Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Four Grain Bourbon Whiskey

About E.H. Taylor, Jr.

In 1869, Taylor purchased a small distillery situated on the banks of the Kentucky River. After christening the distillery O.F.C Distillery (OFC was an abbreviation for Old Fire Copper), Taylor began renovating and modernizing the plant — he purchased copper fermentation tanks, new grain grinding equipment, and unique, columnar stills. During his tenure, Taylor also implemented several innovative distilling techniques, including aging bourbon in climate-controlled rickhouses.

At the time, an overwhelming number of distilleries were still not aging their whiskey. In order to make their spirits palatable, some distillers and retailers added juices and syrups to sweeten their bourbon, while others added acid and tobacco to give the whiskey its signature, amber hue.

Armed with distilling experience and a political pedigree, Taylor, together with Treasury Secretary John G. Carlisle, was instrumental in passing the Bottled-In-Bond Act of 1897 (27 C.F.R. 5.21). The act required that any spirit labeled as “Bonded” or “Bottled-in-Bond” be the product of one distiller at one distille ry during one distillation season. In addition, the Act required that bonded spirits be aged in a federally bonded warehouse under U.S. government supervision for at least four years and bottled at 100 proof.