Buffalo Trace Distillery has announced the return of two limited bourbons from its Colonel E.H. Taylor Jr. collection: Four Grain and Cured Oak. Both 100-proof expressions will be available beginning in May 2026 at a suggested retail price of $79.99 per 750ml bottle.
Four Grain will now join the distillery’s ongoing lineup as an annual limited release. Cured Oak returns as a rarer, one-time limited offering.
First introduced in 2017, E.H. Taylor Jr. Four Grain Bourbon Whiskey is a small-batch bourbon crafted from corn, rye, wheat and malted barley. The current release was distilled in 2015 and aged for ten years.
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READ THE STORYOfficial tasting notes from the brand describe a bourbon that is “both rich and balanced, offering notes of caramel, vanilla and chocolate with a lightly spiced, lingering finish.”
“What makes Four Grain so special is how unconventional it is,” said Harlen Wheatley, master distiller at Buffalo Trace Distillery. “It’s also a clear example of what we call a ‘graduated experiment’ – one that began as a deliberate exploration and evolved into a release worthy of returning as a permanent expression.”
“Rye and wheat are often used separately, but combining them creates a completely different flavor experience,” Wheatley added. “Alongside corn and malted barley, we’re able to build layers of flavor that balance sweetness, spice and depth in a way you don’t typically see in bourbon.”
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Originally released in 2015, E.H. Taylor Jr. Cured Oak is a Bottled-in-Bond bourbon aged ten years in barrels made from white oak staves air-dried for 13 months. That is more than twice the standard curing time. The brand’s official notes describe “tobacco, dried fruit, vanilla and toffee, complemented by undertones of seasoned oak and a long, dry finish.”
“What you notice with Cured Oak is the added depth and complexity that comes from the extended curing process,” said Wheatley. “Most of our barrels are cured for six months, but with this release the extended curing brings forward richer notes that create a longer, more layered finish.”
Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor Jr. purchased the O.F.C. Distillery — now Buffalo Trace Distillery — in 1869. He is widely credited with advancing grain handling, copper fermentation tanks and steam-heated warehouses. Taylor also played a pivotal role in the passage of the Bottled-in-Bond Act of 1897, which established quality standards that continue to shape American whiskey production.
“Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. was a true pioneer whose commitment to craftsmanship helped redefine what bourbon could be,” said Charley Costa, brand manager, whiskey, at Buffalo Trace Distillery. “Four Grain and Cured Oak reflect that legacy in distinct ways: one through an unconventional grain composition, the other through the influence of barrel aging.”
Four Grain will be available at the Buffalo Trace Distillery and Sazerac House gift shops, as well as select retailers in Kentucky and Louisiana. Cured Oak will be distributed via Sazerac’s network to select retailers, bars and restaurants across the United States.
