E.H. Taylor Straight Rye Review
E.H. Taylor Straight Rye ReviewCouldn't load pickup availability
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Quick Facts
Is This For Me?
You're a bourbon drinker curious about rye and want a soft, sweet, oily and approachable sipping rye full of baking spice, orchard fruit and toasted oak.
You chase bold, spicy, herbaceous "rye-through-and-through" character — or you're price-sensitive. At allocated prices, bolder ryes deliver more punch for far less.
Flavor Profile at a Glance
What It Tastes Like
Nose
Black pepper, vanilla, toasted oak, cinnamon, caramel, and bright citrus zest, with a minty edge.
Palate
Toasted oak and black pepper over vanilla, caramel, cinnamon, and dark cherry — oily and lightly sweet.
Finish
Medium — baking spice, oak, vanilla, and a cool minty fade.
Best Ways to Enjoy
Neat
Where it shines — the oily texture and layered sweet-spice complexity are best appreciated undiluted.
With Water
A few drops open the mint, herbal and oak notes without thinning the body.
On Ice
Mutes its already-gentle spice — most reviewers prefer it neat or with a splash.
Cocktail
Makes a smooth, sweet Manhattan or Whiskey Sour — though at this price, most people just sip it.
Cocktail Scores
Price & Value
Here's the honest catch. At its ~$80 MSRP (now closer to $90 in control states), nearly everyone agrees E.H. Taylor Rye is a strong buy — a beautifully made, oily, bottled-in-bond rye that punches at its sticker. But it's allocated and hard to find, so most buyers actually pay $150–$200 on the open market (Wine-Searcher's average sits around $171). At that real-world price the consensus flips to "skip" — bolder, spicier ryes like Pikesville and even its own bonded sibling Rittenhouse deliver more for a fraction of the cost. Buy it at MSRP if you're lucky enough to see it; think twice at secondary.
Bottle Transparency
- DistilleryBuffalo Trace Distillery (Sazerac), Frankfort, KY — distilled in-house
- MaturationBottled-in-Bond: aged 4+ years in new charred oak in a federally bonded warehouse
- FiltrationNot disclosed by the brand
- Mash BillRye and malted barley, no corn (a high-rye recipe; exact split undisclosed)
- Named ForColonel E.H. Taylor, Jr., champion of the 1897 Bottled-in-Bond Act
Full Review: E.H. Taylor Straight Rye
A Bottled-in-Bond With a Twist
E.H. Taylor Straight Rye is the only rye in Buffalo Trace's celebrated Taylor line, and it's built on an unusual recipe: rye and malted barley with no corn at all. Named for the Colonel who helped pass the 1897 Bottled-in-Bond Act, it's a fitting 100-proof bonded tribute — but it doesn't drink like a fiery rye. It's soft, oily and sweet, which is exactly why so many call it a "bourbon drinker's rye." For a more classic, spicier benchmark, it's worth tasting beside Buffalo Trace's other rye, Sazerac Rye.
Aroma & Palate
The nose is warm and inviting: black pepper and toasted oak up top, then vanilla, caramel, cinnamon and bright citrus, with a cool minty thread running through. The palate is where its character lives — an oily, coating mouthfeel carries vanilla, caramel and dark fruit alongside toasted oak and pepper, with rye spice present but never dominant. Reviewers consistently note how sweet and oak-forward it reads for a rye, putting it among the more approachable bottled-in-bond ryes rather than the spice bombs.
Finish & Overall Impression
The finish is medium and gently spiced — baking spice, oak and vanilla with a cool minty fade — and it's the one place reviewers sometimes wish for more, calling it a touch light relative to the rich palate. At 100 proof the heat is restrained and the whole experience is polished and easy. It's a genuinely lovely, complex sipping rye; the only real knock is that it's softer and less spicy than rye purists want.
Our Verdict
E.H. Taylor Straight Rye is one of the best-made, most broadly loved ryes on the shelf — oily, sweet, complex and supremely sippable. At its ~$80 MSRP it's an easy recommendation; at the $150+ most buyers pay, it becomes a splurge you make for the experience rather than the value. Buy it to sip slowly and savor, not to mix.
Community Tasting Notes
Top Reported Flavors
Rating Distribution
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Pros & Cons
Pros
- Oily, coating mouthfeel that nearly every reviewer praises
- Approachable, balanced and polished — an excellent gateway/sipping rye
- Unusual toasted-oak depth and complexity from a no-corn, high-rye recipe
- Reliable 100-proof Bottled-in-Bond quality and consistency
Cons
- Drinks sweet and bourbon-like — light on aggressive rye spice
- Allocated and widely marked up; a tough value above MSRP
- Finish can read a touch light relative to the rich palate
- Hard to find at retail; demand-driven pricing
Frequently Asked Questions
❓ Is E.H. Taylor Rye actually spicy?
❓ What's the mash bill?
❓ How old is it?
❓ Is it worth the price?
❓ How is it different from the Barrel Proof Rye?
