John J. Bowman SiB Vs. E.H. Taylor SiB

Here is a cool matchup!

Bowman is supposedly sourced from the same Buffalo Trace Mashbill #1 that makes up EHT. (The almost identical neck bands may be a nod to this ;)

Bowmen then goes through another distillation in Virginia through a copper pot still, and then ages in Virginia.

These are both 100 proof.
Fancy Glencairn knows she loves the standby EHT. Let’s see if she finds a new favorite!

Bowman) $50. 100 Proof, said to be 9-10 yrs old.
A. Smith Bowman Distillery (owned by Buffalo Trace parent Sazarac)
-The Nose is beautiful. Classic notes of baked break, oak, and vanilla open up to interesting green apple, and some pineapple notes that give it a tropical feel.
-The Palate is light to medium viscosity, with corn syrup, vanilla, and oak giving way to some guava, and white pepper.
-The Finish is medium-long, with the white pepper becoming more oaky, and some vanilla-caramel creeping back in.
Overall, this is a very good bourbon, I just wish the unique tropical notes from the nose would translate to the palate!

EHT) $60 (ha!), 100 Proof. No age statement.
-The Nose is just classic, good, bourbon. Oak, vanilla, and brown-sugar, mixed with rose petals, cinnamon, marshmallow, and a hint of mint.
-The Palate is rich, with vanilla, butterscotch, brown sugar, cinnamon, a hint of raisins, and then black pepper spice.
-The Finish is long, with drier flavors emerging of leather, oak, and white pepper. The butterscotch makes a reappearance as the spice lingers on the tongue.
Overall, this is just a delicious, classic, balanced bourbon. I can definitely see how this becomes George T. Stagg over time…

VERDICT) The Bowman is a little more unique, has an incredible nose, is very good overall, and a great buy at $50. However, it lacks the depth and intensity of flavor that the EHT brings. If both were on a shelf and it was “limit one”, I would definitely choose the EHT SiB.
Fancy is happy her choice won today. Now she’s pouring the rest of my bottle!

What do you guys think? Have you ever had a bad EHT single barrel?