Brian’s Elijah Craig Straight Rye Review:
reviewed 12-July-2022
ELIJAH CRAIG STRAIGHT RYE BOURBON REVIEW:
Like many rye whiskies, Elijah Craig Straight Rye (Elijah Craig Rye) starts fresh and clean. Shaved coconut and an illusive tropical fruit in the aroma keeps me guessing. With each sip, chocolate cream and soft buttery caramel with a touch of honey fade in and there is smoky sweet toasted wood here too. This is a good rye.
ELIJAH CRAIG STRAIGHT RYE VITAL STATS:
Category: Rye Whiskey
Region: Bardstown, KY
Distillery: Heaven Hill
Mash Bill: 51% rye, 35% corn, 14% malted barley
Barrel Char: unpublished
Barrel entry proof: unpublished
Age: nas
ABV: 47% (94 Proof)
NABCA CSC #: 26555
Price: $32.95 (Idaho, 2022)
No batch or bottle number identifiers
Learn more at Elijah Craig.
ENJOYMENT METHOD FOR THE REVIEW:
Alternate pours, equaling about four ounces, were added into three Glencairns. My daughters and I enjoyed the bourbon neat for this review.
Check out Hannah’s review for this rye here!
ELIJAH CRAIG STRAIGHT RYE NOSE:
Elijah Craig Rye offers a fragrant aroma of fruit tree blossoms in a bed of faint drying hay. I sense Maraschino cherry and an undefined tropical fruit sprinkled with powdered ginger and rye. Sweetness comes as a chocolate cream filled pastry dusted with both brown and maple sugar some coconut shavings and a few chocolate chips. As the sweets fade I am able to detect dry oak planks and hazy barrel aromas. Above all, this rye is fresh and light.
ELIJAH CRAIG STRAIGHT RYE PALATE:
The first sip continues with lightness and many of the flavors sensed on the nose. Elijah Craig Rye is warm and full of tree blossoms. The fruit theme carries through with flavors of apricots, candied Maraschino cherries, and yellow gourmet raisins. I also taste spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, and pepper with more baking notes of brown sugared pastry and toasted rye bread. In addition to the fruit there are sweets of chocolate cream, soft buttery caramel, and a dizzle of honey which pair nicely with seasoned and smoky sweet toasted dry oak.
Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
Elijah Craig Rye’s aromas and flavors are fresh, light and as noted above well blended. Each mouthful is a bit thin but buttery and easy to hold. The thin mouthful contradicts what is seen in the glass as many long thick legs slide after-sips back to the carrot colored pool leaving behind big clinging droplets in an ill-defined crown.
ELIJAH CRAIG STRAIGHT RYE FINISH:
Elijah Craig Straight Rye leaves a medium and warm fruit tree blossom filled finish with the memory of apricots, candied Maraschino cherries, and juicy raisins. I feel black pepper and rye disolve in my throat as they are soothed by buttery honey. As the flavor sensations melt, seasoned dry oak and smoky sweet toasted wood drift in and out. And when the last of the pour is taken, the empty Glencairn smells of caramelized brown sugar and oak planks drying under fruit trees in full blossom.
MY RATING: 90/100
Will I buy this whiskey again? YES
I am happy to have another bottle in the bunker.
Click to read Brian’s scoring process.
Click 90/100 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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