Blanton's Single Barrel Bourbon vs E.H. Taylor Small Batch Bourbon

Both are Buffalo Trace single-barrel-adjacent bourbons at 4.7 stars, but they are different pours. Blanton's is a 93-proof single barrel, hand-bottled, with a rounder caramel-and-baking-spice profile and a collector following built on its horse-stopper bottle. E.H. Taylor Small Batch is a 100-proof Bottled-in-Bond straight bourbon from Mash Bill #1, fuller and hotter, with more rye snap and a cardboard tube. Buy Blanton's for a smoother, giftable sipper and a bottle people recognize; buy E.H. Taylor Small Batch if you want more proof, more body and a classic bonded bourbon. Owners of both praise the quality; Blanton's draws complaints about barrel-to-barrel variation and hype, Taylor about its harder-to-find status.

• Choose the Blanton's if you want a lower-proof, rounder single-barrel bourbon in an iconic bottle that works as a gift or a neat pour.
• Choose the E.H. Taylor Small Batch if you want a 100-proof bonded bourbon with more body, spice and backbone for sipping or a large cube.