Kentucky might be on the fringe of “Tornado Alley,” but even so, those powerful storms seem to be a fixture of life in the Bluegrass. Kentuckians received a fairly vicious reminder of that fact in early March 2012, when twisters tore through the state and left almost two dozen dead. Yet sometimes a tornado strike isn’t all bad, as Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. “Tornado Survivor” bourbon whiskey testifies to. The Colonel E.H. Taylor label is basically a series of Buffalo Trace limited editions (past installments include a single barrel and a 19th century-style sour mash), named for the man who founded the Old Taylor Distillery in 1887 and is known to some as the “father of the modern bourbon industry.” 24,000 barrels of bourbon destined for a Colonel E.H. Taylor bottling were aging in Taylor’s own Warehouse C (dating to 1881) when a tornado struck the Buffalo Trace property in 2006, ripping both it and another empty bourbon warehouse to pieces. The Taylor warehouse lost its roof and some of its walls, and while the barrels emerged from the disaster unscathed, they went on to an almost unique aging experience, as they received the full brunt of the Kentucky summer while the warehouse was painstakingly rebuilt around them. It is hard to understate just how thoroughly “cooked” the bourbon was that summer. I have commented in the past on how important the southern summer heat is to bourbon’s aging vis-à-vis the whiskey’s cousins in Scotland and Ireland, but direct exposure to the sweltering summer climate produced extreme results. The ultimate evaporation rate for the “Tornado Surviving Bourbon,” as Buffalo Trace calls it, was more than doubled to an extreme “angel’s share”

As founding father of the bourbon industry, Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor, Jr. left an indelible legacy. His dedication to distilling began at the close of the Civil War when he purchased O.F C. Distillery. There, he developed innovative techniques that are still in use today. Made by hand, this Small Batch Bourbon Whiskey has been aged inside century old warehouses constructed by E.H. Taylor, Jr.  Barrels are evaluated and selected to create a perfect blend of distinctive character that is like no other. This bourbon is a true sipping bourbon that honors the uncompromising legacy of E.H. Taylor, Jr.
 

TASTING NOTES:

Tastes of caramel corn sweetness, mingled with butterscotch and licorice. The aftertaste is a soft mouth-feel that turns into subtle spices of pepper and tobacco.
 

Awards:

2019 Silver Medal – New York World Spirits Competition

2019 Silver Outstanding Medal – Whiskies of the World