12 years old; a second batch followed in spring 2018 at 13 years old, billed as the last for the foreseeable future. Both were small batch and bottled in bond at 100 proof. Check your label to see which release you have.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Caramel, vanilla and fresh bread, with a light floral note, orchard fruit and oak.
- Palate: Rounded and layered: sweet corn, soft wheat, a line of rye spice and a malty, biscuity middle.
- Finish: Long and gently spicy, with caramel, toasted oak and a hint of cinnamon.
Serving & Food
This deserves a proper nosing glass and a neat pour, no ice; ten minutes in the glass brings the grain character forward. Try it alongside a wheated and a rye-recipe Buffalo Trace bourbon to see the difference. At the table, match it with roast chicken, walnut bread and a nutty Gruyère.
How to Enjoy
Comparing grain recipes, or finding an aged, bonded bourbon with a softer, more complex middle.
Product Details
Producer / Distillery: Buffalo Trace Distillery
Expression: E.H. Taylor, Jr. Four Grain
Category: Straight Kentucky bourbon whiskey, bottled in bond
Mash bill: Corn, rye, wheat and malted barley
Distilled: 2005
Age: 12 years (2017 release) or 13 years (2018 release)
ABV / Strength: 100 proof / 50% ABV
Bottle size / Format: 750mL
Style detail: Special edition four-grain bourbon
About the Distillery
In the late 1800s Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. ran the Kentucky River distillery known today as Buffalo Trace, and before that he spent years in banking and the grain trade. That background is the starting point for this bourbon. Buffalo Trace, owned by the Sazerac Company, began releasing whiskey under his name in 2011.
Four Grain was the ninth release in the Taylor line. The distillery says the four grains were chosen because they are the ones Taylor would have had to hand when he set up at the O.F.C. Distillery, and his years buying grain taught him how much harvests and farmers could vary.