E.H. Taylor Straight Rye Review
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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
E.H. Taylor Straight Rye vs. Other Bottled-in-Bond Ryes
Shoppers cross-shopping this bottle almost always weigh E.H. Taylor Straight Rye vs Rittenhouse, Pikesville and Sazerac. All four are respected rye whiskeys, but they differ sharply on proof, mash bill and — crucially — price. This comparison table lays the E.H. Taylor Straight Rye proof, age and value side by side with three benchmark ryes so the E.H. Taylor Straight Rye proof, mash bill, price and value sit in one view. Our full E.H. Taylor Straight Rye tasting notes are broken out section by section above. For more mash bills built on this style, browse our high-rye whiskeys collection.
| Rye | Proof / ABV | Age | Distillery | Typical Price | Style |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E.H. Taylor Straight Rye | 100 / 50% | NAS (4+ yr, BiB) | Buffalo Trace | $80 MSRP ($150–$200 real) | Sweet, oily, restrained spice |
| Rittenhouse BiB | 100 / 50% | NAS (4+ yr, BiB) | Heaven Hill | ~$30 | Classic spicy, baking spice |
| Pikesville Straight Rye | 110 / 55% | 6 Years | Heaven Hill | ~$60–$75 | Bold, oak-forward, spicy |
| Sazerac Rye | 90 / 45% | NAS (min ~4 yr) | Buffalo Trace | ~$35–$45 MSRP | Soft, sweet, anise |
The takeaway: on paper E.H. Taylor Straight Rye shares Rittenhouse's exact 100-proof bottled-in-bond spec but sits at a far higher street price, so whether E.H. Taylor Straight Rye is worth it comes down to how much you value its softer, oilier Buffalo Trace character over Rittenhouse's spicier, cheaper pour — E.H. Taylor Straight Rye price is the real swing factor here. See how they compare in our best bottled-in-bond ryes roundup.
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?
❓ E.H. Taylor Straight Rye vs Rittenhouse — which should I buy?
❓ Where can I buy E.H. Taylor Straight Rye and what does it cost?
This one is catalogued in the broader straight rye range.
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