Colonel E.H. Taylor Straight Rye is a 100 proof, bottled-in-bond rye from Buffalo Trace in Frankfort. The mash is just rye and malted barley, so expect spice and dry oak rather than the rounder sweetness of a corn-heavy whiskey.
About This Whisky
Buffalo Trace built this bottling on a mash of rye and malted barley alone. It is a small-batch blend bottled under bond, so every drop comes from a single distilling season and has spent at least four years in a government-supervised warehouse. The missing corn is what sets it apart: the texture is oily, yet the flavour stays savoury and spiced rather than sugary.
Tasting Profile
- Nose: Pepper, dried figs and sultanas, with fresh herbs and a touch of dill.
- Palate: Full and oily, with rye spice, dark caramel and a savoury, bready middle.
- Finish: Long, drying oak with cinnamon and a faint aniseed note.
Serving & Food
Pour at 18 to 20°C into a small tulip glass. It holds up well on ice and drinks nicely with soda and an orange twist. Try it next to smoked duck breast, a charcuterie board with grainy mustard, or dark chocolate with sea salt.
How to Enjoy
A spicy, grown-up rye for sipping or for classic stirred drinks such as the Manhattan.
Product Details
Style: Kentucky straight rye whiskey, bottled-in-bond
Mash Bill: Rye and malted barley, no corn
ABV: 100 proof / 50% ABV
Volume: 750mL
Country: USA
Region: Kentucky
Producer: Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort
About the Distillery
In 1878 the Frankfort distillery passed from Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. to George T. Stagg, and the site later carried the Stagg name before it became Buffalo Trace, now part of the Sazerac Company. Both men are remembered there today: Stagg on the barrel-proof bourbon in the Antique Collection, Taylor on a bonded range of bourbons and this rye. In 2025 the two met in the same set, when a 15-year-old E.H. Taylor Bottled-in-Bond joined the Antique Collection, the first new name in that line-up since 2006. The rye sits in the permanent Taylor range alongside Small Batch and Single Barrel.