Distiller: Heaven Hill

Release: 2019

Bourbon: Elijah Craig Barrel Proof

Region: Bardstown, Kentucky

Price: $60.00

Proof: 136.8

Age:  12 years

The Barrel Cellar Score:  94 Points

Review Date: 07/21/2021

About the Bourbon:   Elijah Craig is perhaps Heaven Hill’s most well known bourbon.  While it took me a while to open it, I’m a fan of Elijah Craig releases, so I was ecstatic to get my hands on barrel proof release batch C919.  Uncut and aged for 12 years in charred oak barrels, this bourbon is bold, full of flavor, and generous enough to offer a nice comfy “Kentucky hug.”

I enjoyed the whiskey for this review using a set of  Prestige diamond whiskey glasses.

Color: Maple Syrup

Nose:  Dark Chocolate, tobacco, vanilla, oak, and dried fruit.

Taste: Leather, toasted cherry wood, burnt sugar, cinnamon, and cayenne,  Drop a couple of cubes in and notes of orange zest and toffee emerge.

 Finish: Sustained finish with pepper spice, and caramel.

Assessment: The barrel aging process has done this spirit wonders.  The color is beautiful, it’s a deep maple brown and consistent from the top to the bottom of the pour.  It’s bold with character and complexity, and the body is so full, I’d call it “chewy.”  Whiskey Advocate referred to this as “deeply satisfying,” they are right.  It’s both satisfying to the palate and settling to the mind.  Priced at $60 a bottle, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is worth every penny.

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is an exceptional bottle of bourbon.  94 points.

Special Offer

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