Brian’s Elijah Craig Barrel Proof C920 Bourbon Review:
reviewed on 09-November-2021
ELIJAH CRAIG BARREL PROOF C920 BOURBON REVIEW:
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof C920 Bourbon (ECBP C920) starts hot, both on the nose and palate. But once acclimated, one can get fruit, spice, sweet and wood. The bourbon is rich and oily and has one of the longest finishes I’ve experienced. This is another solid and well balanced barrel proof offering from Heaven Hill.
ELIJAH CRAIG BARREL PROOF C920 BOURBON VITAL STATS:
Category: Small Batch Barrel Proof
Region: Louisville, Kentucky, USA
Distillery: Heaven Hill/Bernheim Distillery
Mashbill: 78% Corn, 10% Rye, 12% Malted Barley
Barrel Char: #3
Barrel entry proof: 125
Age: 12 Years
Non-chill filtered
ABV: 66.4% (132.8 Proof)
Availability: Tri-annual Limited Release
Release Date: September 2020
Batch number identifier: C920
▪”C” Third (last) release of the year
▪”9″ Released in September
▪”20″ Released in 2020
Price: $59.99 (2020-Idaho)
NABCA CSC #: 17917
Learn more at https://heavenhill.com/.
ENJOYMENT METHOD FOR THE REVIEW:
The first one and a half ounces were taken out of the newly opened bottle and mixed with the bourbon in our Infinity Bottle Project. Then, by alternating pours, 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!
ELIJAH CRAIG BARREL PROOF C920 BOURBON NOSE:
The first waft of ECBP C920 is so full of potent ethanol, I altered my usually deep inhales. After several more intakes, my nose (and eyes) acclimated. Then came roasting corn, backed by a deep aroma of fermenting silage. While not unpleasant, the new scent is certainly unusual and one I have not encountered before in a bourbon. Continued nosing brings ripe berries, fresh apples, apricots, and maybe a bit of candied citrus. Spices of cinnamon, ginger, green pepper and rye balance the sweets of light vanilla, soft caramel corn, brown sugar, and toasted marshmallows along with a light drizzling of honey. While I do not pick up a lot of woodiness, I do sense pecans, light fresh cut oak and toasted wood which pairs nicely with the earthiness of crisp autumn leaves raked into piles.
ELIJAH CRAIG BARREL PROOF C920 BOURBON PALATE:
Even before the first sip of ECBP C920 nestles into its spot in the front of my palate, I am hit with the warm bite of cinnamon red hots. Then comes roasted corn hiding in tart berries, cooked apples, cherries, and grilled peaches. As on the nose, spices of cinnamon, ginger, black pepper and rye spar with bittersweet chocolate, vanilla, brown sugar, toasted marshmallows and dark honey … with some flakey pie crust and a touch of light molasses thrown in for complexity. The spice and sweets work together because they are in balance with flavors of light dry oak, earthy toasted wood and musty barrel char.
Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
As the liquid settles in, I am surprised at how easy it is to hold in my mouth considering the proof. While ECBP C920 gives my tongue an aggressive tickle, I find it rich and oily. After each sip, a thick clinging curtain fades into the burnt amber colored pool leaving behind a broken ring of droplets. This is another solid and well balanced barrel proof offering from Heaven Hill.
ELIJAH CRAIG BARREL PROOF C920 BOURBON FINISH:
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof C920 Bourbon bites with an exceptionally long almost hot finish. There is a slight aftertaste of mown hay and a hint of bitter citrus. But while greatly diminished, the spices and sweets noted on the nose and taste buds pass to the finish. And when the last dram is downed, alcohol and a deep earthiness of freshly sawn oak can drawn from the empty Glencairn.
THE ADDITION OF WATER
Water can often tame big, bold whiskeys and allow aromas and flavors to bloom. The addition of 2-4 drops will not radically lower the proof of the pour. Re-evaluation of ECBP C920 occurred using measured pours and precise amounts of distilled water to measure the effect.
Adding two drops to 1.5 ounces of this bourbon reduces the proof to 132.41 (down from 132.8) but doesn’t take much away from the aroma, flavors or finish. There’s still alcohol – both on the nose and in the first sip. The corn, berries and apples still mix with cinnamon, ginger, pepper and rye and sweets of vanilla, soft caramel, and brown sugar. Best of all, they balance with the dry oak, earthy toasted wood and musty barrel char. But because two drops do not alter the pour, there is no reason to add them.
Adding four drops of water to 1.5 ounces of ECBP C920 lowers the proof to 132.03. The introduced water knocks down the alcohol hit on the nose and fades individual aromas and flavors. If four drops add anything, the whiskey becomes more caramelly and oaky but without the balancing fruit and spice components. It is still a fine pour and if I were given a watered down C920 without knowing what it was, I would be happy.
MY RATING: 93/100;
… with two drops 93/100;
… with four drops 91/100
Will I buy this whiskey again? YES
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof offerings are in a word, Amazing. I will buy more as I find them.
Click to read Brian’s scoring process.
Click 93/100 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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