Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel Bourbon

Brian’s Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel Bourbon Review:

reviewed 28-December-2021

ELIJAH CRAIG TOASTED BARREL BOURBON REVIEW:

In my opinion, the Elijah Craig line of bourbons from Heaven Hill Distillery is a stalwart representation of the craft. From small batch shelf stock, and bold barrel proofs to Private Barrel Picks and a yet unreviewed 18 Year, their bourbon is no stranger to our home bar. So it was with great anticipation, we popped the cork on our Christmas bottle of Toasted Barrel Bourbon (ECTB). As stated on the label, this is Elijah Craig Small Batch finished in toasted new oak barrels. I am not disappointed and am happy to have another in the bunker.

ELIJAH CRAIG TOASTED BARREL BOURBON VITAL STATS:

Category: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey finished in toasted oak barrels
Type: Small Batch Toasted Barrel
Region: Louisville, Kentucky, USA
Distillery: Heaven Hill Bernheim Distillery
Mash Bill: 78% Corn, 10% Rye, 12% Malted Barley
Barrel Char: #3
Barrel entry proof: 125
Age: nas
Non-chill filtered
ABV: 47% (94 Proof)
NABCA CSC #: 17913
Price $54.95 (2021 in Idaho)

Twice barreled for added complexity, Toasted Barrel takes our award-winning Small Batch Bourbon to new heights. After it’s fully matured, we finish this Bourbon in a second, custom toasted new oak barrel, where it’s left to develop even more sweet oak flavor.

— ElijahCraig.com

Learn more at https://elijahcraig.com/toasted-barrel.

ENJOYMENT METHOD:

For the evaluation, alternating pours to equal four once review amounts went into two Glencairns. My daughter and I enjoyed the bourbon neat for this review.

Check out her review for this bourbon here!

NOSE:

ECTB smells warm and inviting. While sweetness dominates the nose, I do get a trace of roasted corn and drying grain along with faint spices of powdered ginger, white pepper and rye. But sweet vanilla infused toasted graham stands out along with candy notes of Milky Way nougat and vanilla taffy. And there’s more — I also get butterscotch and sweet, buttery brown sugar syrup drizzled over toasted pecans. However the woody aromas are faint, simple and gentle even though ‘Toasted Barrel’ is emblazoned the label.

PALATE:

The first sip of ECTB is warm and easy to hold. I sense an herbalness of roasting corn and a few dark dried figs. Spices of dark cinnamon, cloves, and rye are faint as are sweet notes of bittersweet chocolate, some light vanilla, buttery brown sugar and a hint of honeycomb. But now comes the wood, first in the form of bitter hazelnuts, then with plenty of heavy, old oak and toasted barrel char. There’s also some earthy leather here too.

Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
As I hold ECTB on my palate while taking notes, my salivary glands go into overdrive making the liquid buttery and quite viscous. While the aromas are more sweet, the flavors are more woody … but the blended combination works. After each sip, a heavy sheet clings to the inside of the glass before breaking into fat legs transporting the whiskey back to the deep burnt amber colored pool. The only trace left behind by the sip is a ringed crown with just a few drops.

FINISH:

Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel has a warm medium-long finish. There is a bit of lingering roasted corn and grain mixed with dark fig, cloves and rye but other than a hint of dark molasses, the sweetness sensed on the nose and palate is all but gone. The finish is heavy old oak and char forward, but in no way harsh as a bit of leather fades away. And when the last dram is gone, dried oak plywood sawdust and buttered popcorn drifts from the empty Glencairn.

MY RATING: 88/100

Will I buy this whiskey again? YES
Click to read Brian’s scoring process.

Click 88/100 to access other whiskies with this score.
To access other whiskies from this brand, click Elijah Craig.

WHISKEY TRAITS, FLAVOR NOTES AND PROFILE GRAPH:

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Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel Review

Hannah’s Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel Review

Original review written on December 28, 2021

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

Sweetness with a mellow base of fruit and brininess, this is a unique bottle, while still definitely a Heaven Hill product. I’ll enjoy this one quite a lot. 87/100

VITALS:
Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel Review

– Made In: Louisville, Kentucky, USA
– Distillery: Heaven Hill Distillery
– Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey; Small Batch
– Age: nas
– Mash Bill: Corn=78%; Rye=10%; Malted Barley=12%
– Casks: Char #3
– Barrel Entry Proof: 125
– ABV: 47% (94 proof)
– Price: $54.95 USD in Idaho 2021

Visit heavenhill.com for more information

ENJOYMENT METHOD:

I enjoyed this bourbon neat from a Glencairn glass with father and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer, Brian.

