Buffalo Trace fans may want to keep a very close eye on what happens after May’s E.H. Taylor, Jr. Four Grain release because another long lost favorite could be waiting in the wings.
According to a May 21 article published by Food & Wine, Buffalo Trace recently confirmed the return of two cult favorite E.H. Taylor bourbons that whiskey fans haven’t seen in years: Four Grain and Cured Oak.
And with Four Grain already pouring during Buffalo Trace’s special “Whiskey Wednesdays” events on May 13, 20 and 27, speculation is already building that Cured Oak may not be far behind.
Buffalo Trace announced that visitors attending Whiskey Wednesdays can sample complimentary pours of E.H. Taylor, Jr. Four Grain all day, with limited bottles also available for purchase in the gift shop. That alone is a major moment for collectors considering Four Grain has only appeared twice before, in 2017 and 2018.
For E.H. Taylor fans trying to fill out a complete vertical of the brand’s harder to find releases, the return of Four Grain is already a huge development. But the possibility of Cured Oak showing up again could make 2026 one of the biggest years for Taylor collectors in quite some time.
According to Food & Wine, unlike standard E.H. Taylor releases, Cured Oak uses barrels built from oak staves that were air dried for 13 months, more than double Buffalo Trace’s normal process. The distillery said the extended curing process allows the whiskey to pull deeper and more complex flavors from the wood during aging.
The bourbon was last released in 2015 and has developed near mythical status among some collectors ever since.
Buffalo Trace also described the new version as a “rare, limited offering,” which in bourbon terms usually means bottles could be extremely difficult to find once they arrive.
Both Four Grain and Cured Oak are bottled in bond bourbons aged for 10 years and bottled at 100 proof. They also share the same suggested retail price of $80, according to Food & Wine.
For now, Buffalo Trace has only officially confirmed Four Grain for Whiskey Wednesdays. But with the distillery actively spotlighting the revived E.H. Taylor lineup throughout May, many bourbon fans are beginning to wonder if a surprise Cured Oak appearance could eventually follow.
And if it does, expect lines at the gift shop to get even longer.