Two Buffalo Trace products, two different age statements, and a question I have been meaning to answer for a long time: how does the Colonel E.H. Taylor Bottled in Bond stack up against the increasingly elusive Eagle Rare 12-Year-Old?
I have had both bottles sitting on my shelf for a while now, so I figured it was finally time to put them head-to-head and see which one earns its spot.
Let me set the stage. The E.H. Taylor I picked up at the LCBO for about a hundred bucks Canadian before Ontario largely stopped stocking bourbon. It is a bottled-in-bond expression, meaning it is at least four years old and bottled at exactly 50% ABV. The Eagle Rare 12, on the other hand, came to me through a trade with my buddy Sam. At 47.5% and carrying that extra age, it felt like a natural sparring partner. Both are Buffalo Trace products, and I suspect the mash bills are fairly similar, though I will let the bourbon geeks weigh in on that one.
Starting with the E.H. Taylor, the nose gives off lovely cherry notes with a touch of caramel. On the palate, it is light, approachable, and drinks well below its 50% proof. There is no burn to speak of, which is impressive but also a little surprising.
For a young bourbon at that ABV, you would expect more punch. It is what I would call a “pour and play” whiskey: very sippable, easy drinking, and honestly a great candidate for a summer sipper or even a cocktail. That said, I tend to lean towards more robust, oaky bourbons, so the Taylor left me wanting a bit more depth.
I landed on an 85 for this one. It is good, genuinely good, but not something I need to rush out and replace.
The Eagle Rare 12 is a different animal. Right off the nose, it is more robust, with deeper oak, charred caramel, a touch of grass, and just a hint of cherry lingering underneath. On the palate, the sweetness dials back in favor of oak spice, cinnamon, and that lovely caramel char. It is more in my wheelhouse. That said, I have to be honest: I am not entirely sure it outperforms the Knob Creek 12, which is significantly easier to find and roughly half the price on the secondary market.
The Eagle Rare 12 earned an 86 from me. I would buy it again at the $110 to $120 Canadian range, but I wonder whether it is the novelty factor driving that desire or the liquid itself.
In the end, the Eagle Rare 12 takes this head-to-head by a slim margin. The extra age shows up in complexity and depth, giving it just enough of an edge over the lighter, more easygoing Taylor. But here is the real question: if the Knob Creek 12 delivers comparable quality at a fraction of the price and effort, is hunting down the Eagle Rare 12 actually worth it? I would love to hear where you stand on that debate.
For a more detailed breakdown and to see both whiskeys tasted side by side, check out my YouTube video.
Read the full article at Buffalo Trace Head-to-Head: E.H. Taylor Bottled-in-Bond vs. Eagle Rare 12