Check out his review for this bourbon here!

SETTING:

I imagine a movie theater pairing with this whiskey quite well. While it is full of sweetness, I can’t help but want movie theater popcorn to join to even out the salt/sweetness combo even more. It’s easy sipping – and by extension, easy eating. Next movie night, or tv binge I indulge in, Elijah Craig Toasted is gonna be sitting right next to me with some popcorn; I am determined.

Photo by Samuel Regan-Asante on Unsplash

NOSE:

Sweetness comes across the nose first, with vanilla taffy and brown sugar seeming to lead the charge. There is also butterscotch candies and a chocolate nougat quality – even fudgy. I can find a praline element, with salted nuts – coming through with the chocolate. What is impressive, is that despite there being all of these sweet notes, the nose does not come across as sickeningly sugary. Instead, there is a definite brininess (perhaps appearing with the salted nuts) that provides an extra layer of depth and balances out the candies and chocolates.

The alcohol is mild, and even deep draws don’t burn. Can’t find a great deal of oak, despite this being strongly marketed as a toasted barrel product. Nevertheless, the aromas are inviting, and I am looking forward to taking a sip.

PALATE:
Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel Review

– Mouth Feel: Soft. Not much else to say, but that it’s soft and easy to hold.
– Balance: Though this is sweetness heavy, the mellowness and nuttiness and fruit allow the sweet to shine but not aggressively so.
– Visual: Burnt amber in color, this leaves many thick legs dropping from an ill-defined crown. They drop quickly, leaving behind several droplets that fall in a secondary curtain of legs.

– Taste: The sweetness from the nose continues from there into the palate. More vanilla, brown sugar, (even marshmallow now), certainly, but there is also newfound fruit as well. A gourmet chocolate with a fruit jam (marionberry) inside, this pops in the most pleasant of ways on the palate. The nuts are still here as well, but they don’t seem as salted as they were before. If anything, they are like peanut crumbs, matching with the chocolate perfectly. I also find more of the corn influence here, with soft, natural sweetness coming through.

The alcohol is still incredibly gentle, and I don’t have any concern that it could burn. A Kentucky chew doesn’t push the alcohol forward too much either, though there is a slight bite. Instead, a pastry confection comes forward with fruit and vanilla icing and chocolate that makes my mouth simply salivate.

The wood has yet to burst forward either, though it does seem to be a bit more present on the palate than it was on the nose. The oak in it acts as a base for the other flavors, with the objective certainly to be subtle.

FINISH:

– Lasting Power: Medium. Moderate warmth lingers on the palate along with some minor aftertaste.
– Between Sips: The corn sweetness I find the most between sips, with the slightest hint of vanilla. This aspect of the bourbon, truthfully, is nothing too memorable or remarkable, but it is decent.

– No More: This certainly stays consistent as I go through the glass. If anything, this continues to mellow out. It must be a result of the toasted barrel – while not imparting a great deal of flavor, it continues to act as a strong base for the other flavors to play off of.

The empty Glencairn is sweet, straight sawdust. Entirely enjoyable, and I’d love it in a candle.

WORTH THE PRICE?

At a little more than $50, and still cheaper than Elijah Craig Barrel Proof offerings, I do think that this bourbon is worth the price. I don’t know if I’d want to pay much more than the $55 for this, but it is quite solid. If you like sweetness and mellowness brought on by toasted quality, give this a try.

ELIJAH CRAIG TOASTED BARREL REVIEW RATING: 87/100

Click to see Hannah’s rating process

Click 87/100 to access other whiskies with this rating.
To access other whiskies from this brand, click Elijah Craig.

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Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 9 Scene 4 Review

Hannah’s Midwinter Night’s Dram Act 9 Scene 4 Review

Original review written December 8, 2021

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

Had a lot of high hopes for this one, and I must admit, it did not quite live up to expectations. It’s decent, but I daresay a little bit overhyped. 84/100

VITALS:
Midwinter Night's Dram Act 9 Scene 4 Review

– Made In: Park City, Utah
– Distiller: High West Distillery
– Classification: A blend of straight rye whiskeys, finished in port and French oak port barrels.
– Age: nas
– Mash Bill: (from MGP) Rye=95%, Malted Barley=5%; (from High West): Rye=80%; Malted Barley=20%*
*ratio is undisclosed
– Casks: undisclosed char
– Barrel Entry Proof: undisclosed
– ABV: 49.3% (98.6 proof)
– Price: $99.95 USD in Idaho (2021)

Visit highwest.com for more information

ENJOYMENT METHOD:

I enjoyed the spirit neat from a Glencairn with father and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer, Brian.

