Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch A120

Rating: 19/23 N: Surprisingly musty, like damp cardboard. A bit of bitter smoke, but also some sweetness with sour mash, anise, and a hint of tangerine peel. The sweetness gives me a Blanton's vibe with that sort of light caramel and the tangerine. There's an interesting little twist with how the tangerine and anise mix with the fairly mature wood, spices, and light herbs. In the spice department, I get rich black pepper and a hint of chili. A touch vegetal eventually, which I'm not keen on, but I can live with. P: Rich wood with a bit of polish. Bittersweet chocolate and possible hints of creosote. Spices and some definite bitterness. I get a low peppery burn, but it's under control. Hints of black licorice. Vanilla at times, but it doesn't really add a sweetness here. A bit of ginger as well. Some alcohol burn, but not too much. F: A bit of something odd that veers toward metallic (copper) in here, but it's mostly OK. That's honestly not a huge part of the character here. Some bitter wood with a hint of creosote perhaps. Not a lot going on here. - Conclusion - Of all of the samples I've tried, this seems like the closest competitor for my neck pour of Elijah Craig A121. This is more bitter and funky, but it does have some more complexity. The A121 isn't as metallic, but it definitely isn't as bold either. They're not super far apart, but the smoothness and decadence of the A121 really do crush this. I would definitely take this over Elijah Craig B519 (18/23). That one just had too much alcohol bite and wasn't full enough. Resilient 15 (18/23) isn't quite as full as this and it has more of a mineral quality that makes it thinner throughout. I like the flavor here better and it holds its fullness more. Old Forester 1920 (18/23)? Sweeter with more banana, but also thinner. Not super complex either. Even though this is a lot hotter, this definitely wins. The polished wood and fudge here are really nice. Wild Turkey Rare Breed 116.8 (18-29/23) is tarter with more fruit, alcohol, and sour mash, but it's still comparatively full. I find it difficult to choose between the two. This certainly burns more as well. Based on what I've tasted so far, I am thinking that this is in the 19 to 21 range, with that 21 seeming unlikely. 1792 Full Proof (19/23) is smoother, but also thinner. It certainly isn't more interesting either. I am inclined to give the win to this, but the two aren't that far apart. Since I normally think of the 1792 as a kind of low 19 and this was also not definitely better than the Wild Turkey, I think that a 19 is the most appropriate score. Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof (21/23) is certainly more viscous and decadent than this is. It's a little smoother, but this is more interesting, while remaining tasty. I think that the Jack Daniel's isn't way better than this, but I would give it the win. I wasn't all that sure, but then the heat really came out here and sealed the deal. I'm definitely in the 19 to 20 range here. I was just thinking that I would take this over the Wild Turkey and 1792, but then the finish hit and it was kind of rough. I was about to give this a 20, but I think I'm settling on a 19. Thanks to @ctbeck11 for this one as well! A very tasty dram :)

It's no hidden fact that this is one of the most highly sought after barrel proof bourbons, and it's got great reasons to back it up, too. Back when Heaven Hill was the number one media target, you could forget about finding this (enough people always ruin everything), but I ran into it while doing some shelf shopping, and since it was fully stocked at this store, I felt it was a good time to properly acknowledge and revisit it. It's obvious that ethanol is going to be a huge part to the nose. Once you realize this, you'll go past it to find a healthy fistful of fresh rye spice, and that well known number 4 barrel char, but with even more depth, like you scraped some of the wood actually off of the barrel into your glass. Like regular Elijah Craig, there's not much more to the scent; as I've said before, simple, uncomplicated bourbons and whiskeys usually yield the best results. First few tastes immediately let the caramel shine, which is to expected. My second phase tasting (swish, swallow, don't open mouth for air) was definitely pretty tough to get through, as the ethanol and rye spice almost murdered it's way through my nostrils. Once I was able to let it breathe through the third phase and beyond, the rye can be tasted very well. It goes back to what I said before, where this is a simple recipe to begin with, and if it ain't broke... All in all, this is certainly one of the most memorable barrel proof bourbons I've ever had. I remember having it years ago at the distillery and certainly craving it since then. However, the media boom killed that craving really quick. Now that that is over, I find this extremely dark, full, billboard impression of a true bourbon to be something I'll try to continuously buy and happily display in my collection.

