Elijah Craig Rye Review Archives – Whiskey for the Ages

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Barrel Char: unpublished
Barrel entry proof: unpublished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.}

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WHISKEY TRAITS, FLAVOR NOTES AND PROFILE GRAPH:

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Hannah’s Elijah Craig Straight Rye Review

Original review written July 12, 2022

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

A solid rye that I have been looking forward to tasting. It’s deep, rich, and sweet, and almost doesn’t drink like a rye. Nevertheless, a great buy, and one I will keep around most certainly. 89/100

VITALS:

– Made In: Bardstown, Kentucky, USA
– Distiller: Heaven Hill Distillery
– Classification: Straight Rye
– Age: nas
– Mash Bill: Rye=51%; Corn=35%; Malted Barley=14%
– Casks: unpublished char
– Barrel Entry Proof: unpublished
– ABV: 47% (94 proof)
– Price: $32.95 USD in Idaho 2022

Visit elijahcraig.com for more information

ENJOYMENT METHOD:

I enjoyed the spirit neat with sister, Elora, and well as father and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer, Brian.

Check out his review for this rye here!

SETTING:

I imagine sitting on a stool with Elijah Craig Straight Rye in one hand, and a big bowl of chocolate in the other. Decorate the chocolate with various fruits and colors, and I think this rye has met its partner. I think the sweetness of each will play off of one another well, emphasizing bitterness in the right places and exacerbating warmth in others. The rye and chocolate create a pleasant hug of sweetness and comfort, and the two together only would make each other shine all the more.

Photo by American Heritage Chocolate on Unsplash

NOSE:

This meets the nose as a dark rye with plenty of malt and a thick toffee acting as a foundation, complete with hazelnuts and toasted coconut and even a tart, citrus zest. The wood is formidable as well, but I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s fresh. Rather, it has a musty element, making it seem water-logged with the plant/vegetation aspect incredibly strong. Despite this, I can still find a freshness in this nose, with the smell of rain (petrichor) absolutely bursting from the glass mixing with a bite of cinnamon to sweeten.

For this being an Elijah Craig product, I’m not surprised to sense black pepper; however, I am surprised to note how little black pepper there is. This rye is earthy and deep and teems with age (for a rye at least). The alcohol is even softer with the rye than how it is with its Small Batch Bourbon counterpart. Nevertheless, this is still a complex and intriguing rye, and I am ready to sip.

PALATE:

– Mouth Feel: It’s slightly more watery than I was anticipating, but it does grow in texture and warmth with more sips.
– Balance: Heavy on the sugary sweetness, this still has a wood base and earthy tone that make everything else taste that much livelier.
– Visual: Carrot in color, there are many, thick legs that fall from clinging droplets. The droplets turn to a solid ring, and this also lingers for a good deal of time.

– Taste: I can let this sit on my palate almost indefinitely without feeling much of a burn, and also not a great deal of flavor. When a bit more aggravated, a dark brown sugar emerges with molasses and a sweet praline trails them. A sweeter nut, like peanuts, resides in this praline as opposed to the bitter hazelnuts from the nose. There’s honeycomb, candied apples, melted chocolate and even a bit of maple. This whole glass radiates dark sweetness, touched by the slightest amount of black pepper to make everything bite a little.

It’s a rye that, frankly, is hard to forcibly interact with. The temptation to just sit with it and let the warmth grow is tremendous. It grows in complexity also the longer it sits on the tongue, with the sugar elements turning into pure sugar crystals and the depth intensifying into something that tastes older and older. There aren’t many fruits aside from the occasional raisin and aforementioned apples. All the same, this is a sheer joy to sip. The alcohol is mild, but it does escalate in warmth the further into the glass I get. A Kentucky chew provokes chocolate and buttery walnuts, and the warmth is excellent.

FINISH:

– Lasting Power: Medium. At times, the heat lingers and punches even after the sip is gone; however, most often it dwindles and settles without incident.
– Between Sips: Caramel and chocolate – like a candy bar – can be found between sips, but otherwise, the flavor does fade somewhat quickly.

– No More: This grows in complexity the longer I sit with it, and as mentioned in the palate, the alcohol grows as well, becoming warmer, and somehow, even richer.

The empty Glencairn is a light oak with bits of honey and vanilla mixed in – unaggressive, but certainly soft and smooth. I wish it was a little punchier, but this rye has held true to its sweetness until the very end.

WORTH THE PRICE?

Just over $30, and an Elijah Craig and a rye from their distilleries at last – absolutely it’s worth the price. This rye is a great value, and it’s one that I intend to keep around in the bunker given the chance.

ELIJAH CRAIG STRAIGHT RYE REVIEW RATING: 89/100

Click to see Hannah’s rating process

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Elijah Craig Straight Rye Whiskey