Check out his review for this rye here!

SETTING:

I imagine sitting on the ledge of a castle wall or cathedral with Midwinter Night’s Dram. Even down to the name, the setting fits in this medieval, romantic period of knights, and Shakespearean poetry. It’s an odd whiskey for a modern day bunker collection with plenty of mysticism, but in this light, it fits perfectly.

Photo taken by Hannah Dawson in Vienna, Austria

NOSE:

I find an ethanol component coming onto the nose first, but it isn’t overbearing, rather just surprising. It’s not an alcohol burn, rather maybe something you’d recognize as acetone. There is an oaky sawdust mixed with the slightest hint of pine and some freshly shelled peanuts. Even more earthiness abounds with leather, and an almost paper-like quality that halts it from becoming too deep. Given the way that it fits and is blended, however, I cannot say I am bothered. Citrus zest and dried apricots with cinnamon accompany gourmet raisins for sweetness, along with a very mild unsweetened, baking chocolate. It could even be a cocoa powder, as there is some slight bitterness, but not much.

Aside from the ethanol scent, I don’t think the alcohol is actually very strong. It doesn’t sting the nose, and it seems appropriate for what the rest of the nose is offering.

PALATE:
Midwinter Night's Dram Act 9 Scene 4 Review

– Mouth Feel: Though soft, it does fall a bit flat. Despite this, the mouth feel is clean overall.
– Balance: The initial sips were heavy in this odd tea flavor, but as it breathes, more aspects of a flavor profile appear, evening out the balance some. Secondary pours also demonstrate more balance.
– Visual: Burnt amber in color, I can’t find much of a crown but the clinging droplets are simply everywhere in every placement in the glass.

– Taste: I find the rye and a eucalyptus flavor to be the most blatant and forward on the palate. It’s quite cleansing and even sinus-clearing, if I’m being honest. There’s a texture to it that conveys the port influence of the finishing barrel, and to me, it’s not dissimilar to a fruity/minty tea. (I’ll say here and now that I am not much of a tea drinker.) The wood is slow to come forth on the palate, but it does eventually do so. It’s a fresh pine as opposed to any oak, and I suppose objectively, it makes sense that it’s more piney.

There isn’t much fruit here, aside from that port essence and perhaps some brown sugar-coated apples. Simple syrup and an incredibly light vanilla account for the sweetness. And aside from the rye, there is very little other spice to taste.

I will say that the longer I have sipped this and since I have begun writing this palate, I do find that the taste is growing on me. The freshness/tea-quality isn’t as “in your face” as it used to be, and the wood and hints of brown sugar have helped ease the balance. Nevertheless, I’m still not entirely impressed with this, though I’ve moved far from severe dislike, which is quite frankly, how I started. (A second pour possesses even less aggressive tea flavor, which helps me like this a lot more than I originally did.)

The alcohol is gentle on each sip, though the eucalyptus and rye make up for some bite and fresh zing. A Kentucky chew brings out some alcohol power, but it’s more of a pleasant tickle than anything else. It also brings back that more tea-like quality, so I don’t think I’ll be doing another one of those.

FINISH:

– Lasting Power: Short-medium. It’s a clean finish with only minimal aftertaste, and certainly not much heat.
– Between Sips: The clean flavor of pine and eucalyptus is present, as are some of the apples (decidedly tart), but otherwise, there is not much going on here.

– No More: I do definitely think that this improves the further into the glass that I get. The balance evens out with more fruit and wood contributions, but the fresh rye and eucalyptus still dominates.

The empty Glencairn is just as fresh and clean as the rest of the glass, and it certainly smells again much like tea. Not my favorite empty glass ever.

WORTH THE PRICE?

I was not prepared for the flavor profile I was met with, to be sure. However, I do think that given my lack of love for tea might dissuade me from thinking this meets the value. I do think High West has done a great job securing a following and becoming the daily sipper of many, and I think that for the curious, Midwinter Night’s Dram is a must. Meet it with an open mind though – even if you do like ryes.

All of that being said, I’m not convinced that to me, it is worth the $100 price tag. That kind of total is always a big ask, and if I’m going to commit to it, I want the spirit to blow me away, not be just merely passable. Which, towards the end of this pour and on subsequent pours, I am now willing to concede it being.

MIDWINTER NIGHT’S DRAM ACT 9 SCENE 4 REVIEW RATING: 84/100

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Click 84/100 to access other whiskies with this rating.

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