Elijah Craig 23 Year Single Barrel Bourbon

Everything must be subjective including the value to the person drinking a dram such as this. I had some epic pours this week but must say other than proof on the low side EC 23 is Excellent. The low proof also makes this a perfect afternoon sipper My 2 favorite pours of the week were William Heaven Hill 12 134.4 proof and Barrell Craft Spirits 25 year old at 111 proof or so The EC 23 nose pallet & finish was truly enjoyable Both of those have my highest rating of 4.75 just 1/4 pt up from the EC 23 Now for the cost this is the last of a bottle that at the time I paid $350 or less than $14 / oz so even more of a reason to enjoy some of Heaven Hills renowned older stock. Bottle was a Old Label 2017 - that replaced the 20 & 21 at that time Currently secondary is $900

This is a surprise for an oldie! So smooth and comlplex (full disclosure; i had this on thd tour at Heavan Hill as a bonus tasting while honeymooning). On the nose you get dark brown sugar and currant. The palate finds vanilla, currant, carmel, faint baking spices, and wonderful oak flavors! I usually find old bourbon (over 15 years) to have too much oak but this one hits all the key points. When i have an extra $300 i will be buying a bottle!

Musty and nutty with flavors of caramelized fruit, mostly orange, and flavors of vanilla and leather. The finish is medium long and the mouth feel is quite thin. Slightly too tannic. I haven't had the 18yr or 21yr but it seems like 23yrs may be too much. Still worth the taste of something in a barrel (single barrel at that) for 23years. Still delicious and has the flavors of Elijah Craig yet it lacks the punch

(bottled 4/7/17 barrel 83) Deeper amber in color. The Aroma was a mix of Almond and Spearmint. More oak continues to emerge as it opens. Overall an earthy sweetness here. Nice dark fruit in the flavor and a good amount of oak, but not too much. It seemed to get more savory as I spent time with it. Later in the glass vanilla takes center stage. Honey at the end. Really nice, but slightly short of epic

In a nutshell, this is what the Rhetoric bourbons wish they tasted like. Tremendously oaky, yet somehow still balanced. The nose and the palate are pretty much identical with strong oak, toasted pecans, honey, vanilla, rich caramel, brown sugar, and straight up butter. The finish is a bit short, but leaves traces of wood sugars, vanilla, and, you guessed it, more delicious oak.

Get a huge smell of wood. Smells like an old leather bound book. That deep wood is also in the flavor. In the mouth I get tobacco, leather, with a great initial sweetness. Smooth and creamy with a long peppery finish. Very nice bourbon. Think I would like better with a slightly younger age. The woody flavor would be better if less powerful. But still excellent.