Bourbon Review · E.H. Taylor

E.H. Taylor Four Grain

Bottled in Bond Four Grain Kentucky Straight Bourbon — Limited

4Buy This Bottle

Distillery Buffalo TraceOrigin Frankfort, KYType Bottled-in-Bond Four Grain Straight BourbonABV 50% (100 proof)Price ~$70 retail / $250+ secondary

The Story

Most bourbon runs on three grains — corn, rye or wheat, and malted barley. Four Grain throws in a fourth, wheat alongside the usual lineup, which makes it stand out from everything else Buffalo Trace makes. It only comes out in limited runs, and it's one of the more unusual bottles in the Taylor family — not quite the typical high-rye Taylor profile, not quite a wheated bourbon either. Just its own thing.

Nose, Palate & Finish

Nose

You can tell something's different right away — caramel and vanilla are there, but there's more going on underneath. A little dried fruit, a little extra grain complexity you don't usually get. Genuinely interesting to smell.

Palate

Medium-full body, more layered than you'd expect. You get some rye spice and some wheat softness at the same time, which shouldn't really work together but does. Caramel and oak hold it together underneath.

Finish

Medium-long, a mix of spice and sweetness that keeps shifting. Stays interesting longer than most 100-proof bourbons.

The Verdict

Four Grain is the most interesting thing Taylor makes if you want something that doesn't taste like everything else on the shelf. The weird mashbill actually works, and at 100 proof it's easy enough to actually sit with and pay attention to. Worth tracking down.