Please note: the labeling is not pristine
The historical bourbon brand Old Taylor was created in the 1880s by whiskey legend Colonel Edmund Haynes Taylor, Jr. It was distilled in —wait for it— a castle. Inspired by European architecture, Colonel Taylor designed a purpose-built castle distillery in the heart of Kentucky. The monumental building attracted visitors right from the start and is considered the birthplace of bourbon tourism. The distillery was abandoned in the 1970s and fell into decay, but was restored in 2015 and now houses the Castle and Key Distillery. Old Taylor was acquired by National Distillers during Prohibition and quickly became one of the company’s flagship brands. The brand was sold to Jim Beam in 1987, who continued bottling the regular releases until they ran out of barrels. In 2009, Beam sold the brand to Sazerac and the bourbon is now made at Buffalo Trace (which, coincidentally, was founded by Colonel Taylor in 1869 as Old Fire Copper). This dusty Old Taylor 6 Years Old was bottled at 80 proof for the export market.
