Colonel EH Taylor Jr Barrel Proof is the big brother in the new-ish Taylor Jr line from Buffalo Trace. Current Bourbon releases also include Colonel EH Taylor Jr Small Batch and Colonel EH Taylor Jr Single Barrel. There's also a Colonel EH Taylor Jr Rye out there. There have been three releases of Colonel EH Taylor Jr Barrel Proof and I'm looking at the last two. I never got a chance to try the first release, but I've had plenty of time with the second and have been getting acquainted with the third. There are some differences between the releases, but I'll get into that in a bit. So, the idea is we've got a barrel proof version of Buffalo Trace's low rye #1 mash. This should make Bourbon nerds think about George T Stagg, which is also a barrel-proof Bourbon from that recipe. The big difference is Colonel EH Taylor Jr Barrel Proof is aged likely around 7-8 years while George T Stagg is about double that, typically. We also have Stagg Jr, which promises to be a younger version of the granddaddy GTS, but if you were to ask me, I'd call Colonel EH Taylor Jr Barrel Proof more of a true ?Stagg Jr,? but lets save that comparison for the review. AromaDark fruits, raisin bread, some grapes. Vanilla. Burnt sugars. Charred Oak. Trace of coffee. A little perfume. Add some water: Fruit turns more to pears, apples, cherries. Now getting baking spices of Cinnamon and cloves. Brown sugar. Vanilla seems stronger. FlavorRoasted coffee, charred oak, toffee, burnt sugars. Overwhelming at full strength. A little water brings out a bunch of caramel and more sweetness. Finish has wood and some astringency.