The nose starts with bananas foster, morello cherry jam, deep fried bread covered in cinnamon sugar and vintage antique leather then dark chocolate covered hazelnuts and freshly lit pipe tobacco followed by sautéed apples, raspberries and mandarin oranges followed by ginger, spearmint, anise, cloves and polished mahogany with high ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with bananas foster, morello cherry jam, deep fried bread covered in cinnamon sugar and vintage antique leather then a moderate bitter and sour spice that slowly fades to a spicy dark chocolate mocha, toasted marshmallow and freshly lit pipe tobacco followed by sautéed apples, dehydrated raspberries and mandarin oranges followed by ginger, spearmint, anise, cloves and mildly bitter ashy oak spice with high ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with a moderate black pepper spice, cocoa nibs, caramelized bananas, sour cherries, burnt caraway seeds, pipe tobacco and over-brewed black tea. Another tasty bourbon in this Elijah Craig series that the nose really pulls you in with bold and balanced notes of sweet citrus, fried bread, light sourness, dusty old oak and light rye spices that carries over to the taste but fails to deliver on the balance found on the nose as there's a bitter spice that throws it off before allowing those sweet citrus fruits through and finishes rather bitter and spicy with subtle fruits ever so slightly peeking through. Side by side with B519, this is the clear winner for me as the fruits aren't nearly as sour and the A120 incorporates some enjoyable well-aged oak notes that I didn't find in B519. Thanks @ctbeck11 for the generous sample.

Aggressive nose of burnt peaches, sandalwood, walnut, old leather, prune, raisin, and if I can be honest, rubber cement. Ethanol is there in force but considering that this is near Hazmat status I would say it’s actually less than expected. On the palate, man this sucker is hot. “Duh it’s barrel proof!” Yeah, which I know and love but it is hard to get much out of this on a standard sip besides rocket fuel, a note which carries right through to the finish. Taking a teenie baby sip, you can actually taste the flavors which feature loads of burnt sugars, raisin, date, fig, dried apricot, ash, and bitter woods. Finish is long with cinnamon, chili pepper, mint, and dusty old oak. I’m going to add some water. Ok, that helped a lot, bringing out some caramel, vanilla bean and cinnamon bears candy. Guess I added the right amount this time, but I feel that every pour getting the right water level has been an inexact science. While this was better with water, it still required quite a bit to be enjoyable. While I don’t mind adding a couple of drops or a capful, I don’t want to have to be a chemist to get my bourbon to taste great. I love ECBP, but this one is a bit of a misfire, especially compared to the last one I bought, the (IMO) superb B519 batch. I may be roasted here considering the high rating most give this, but it was just an inferior batch to me and this bottle has been a bit of struggle. Air did not help. Not a rebuy, but certainly won’t stop me from buying every ECBP batch that comes down the pike as there have been and surely will be some real gems.

Open 2 months Nose - Dense caramel and toffee, strong ethanol and oak, snickerdoodle and gingerbread cookies, candied dates and raisins. Palate - Caramel drizzled over cheap dry pie crust, more shortbread than cookie, cinnamon and nutmeg, light caramel. The finish is super oily, it coats the mouth immediately. The tannic oak and ethanol completely dominate the palate, it is hot even with small sips. You need a minute to recover your sense of taste before taking another sip because it is hot, oily, and dry. Any hint of sugar or fruit vanishes quickly from the mid-palate. I was excited to pick this up in August because I thought I missed it. The new ABC store in Durham stockpiled hundreds of ECBP B519, A120, and B520. (They still have cases of these after being open more than 2 months.) However, I think this batch is clearly inferior to A119 and B520. It has all of those notes you want in ECBP, but the ethanol dominates the palate. This is the highest proof whiskey I've had, but I've had multiple above 130 proof that I prefer. So, I do not think the ethanol % is the issue. The flavors just don't mesh as well together compared to two previous ECBP batches I've purchased. After being open 2 months and splitting the bottle with a friend, I thought it would mellow out a bit, but it hasn't. People clearly like this more than I do, but for me the A119 was better and the B520 was in a different league altogether.

The nose is hot at first, which is not surprising given the proof. There’s cinnamon and other baking spices, vanilla frosting, a little cut grass, a dark caramelized fruit note, corn, maple syrup, cola and some leather. The palate is sweet, thick and oily with the tongue and cheeks drying out leaving you with a sort of lingering chalky feeling. There are dried dark cherries, a ton of baking spices, oak, leather, cola, and a little bit of that cut grass comes through. Its very interesting how coating and oily this one is, while also giving you that drying chalky effect in your mouth, especially the longer you let it hang out before you swallow. The Finish is very long with an initial pop of spiciness, cola and sweet corn that fades into light vanilla and oak, with some barrel char that rises to the surface after a while. This one is great. I love how viscous it is and how there are some fruit notes that made its way into this batch. Even though there is some grassiness/earthyness that comes through, (I get that in a lot of these) its not as dominant as in past batches, which is a welcome change. On a side note, I know there are a lot of people that swear by batch C919, but this one wins for me, even though it comes off a little hotter, it’s just better.