Bourbon Review: Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Seasoned Wood Bourbon

immediately salty, tannic, and heavily peppered. The tannic notes are not to be outdone by the incredibly bitterness of the dram. Black pepper competes with oversteeped black tea, and wet woodchip, resulting in a blackened peppercorn-crusted steak effect. Altogether very savory, salty, tannic, and bitter. These elements in concert with some sweetness or fruit on the palate might be pleasant, but as they stand on their own they do no favors to the dram overall. The dry, bitter palate combined with the tannic mouthfeel make for a very lop-sided tasting experience. Finish: hot rubber, dirt, and red cough syrup come around full circle to meet up with the oversteepened black tea from the palate. The tannic, astringent element of the whiskey takes over mid-palate and doesn’t quit, making for long and unpleasant finish. Conclusion: Both the high bar E. H. Taylor has set for itself – and the unfortunate realities of this whiskey – work against any interesting production techniques Buffalo Trace may have used. The unbalanced nature of Seasoned Oak cannot be forgiven even by the biggest cooperage nerd. Maybe this expression is appropriate for fans of aggressively oaked tannic wines, or bitter teas such as traditional Matcha, but as a whiskey, I cannot justify the price nor the difficulty in acquisition for this one. It is clear that Buffalo Trace is out there to try new things and produce interesting, collectibly whiskies, but the oak eclipsed in this case, leaving the whiskey unbalanced and unpleasant. I would take a dram of any other E. H. Taylor expression out there over Seasoned Wood any day. FINAL SCORE: 77/100