One of the hardest to find bottles of rye whiskey finally graces us with its presence.
The Story
Dear E.H. Taylor Rye,
You are very hard to find. I have tried many times to meet you, but constantly arrived 5 minutes too late. After more than a year of near misses and false rumors of where I might be lucky enough to run into you, I finally had an opportunity to make your acquaintance. At first I was rather taken aback by the cost of your companionship, but then I remembered good company doesn't come cheap these days. The $130 ticket I paid to have you travel from New York to Cleveland was safe and it guaranteed your arrival. I will say that next time we decide to meet, we should try and meet somewhere in Ohio where the cost of spending time together is in the $65 range. Which I hope you would agree is considerably more economical.
I know it's not polite to compare you to others, but I am very good friends with your cousin E.H. Taylor Small Batch and we get along beautifully. So, needless to say our first meeting was a rather big moment for me. When you finally arrived I must say I was rather nervous. Right out of the box you were just as regal as your E.H. Taylor bourbon brethren. I was a little surprised by how similar your branding attire was to every other E.H Taylor bottle I've encountered, but at least you wear it well. There's a level of attention to detail and craftsmanship that's present on every bottle of E.H Taylor that just stands out from the crowd. The longer we stared at one another the more the simplicity of keeping the E.H Taylor branding consistent across the family made sense. Why would any bottle of E.H. Taylor need to standout out from one another, when they are all suppose to represent excellence.
Right out of the box you were just as regal as your E.H. Taylor bourbon brethren.
Tasting Notes
E. H. Taylor Rye, I have to say you are a bottle of unexpectedness. On the nose you radiate a sweet honey note that's mixed with rye and a soft earthiness, which is unique and unlike most rye whiskeys I've spent any considerable time with. Those unique notes carry over to the palate. Up front the honey note from the nose takes on more of a caramel sweetness, followed by rye spice, and ending with a light but noticeable earthy and grassiness. The finish is a pleasant warm embrace that lingers with a slight minty note. Our first pour together was a well balanced and pleasant exchange of rather odd tasting notes from nose to finish.
Final Thoughts
E.H. Taylor Rye you are still an enigma to me. I think the hard work I spent hunting you down and my special relationship with your E.H Taylor cousin, Small Batch, may have led to unrealistic expectations. After finally meeting you, I'm not sure I fully understand why you are such an in-demand and hard to find rye whiskey. I don't regret my journey to find you, and I'm not disappointed by our first few pours together. It's just that you are unique rye whiskey that I'm not sure I'll ever truly fully appreciate.
Next time I find myself in your home state of Kentucky, I'd be willing to walk a couple hundred or so beautiful Kentucky miles to meet you somewhere, but not if it's going to cost me more than $70. On that note, please say hi to your bourbon cousins for me.
Final Score: 200 / 379 Kentucky Miles (A good but not great bottle of rye)
E.H. Taylor Rye Photo Gallery
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