Brian’s Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon Review
original review updated on Friday, 03-Janaury-2020
ELIJAH CRAIG SMALL BATCH BOURBON REVIEW:
Elijah Craig Small Batch was one of the first bourbons with which I began my whiskey journey and it is still a viable shelf option today. While my tastes have changed and Elijah Craig may never hold the favored spot on the shelf it once did, it is a quality dram at a phenomenal price. Consider reserving a space in the bunker for a bottle to share with friends. At about $30 USD Elijah Craig is a GREAT value bourbon.
ELIJAH CRAIG SMALL BATCH VITAL STATS:
Category: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Type: Small Batch
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)
Price: $29.95 USD in Idaho
Availability: Readily Available
ENJOYMENT METHOD:
Originally reviewed in 2017, I felt it was time to revisit this old friend. For this evaluation, I shared the whiskey neat from special Elijah Craig whiskey glasses with my daughter and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer Hannah.
Check out her review for this bourbon here!
NOSE:
When first brought to the nose, buttery brown sugar caramel jumps from the Glencairn. Its aromas are both dry and warm. Careful nosing can detect roasted sweet corn and strange citrus notes of orange skittles – but it works! Additional nosing brings on dark berry nectar and dark fruit leather made of currents and prunes. For my nose, there’s not much spice here; maybe a little warm and mellow allspice or ginger with a slight yeasty element. After the whiskey has rested in the glass for a bit, the original sweetness I senced is reduced to rich vanilla and maybe a scant trace of dark maple syrup. Overall, Elijah Craig Small Batch is earthy, musty and leathery with components of toasted and seasoned old oak.
PALATE:
In the mouth, this whiskey is both dry and warm as it offers up a slight bite. Upon subsequent sips, the dram coats the mouth with flavors of roasted corn, dusty grain and the grassiness of fresh mown hay. As the vegetation subsides, dark prune fruit leather duels with spices of warm ginger, black pepper, and rye. Any sugary sweetness detected on the nose is gone, replaced with an earthy mustiness of old leather and the hazy barrel char of seasoned old oak.
Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
Elijah Craig Small Batch is well blended. While it is smooth, it does give the throat a slight tickle, even though it has a bit of weak mouthfeel. When swished in the Glencairn, it clings then gives way to a curtain of fat legs which leave a broken crown.
FINISH:
Elijah Craig offers up a dry medium finish with a lingering warmth on the roof of the mouth and in the throat. As I sit back prunes, black pepper and rye blend with the musty leather. When the glass is emptied, solid old oak planks waft from the empty Glencairn.
MY RATING: 87/100
Will I seek out this whiskey in the future? Yes
Click to read Brian’s scoring process.
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Just picked up a bottle. I like it a lot. 3 of the lower priced bourbons I’ve tried of late are the std 4 Roses, std. Makers and the EC. EC is my favorite. I like the slight peppery taste. I want to try Buffalo Trace next.
Nothing wrong with low priced bourbons … I like the Four Roses Small Batch of the ones you mentioned, however there’s others on our budget shelf too: Old Forester 100 (Orange Label), Evan Williams BiB, and Jim Beam Black (7YO) to name a few.
I agree Elijah Craig is my go to Bourbon.