Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch B520
Specs
ABV: 63.6%
Age: 12 Years
Recipe: 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley
Distiller: Heaven Hill
Country/Region: USA/Kentucky
Price Paid (MSRP): $60 ($65)
Tasting Notes
Nose: Toasted brown sugar, vanilla, peanuts, charred oak, loads of butterscotch and caramel.
Palate: Thick, coating mouth feel with some nice tannins and a really wonderful oak structure. A pop of vanilla, black pepper, more butterscotch, and then a little orange and cherry. There’s some heat, as expected at its proof, but it seems to be coming more from the oak spice rather than just pure ethanol.
Finish: Long length, big punch of oak spice, and then drying with brown sugar sweetness.
Rating: 87/100 – Excellent | Really quite exceptional
This is Heaven Hill at its best, hitting all the textbook bourbon notes and with near flawless execution. Big waves of vanilla, caramel, and butterscotch combined with excellent oak integration makes a knockout whiskey. Value wise, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof releases continue to be unmatched, especially with Knob Creek ending their run of 13+ year store picks. Currently the list of available 10+ year barrel strength bourbons around $70 is a very short one, and almost entirely composed of Dickel or Barton products. I’m glad that Heaven Hill has chosen to keep the age statement on these releases, and I’m really looking forward to finding some off-profile barrels from the new ECBP single barrel program.
