Key points
- E.H. Taylor Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon is joining the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection (BTAC) for the first time in fall 2025, marking the lineup’s first expansion since its inception in 2006.
- The addition honors Colonel E.H. Taylor Jr., a foundational figure in bourbon history who helped establish the Bottled in Bond Act of 1897, America’s first consumer protection law.
- The new BTAC entry will be 100 proof, aged longer than the standard E.H. Taylor Small Batch, and built on Buffalo Trace’s low-rye mash bill, though final tasting notes and age details remain under wraps.
Throughout the 21st century, the Buffalo Trace Antique Collection — often referred to as BTAC — has stood out as one of the most coveted sets of whiskey on Earth. Every year, the annual release of allocated bourbons and ryes is gobbled up almost instantly upon its release. If you’re an avowed aficionado of these particular categories, you hardly need a refresher — it’s been happening like clockwork since 2006. The arrival of extra-aged expressions of Sazerac and Thomas H. Handy ryes, along with George T. Stagg, William Larue Weller, and Eagle Rare bourbons, marks a rite of autumn.
But now BTAC is getting its biggest shakeup in decades.
The fall 2025 collection will be the first to feature a sixth component, as E.H. Taylor Bottled-in-Bond Bourbon becomes an official addition to the lineup. In accordance with the production requirements for this specific style of whiskey, it will be 100 proof, aged for a minimum of four years, and sourced from a single distillation season at Buffalo Trace.
Named after industry legend Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor, who founded the distillery back in 1869 under its original name of Old Fire Copper, the E.H. Taylor label has been highly sought after in its own right since its initial debut some 14 years ago. The eponymous icon was instrumental in establishing the Bottled in Bond Act of 1897. This wasn’t just the first federal legislation to establish quality standards for American whiskey; it was actually the first consumer protection law in the United States, full stop. As a result, virtually all releases in the portfolio adhere to the stringent parameters it laid out.
Courtesy of Buffalo Trace Distillery
“As a founding figure who helped define bourbon quality — not just for Buffalo Trace, but for the entire industry — it’s only fitting that Colonel E.H. Taylor Jr.’s namesake brand takes its place among the collection,” concedes Andrew Duncan, global brand director for Buffalo Trace. “[BTAC] was originally created to celebrate our legacy brands and the visionaries behind them, giving whiskey enthusiasts access to some of the rarest and most exceptional expressions from our distillery. With this release, we proudly pay tribute to Colonel Taylor’s enduring legacy of innovation and craftsmanship.”
We can’t tell you exactly what the BTAC version of E.H. Taylor Bourbon will taste like because it hasn’t even entered the bottle yet. (It’s not due out until October.) Additionally, Buffalo Trace only received the necessary labeling approval from the government late last week. However, here are the tasting notes that Buffalo Trace provides for its flagship E.H. Taylor release, Small Batch:
“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.”
Courtesy of Buffalo Trace Distillery
The Small Batch bottling relies on Buffalo Trace Mash Bill No. 1, a low-rye recipe used across most of the E.H. Taylor bourbons. It’s reasonable to suspect that the new E.H. Taylor variant will be based on the same. We can tell you with certainty that it will be older in age than the everyday flagship. Sazerac Rye, for example, is typically around six years old, while its BTAC counterpart wears an 18-year age statement. The standard Eagle Rare bourbon is 10 years old, whereas its BTAC alternative morphs into Eagle Rare 17.
However, it appears that, in its final form, the mere name E.H. Taylor rightfully belongs alongside those already honored by the Antique Collection. Indeed, any student of bourbon history would tell you it’s long overdue.
We can’t wait to score a sip. But as with all things allocated out of Buffalo Trace these days, it won’t come easy.
What does it mean for a spirit to be designated as Bottled-in-Bond?
Spirits other than whiskey may be designated as Bottled-in-Bond, for as long as they are aged and meet the below regulations:
- Single Season and Distillery: Must be distilled in one distillation season — either January–June or July–December — by one distiller at one distillery.
- Minimum Aging Period: Must be aged for at least four years in wooden barrels (with contact between spirit and wood, except for certain spirits like vodka or gin, which may be stored in coated wood containers).
- Bottled at 100 Proof: Must be bottled at exactly 100 proof (50% alcohol by volume), achieved using only pure water for dilution.
- Unaltered Composition: No additives are allowed. Only filtration or other physical treatments are permitted, and these cannot alter the spirit’s class or type.
- Same Spirit Type: The product must be composed entirely of the same kind of spirit, made from the same class of materials.
- Label Transparency: The label must clearly state the real name or trade name of the distillery where it was made and aged, along with the plant number where it was both distilled and bottled.
- Domestic and Authorized Use: Only American-made spirits (or foreign spirits under equivalent laws) may use “Bottled in Bond” or similar wording on their labels, and only if all requirements are fully met.
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