Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Four Grain Bourbon Whiskey (2026 Release)

Name: Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Four Grain Bourbon Whiskey (2026 Release)
Brand: Buffalo Trace
SKU: 088004024545-26
Price: 529.95 USD
Availability: InStock

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$529.95

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Age: 10 Years (Distilled 2015 - Released 2026) | Region: Frankfort, Kentucky | Proof: 100

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Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Four Grain (2026) is a Bottled-in-Bond Kentucky straight bourbon from Buffalo Trace Distillery, distilled in 2015, aged ten years and bottled at 100 proof (50% ABV). Its recipe runs all four whiskey grains — corn, rye, wheat and malted barley — where most bourbon takes rye or wheat but not both. Buffalo Trace returned the expression in May 2026 and gave it a standing annual slot in the E.H. Taylor, Jr. range, eight years after the 2018 bottling was presented as the end of the run.

The Elemental Distinction

Four grains in one mash: corn, rye, wheat and malted barley. Buffalo Trace states the roles it assigns each — corn for foundational sweetness, rye for spice and structure, wheat for a softer palate, malted barley for depth and a toasted edge. Proportions are not published.
Bottled-in-Bond: one distillery, one distillation season, at least four years in a federally supervised warehouse, bottled at exactly 100 proof. Colonel Taylor helped drive the 1897 Act that set those terms.
Distilled 2015, aged ten years — a shorter maturation than the 12- and 13-year 2017 and 2018 Four Grain bottlings, which were drawn from 2005 distillate.
Sold through the Buffalo Trace and Sazerac House gift shops and select Kentucky and Louisiana retailers — the narrowest footprint of any current E.H. Taylor release.
Buffalo Trace has published no bottle count or barrel count for this release. Any figure you see quoted elsewhere is not from the distillery.

Sensory Profile

Nose: Buffalo Trace publishes no separate nose note for the 2026 Four Grain. Rather than invent one, we print what the distillery actually states — the palate and finish below.

Palate: Buffalo Trace describes it as rich and balanced, layered and complex, carrying caramel, vanilla and chocolate, with the grain bill reading through as sweetness, spice and grain toast in turn.

Finish: Lingering and lightly spiced, per the distillery's official note.

Strategic Position

Four Grain sits at the experimental end of our Buffalo Trace bourbon shelf — the grain-composition experiment where the rest of the range varies proof, barrel or age. Master distiller Harlen Wheatley calls it a graduated experiment: a trial that earned a permanent place. Its 2026 companion, the 13-month cured-stave Cured Oak, runs the parallel wood experiment on the same 100-proof, ten-year footing, and the two make the cleanest possible A/B on the same shelf.

Technical Specifications

Proof	100 proof (50% ABV)
Age statement	10 years, distilled 2015
Grain recipe	Corn, rye, wheat and malted barley (proportions undisclosed)
Class	Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Bottled-in-Bond
Distillery	Buffalo Trace Distillery, Frankfort, Kentucky
Region	Kentucky, USA
Format	750 mL
Batch	Small batch
Release	May 2026, annual thereafter

Collector Note

The 2018 Four Grain went out billed as the last of it, and for eight years that held — which is why the 2017 and 2018 bottles carry the secondary-market weight they do. The 2026 return changes the shape of the thing: an annual slot means this is a bourbon you can expect to see again, not a closing door. That cuts both ways for a shelf. It softens the scarcity case for this bottling, and it makes the 2015 distillate the opening entry in a run whose later years are still in wood. The yellow Bottled-in-Bond label and the tube are unchanged house dress; the tell is the green-tinted grain typography line, not the core packaging template.

Recommended Serving

Neat in a Glencairn, at room temperature, with ten minutes of air. At 100 proof it does not need water to open, though a few drops will push the wheat forward and pull the rye back if you want to hear the grains separately. Pour it beside an E.H. Taylor Small Batch to isolate what the second flavouring grain is actually doing — that comparison is the whole argument of the bottle.

Production Methodology

Distilled at Buffalo Trace in Frankfort, Kentucky in 2015 from a mash of corn, rye, wheat and malted barley, then matured ten years and bottled at 100 proof under Bottled-in-Bond terms — a single distillery, a single distillation season, federal supervision through maturation, no proof adjustment away from 100. Buffalo Trace does not publish the ratio of the four grains, and this page does not estimate it. Wheatley's stated reasoning for the recipe is that rye and wheat are conventionally used apart; running them together alongside corn and malted barley builds sweetness, spice and depth on top of each other rather than choosing between them. The distillery frames the age as the point of readiness for this stock rather than a spec being chased.

Authentication & Vault Preservation

Every bottle sold through Midnight Whiskey is sourced as an authentic, sealed product and inspected before it ships. Orders are packed with padded, glass-rated handling and require an adult signature (21+) on delivery; we do not ship to anyone unable to verify legal drinking age. For our full sourcing and handling protocols, see our editorial and authentication standards.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes E.H. Taylor Four Grain a four-grain bourbon?

Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Four Grain is built on a recipe of corn, rye, wheat and malted barley. Most bourbon uses corn and malted barley plus either rye or wheat, and Buffalo Trace master distiller Harlen Wheatley has said the two flavouring grains are usually kept apart because combining them produces a different result. Buffalo Trace selected the four grains as ones Colonel Taylor would have had access to in the 1800s. The exact proportions are not disclosed.

How old is the 2026 E.H. Taylor Four Grain?

The 2026 Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Four Grain was distilled in 2015 and aged ten years before bottling at 100 proof (50% ABV). That is younger than the 2017 and 2018 Four Grain bottlings, which carried 12- and 13-year ages and came from 2005 distillate. Buffalo Trace has said the ten-year mark was the point at which this release was ready, rather than a target age.

Is the 2026 E.H. Taylor Four Grain an annual release?

Yes. Buffalo Trace announced in May 2026 that Four Grain joins the Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. lineup as an annual limited release, after the 2018 bottling had been presented as the end of the run. Cured Oak, reintroduced alongside it, returns instead as an occasional offering rather than a yearly one.

Shipping information

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Processing Time: Most orders process within 1–8 business days. You will receive a tracking number via email as soon as your bottle ships.

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Restrictions: We ship only within the permitted U.S. states and cannot deliver to P.O. Boxes or U.S. Territories.

All Sales Final: Due to alcohol regulations, we cannot accept returns for change of mind.