Colonel E.H. Taylor Cured Oak Bourbon 2026 (75cl, 50%)

Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Cured Oak is a Bottled-in-Bond bourbon from Buffalo Trace in Frankfort, Kentucky, aged for ten years and bottled at 100 proof (50% ABV) in a 75cl bottle. This is the 2026 edition. Its distinction lies in the wood. The barrels are built from white oak staves air-dried for 13 months, where the distillery's standard staves are seasoned for about six. The longer curing draws more tannin and terpene development from the oak before the spirit goes in. The original 2015 release carried a 17-year age statement, and master distiller Harlen Wheatley has said the ten-year mark gave a balanced bourbon that still shows the influence of the extra-seasoned barrels. The official notes describe tobacco, dried fruit, vanilla and toffee, with undertones of seasoned oak and a long, dry finish.