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Whisk(e)y Reviews
January 2022
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The Year of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof
I love high proof bourbon. There is something about the bold flavors that really makes it so much more enjoyable. Obviously, you can't drink a lot of it in one night, but high proof bourbon is great when sitting by a fire with friends or just when you need to warm up a little. Obviously, it takes a while to get used to the high ABV. You can work on it by slowly trying bourbons with higher proof. Many bourbons are in the 90--96 proof range, so you can quickly try some Bottled--in --Bond bourbons which are 100 proof. Other bourbons, like Old Weller Antique and Bakers, are released at 107 proof. After those, you can jump to the bourbons near 115 proof, with Rare Breed or Old Ezra 7 Barrel Strength. Once you are comfortable with those, you can start playing with the big boys like Booker's and Elijah Craig Barrel Proof.
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Elijah Craig Barrel Proof has been a favorite of mine for a few years now. The consistent quality from Elijah Craig makes it an easy purchase for me whenever I see it. However, finding ECBP is becoming harder. More people are finding out how good it is and the price really has not changed much over the past few years. Thankfully, I was able to find the C921 batch recently and complete reviews for all of the 2021 batches. While we know the quality of ECBP overall, how did the releases from this year fare?
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof A121
Class: Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Price: $65
Notes:
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Aged 12 years
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Distilled, Aged, and Bottled by Elijah Craig Distillery, Bardstown, KY
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Mashbill of 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley
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Bottled at 61.8% ABV (123.6 proof)
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Non--chill filtered
Nose: 90/100
Caramel and vanilla lead the way with a fair dose of ethanol. Smoky oak sits in the background. After some time in the glass, the ethanol dissipates and brown sugar makes a grand entrance, along with a bit of cinnamon and cloves.
Palate: 88/100
Oh my! Just a huge pile of caramel. It does get a bit warm. Vanilla is far in the background. Basically, the definition of a caramel bomb. After some time, cinnamon and brown sugar join the party.
Finish: 88/100
Long, lingering finish. Caramel is the big star again. Slightly bitter smoky oak lies underneath with a bit of vanilla. Definitely warm, but not overpowering. As the others, cinnamon and brown sugar sit in the background.
Overall: 89/100
Recommendation: Buy it Now!
Bold and flavorful, just a great pour. Really a big caramel bomb. This is Elijah Craig at its best. If I was giving awards, this would probably be my Bourbon of the year. Sadly, there is not a lot of ECBP inventory anywhere, and the A121 batch might be hard to find. However, if you find it, grab all that you can get.
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B521
Class: Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Price: $65
Notes:
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Aged 12 years
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Distilled, Aged, and Bottled by Elijah Craig Distillery, Bardstown, KY
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Mashbill of 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley
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Bottled at 59.1% ABV (118.2 proof)
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Non--chill filtered
Nose: 88/100
Caramel lingers with sweet creamy vanilla. Cinnamon lies beneath and basically no ethanol to be found. Cloves and barrel char are well in the background.
Palate: 86/100
Rich but dry. Caramel leads here. Sweet vanilla follows, but not creamy like the nose. Barrel char fights with cinnamon for attention. Decent amount going on, but feels somewhat shallow.
Finish: 88/100
Very dry finish. Caramel leads again. Vanilla sits underneath along with slightly bitter charred oak and a touch of cinnamon. Long and lingering and a touch warm. Cloves make an appearance in the background again.
Overall: 87/100
Recommendation: Buy it now!
This is not my style of ECBP, but I know that the subtlety of the pour and the quality will definitely win awards. This is very similar in style to the B517 batch that won a few whisky of the year awards. Given the lack of punch, this is a good barrel proof for those people not really used to the high ABV pours. Given this is the mid--year batch, you might be able to find this in stores near you.
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof C921
Class: Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Price: $65
Notes:
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Aged 12 years
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Distilled, Aged, and Bottled by Elijah Craig Distillery, Bardstown, KY
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Mashbill of 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley
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Bottled at 60.1% ABV (120.2 proof)
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Non--chill filtered
Nose: 88/100
Cinnamon and caramel lead. Oak and a touch of smoke follow. Vanilla and toffee sit at the edges. Barely any ethanol is apparent.
Palate: 86/100
Rich but dry. Cinnamon and caramel are the stars again. Oak and smoke appear in the background again. Deep flavor but not overly complex.
Finish: 86/100
Toasty warm finish. Caramel comes to the fore with cinnamon right behind. Toasted oak lies beneath everything. Long, lingering finish with just a touch of milk chocolate.
Overall: 87/100
Recommendation: Buy it now!
This is a high quality bourbon, but you really need to love cinnamon to love this one. It is bold like most of the ECBP releases and doesn't disappoint overall. Given that this was released in the last quarter of the year, you should be able to find it in most stores that typically carry it.
What did we learn?
Elijah Craig makes a fantastic barrel proof product, and it really has become the most reliable higher priced barrel proof bourbon. At $65, you really can't beat the value you get with any batch. In addition, each batch is unique. We have a caramel bomb, a subtle, traditional bourbon, and the big cinnamon bourbon over the course of the year, which really yields something for everyone. However, if you are not fond of high proof whiskey, only the B521 batch is remotely approachable.