While working on the Taylor-Hay collection, I found an article that comes about as close to tasting notes as they ever did on bourbon in the 1890's. Here are some of the comments that I found interesting.
1) Bourbon gets its color and much of its flavor from the wood tannins while being aged in barrels. Heating the warehouse will speed up this process, but it will also give the bourbon a bitter flavor.
2) High yields of alcohol of alcohol are not desirable because you lose sweetness from the grains.
3) The whiskey is often best at 4 to 8 years of age, but can be good after 10, 12 or even greater years of age.