Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch A118

Batch A118. 130.6 Proof. 65.3% ABV. N: Lots of wood. Mahogany wood, cigar smoke, well-worn leather, cedar cigar box, wood varnish, almond extract. Caramel, cinnamon, vanilla frosting. Ethanol - unsurprisingly. There's another chemical note in it that reminds me of pool water with chlorine, but much softer. It's actually interesting, not off-putting. Some very ripe orchard fruit very deep in the background - basically buried under mounds of caramel and bourbon barrels. Late into the pour, a distinct hit of orange popped out of nowhere. P: Sweet corn, caramel, sticky bread, toffee, vanilla. Dark bread, peanuts, almond butter, and a dark red fruit jam. Plenty of sweet oak. Sticky, heavy, gooey cinnamon syrup, which combines, in the finish, with the vanilla and bread notes to land at something like a deconstructed cinnamon roll. Might be some hints of orange citrus behind all the cinnamon. Lots of oak in the finish as well. Touch of bitterness lingers, but this one is almost all sweet, sweet, sweet - caramelized brown sugar, vanilla, and caramel ride this one to the end. Rich, heavy, sumptuous mouthfeel. Neat or even with one ice cube (my preference for adding water), it's like it coats your tongue and then melts away leaving lots of charred barrel heat. While I kind of enjoy that feeling, it doesn't do much for me on the flavor side. I added a second cube for the review, and then poured in another drop or two of whiskey to balance it. (Used a Canadian Glencairn.) The legendary ECBP. And, yeah, I found an old-ish bottle of it. I like the thought that this bottle hit the shelf just one month after ECBP was announced as #1 in Whisky Advocate's 2017 Top 20. This is two batches later than that winner. I suspect many people picked up this bottle without really thinking much about the batches (whether they should or should not, potentially debatable). This is a fine whiskey, but it feels to me like it needs one more note. It has tons of wood and caramel - I want something to balance against that - red fruit or smoke or citrus. I don't even think I care much what it would be, because what's here is great, but I've had better bourbons and better cask strength/barrel proof bourbons. And they're usually better because they go beyond wood and caramel, which are basically par for the course in bourbon. This is a fantastic par round, but still just a par round. But I hear more recent batches are even better. I'd be down to try it again.

750ml bought at Mike's Liquors in Forest Heights, MD today. Fun times, love the bulletproof glass. Maybe trusting Google reviews for "best liquor store in Maryland" is inherently a bad idea. Poured neat in Glencairn at home. Nose is nutty, toasty, spicy and has some heat. Taste has an initial harsh bite, followed by vanilla, oak, spice, grains. Long lingering nutty spice burn with a prominent bitter presence. Good, but I don't love it, and the bitterness is too much for me. Add three drops of water: opens up vanilla and caramel on the nose; spice is still strong, but the bitterness has softened with the caramel coming on. Much much better. Maybe my first bourbon where adding a little water not only enhanced the character, but nearly killed the off-note too. Meaning,for example, that adding a few drops of water to George T. can bring out some more complexity and soften the heat, but there were no significant perceived flaws to fix by adding the water (for me). Here, adding the water not only enhanced the character, but actually overcame the flaw. Neat: 3.5. Add 3 drops: 4.0 Rather than average the two, I will give the higher score because it was minimal water added. 8/14/19

Barrel select (ACE Spirits): Straight, overwhelmed. On ice, a lot better tasting. Strong flavor and profile

Good solid pour and packs a lot of flavor. I enjoy this one over a pour of Stagg Jr.

Oak bomb! Vanilla and mint, long peppery, minty finish.

Chocolate, caramel, little spice