Elijah Craig Small Batch Barrel Proof Archives – Page 4 of 5

Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon Review

Posted on 06-January-202028-June-2022 by whiskeyfortheages

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

https://heavenhill.com/

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.}

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

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Elijah Craig Barrel Proof A119 Review

Posted on 30-November-201928-June-2022 by whiskeyfortheages

Brian’s Elijah Craig Barrel Proof A119 Review

written on 02-April-2019

ELIJAH CRAIG BARREL PROOF A119 REVIEW:

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof A119 (ECBP A119) is the first ECBP release of 2019 and proved to be a difficult bourbon for me to assess; I nearly consumed the entire bottle over multiple sessions in the preparation of this review. Those who read my other posts know I delight in enjoying my whiskey neat, whatever the proof. Not so for the 135 proof ECBP A119. For my taste, I found this bourbon needs quite a lot of water for it to be appreciated.

ELIJAH CRAIG SMALL BATCH PROOF A119 VITAL STATS:

– Category: Small Batch Barrel Proof
– Region: Louisville, Kentucky, USA
– Distillery: Heaven Hill Bernheim Distillery
– Mash Bill: 78% Corn, 10% Rye, 12% Malted Barley
– Barrel Char: #3
Non-chill filtered
– Barrel entry proof: 125
Age: nas
– ABV: 67.6% (135.2 Proof)
– Price $59.99 USD in Idaho
– Availability: Tri-annual Limited

https://heavenhill.com/

ENJOYMENT METHOD:

I drank this spirit neat, from a Glencairn glass with daughter and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer, Hannah.

Check out her review for this bourbon here!

When I first sipped ECBP A119 neat I was underwhelmed. Then, as suggested by other reviewers on the web, distilled water to the three ounce dram. (I stopped at eight drops.) Water dramatically improves this bourbon, bringing out many more elusive and hidden flavours.

NOSE:

NEAT: When brought to the nose, ECBP A119 is quite dry and the liquid offers a little alcohol burn. I detected faint and light fruit floral notes, along with dark cherries and sensations of fresh citrus. Its sweetness comes from simple syrup and fresh orange blossoms on the wind and ECBP A119 seems well blended.
WITH WATER: The alcohol I sensed while nosed neat is replaced with subtle hints of banana and fresh, plump gourmet raisins. Water also brings out a subtle molasses sweetness which combines its spiciness with a hint of milk chocolate and a musky charred oak aroma.

PALATE:

NEAT: ECBP A119 is bone-dry, harsh, hot, and strong. The red berries I detected on the nose are overpowered by black pepper and rye spice. Even so, there are a few buttery sugar and orange blossom honey notes which combine with earthy leather and fresh light and dry oak barrel spiciness.
WITH WATER: Water improves ECBP A119’s taste, and therefore makes this juice less dry, more warming and sweet, and a touch rye forward. The subtle dark fruit detected on the nose transfers to the tongue, and the element of light molasses is added. Water also accentuates ECBP A119’s earthy and woody barrel char dramatically smoothing its ‘neat’ harshness.

Balance, Body, Look and Feel:
NEAT: ECBP A119 is a balanced bourbon and when neat, its individual flavours are hard to detect. It seems to lack the depth of previous ECBP iterations. Its colour suggests time in the barrel. In the Glencairn, the liquid offers the viewer an upside-down, crown of clinging droplets, which as the dram is consumed, fall into long full legs.
WITH WATER: ECBP A119 becomes surprisingly smooth and much more complex with added water, but don’t misunderstand … its flavours are still subtle and the strong spiciness is still there.

FINISH:

NEAT: ECBP A119’s finish is long and dry with an ever so faint hint of sweet. It is big, with a harsh rye spice burn and a chew of dried fruit leather, which leaves a lingering aftertaste.
WITH WATER: ECBP A119’s harshness and aftertaste are replaced with an enjoyable sweetness and a tickle on the tongue and as a result of the added water, makes the lingering finish oaky and much more pleasing.

MY RATING: 86/100; (89/100 with water)

Will I seek out this whiskey in the future? Yes
_{Click to read Brian’s scoring process.}

When enjoyed NEAT, click 86/100 to access other whiskies with this score.
To access other whiskies from this brand, click Elijah Craig.

If there was a “With Water” rating, I would increase the score to 89 … click 89/100 to see whiskies at this tier.

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Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 Review

Posted on 30-November-201928-June-2022 by whiskeyfortheages

Brian’s Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 Review

written on 19-October-2019

ELIJAH CRAIG BARREL PROOF B518 REVIEW:
The high proof of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof (ECBP) B518 is definitely noticeable, but manageable as it carries blended flavors through rather than hiding them.

ELIJAH CRAIG BARREL PROOF B518 VITAL STATS:
– Category: Small Batch Barrel Proof
– Region: Louisville, Kentucky, USA
– Distillery: Heaven Hill Bernheim Distillery
– Mash Bill: 78% Corn, 10% Rye, 12% Malted Barley
– Barrel Char: #3
– Non-chill filtered
– Barrel entry proof: 125
– Age: nas
– ABV: 66.7% (133.4 Proof)
– Price $59.99 USD in Idaho
– Availability: Tri-annual Limited Release

Learn more at https://heavenhill.com/

ENJOYMENT METHOD:
I drank this spirit neat, from a whiskey glass with daughter and fellow Whiskey for the Ages reviewer, Hannah.

Check out her review for this bourbon here!

NOSE:
The enjoyable bourbon aroma of rich buttery caramel wafts over heavy oak infused vanilla. There is a faint aire of caramelized apple pastry present as well. The high proof is nicely subdued.

PALATE:
The caramel and vanilla sensed on the nose is there, but only on the fringes. The tongue picks up intense cinnamon and a great deal of woodiness which fades to sweet and rich graham cracker pie crust. There is a fair amount of dry bourbon burn owing to the high proof which tends to mask more subtle flavours.

Balance, Body, Feel and Look:
The high proof of this bourbon presents a full mouthfeel which nicely cuts the sweetness. The warming sensation on the tongue and throat helps merge the flavors together. Be forewarned: holding this bourbon in the mouth for more than a few seconds deadens the sweetness and flavours.

FINISH:
ECBP B518 finishes with heat and a bold brown sugar sweetness, light vanilla and a heady woodiness. While the finish is long and warm, considering the proof, this bourbon has much less burn than one might expect.

COMPARISON NOTES:
During the Christmas Break of 2018, Hannah and I conducted a tasting experiment with three itterations of Elijah Craig Small Batch Barrel Proof bourbons: C917, A118, and the B518 – all fine bourbons on their own. For my senses, B518 was between the better A118, with C917 coming a close third.

MY RATING: 89/100
Will I seek out this whiskey in the future? Yes
_{Click to read Brian’s scoring process.}

Click 89/100 to access other whiskies with this score.
To access other whiskies from this brand, click Elijah Craig.

Back to …

Brian’s Whiskey Reviews
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