On February 12, 1830, Edmund Haynes Taylor, Jr. — widely considered the father of modern bourbon — was born in Columbus, Kentucky. Orphaned as a baby, Taylor was adopted by Edmund Haynes Taylor, Sr., and was raised in Louisiana by his great-uncle, Zachary Taylor (who would later become the twelfth President of the United States).

After attending the Boyer’s French School in New Orleans, Taylor moved back to Kentucky and matriculated to B. B. Sayer’s Academy. Following in the footsteps of his father, Taylor became involved in banking and came to the aid of several Kentucky distilleries that were suffering from Reconstruction.

In 1869, Taylor purchased a small distillery situated on the banks of the Kentucky River. After christening the distillery O.F.C Distillery (OFC was an abbreviation for Old Fire Copper), Taylor began renovating and modernizing the plant

 

 

• he purchased copper fermentation tanks, new grain grinding equipment, and unique, columnar stills. During his tenure, Taylor also implemented several innovative distilling techniques, including aging bourbon in climate-controlled rickhouses.
• At the time, an overwhelming number of distilleries were still not aging their whiskey.
• In order to make their spirits palatable, some distillers and retailers added juices and syrups to sweeten their bourbon, while others added acid and tobacco to give the whiskey its signature, amber hue.
• Armed with distilling experience and a political pedigree, Taylor, together with Treasury Secretary John G. Carlisle, was instrumental in passing the Bottled-In-Bond Act of 1897 (27 C.F.R. 5.21).
• The act required that any spirit labeled as “Bonded” or “Bottled-in-Bond” be the product of one distiller at one distillery during one distillation season.

In addition, the Act required that bonded spirits be aged in a federally bonded warehouse under U.S. government supervision for at least four years and bottled at 100 proof.

Colonel E.H. Taylor Jr. Single Barrel Bourbon is aged for 11 years and 7 months in new, American oak casks in a century-old warehouse constructed by Taylor.

Once the bourbon has reached its peak of maturity, it is bottled in bond at 100 proof. Taylor Single Barrel Bourbon has an aroma of oaky spices, figs, and maple syrup.

The notes of orange peel, dates, roasted nuts and tobacco lead to a sweet finish that is complemented by a hint of intense oak.

Colonel E.H. Taylor Jr. Single Barrel Bourbon earned the Gold Medal at the Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition in 2012 and earned a score of 94 points from Wine Enthusiast.

In addition, it earned a score of 97 points — two points higher than Pappy Van Winkle 23YO Bourbon — at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge in 2012.

Pick up a bottle of this incredible bourbon today!