Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch A121

Rating: 22/23 Neck pour. My impression from Elijah Craig B520 wasn't so great off the neck, but it was phenomenal a few months later. I loved the B520, but only after it had a couple of months to oxidize. I heard that the B520 was generally considered to be amazing, whereas this...I've heard nothing about. Let's see. N: Bold, musty wood with chocolate and leather. And some spices, of course. A really nice, decadent nose. It's not as big as Garrison Brothers Cowboy, but it's heading that direction. Sweet but with a bit of a tart side. I do smell a bit of alcohol, but it's not too strong that it's a problem. Some fine minerals, but not in a way that interferes with the other elements or diminishes them. Digging deeper, I get a bit of nuttiness like coconut and some vanilla. How did I miss that vanilla before? P: Less rich and full than the nose suggested. Spice leads into bold woodiness with a milk chocolate backing. It's quite a nice profile, though it's not blowing me away. It isn't as aggressive as I would have expected at nearly 62% ABV. I'm able to pick out more nuance from the woody spices. The biggest flavor is, surprisingly, allspice. There are nice cinamon, ginger, and clove flavors coming off of it. I'm not getting more than a hint of black pepper. Although I like black pepper, a lot of spicy whiskey tastes like black pepper simply because it's the only spicy flavor the young, brash whiskey can manage. This shows its sophistication and maturity nicely through that spice profile. And the mature wood with bit of chocolate is never out of sight. Kind of fudgey. This is actually fairly sweet. I do get a rich layer of vanilla as well. A dusting of minerality alongside it that doesn't detract more than a little from the rich, full profile. F: Vanilla, mineral, wood, spices, chocolate. I do wish that the minerality were reduced here and the chocolate came out more instead. Or some more nuanced wood. Still, it's quite a good finish. - Conclusion - I think I like this a bit more than I initially liked the Elijah Craig B520 (22/23), but it's not as good as the B520 at its prime of near perfection. This is lacking the herbal sophistication that enhances the wood in the B520. That said, the spices are more restrained and decadent in here, which I think is why this performs better right out of the bottle. This actually is a little more decadent, giving me some Garrison Brothers Balmorhea 2021 (17/23) vibes. That said, this is already superior to the Balmorhea. The Balmorhea is definitely fuller, but this is better executed, with more nuance and none of that over-steeped tea bag flavor. This is more of a very decadent yet traditional bourbon. I just need to take a moment to reflect on how easy to sip this is. It's really amazing at this proof. So smooth and decadent. I have no doubt that this is at least a 19, though I would be very hesitant to call it a 22. Wild Turkey Rare Breed 116.8 (18-19/23) rivals this in decadence, but comes from more of a fruity angle. The Wild Turkey shows more alcohol flavor and has more of a spicy burn though. Between the two, this is the clear winner. How about Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof (21/23)? It's a heavy-weight in the fullness and decadence departments. The Jack Daniel's is spicier and burns more than this though. I don't think that this quite achieves the same level of decadence, but it's more nuanced and smooth. That really puts this very close to the Jack Daniel's. I'm quite surprised. I had already decided that this was at least a 20, but to be now thinking that it's a 21 from the neck is astonishing. I'm really hopeful that this will develop into something even more extraordinary than the B520 over the next couple of months! As a final wrap-up in this tasting series, I went back to the Jack Daniels side by side with this and it was immediately clear to me that this was the winner. The fudge, polished wood, and smoothness here, combined with the immense fullness, make this a showstopper of a dram. I was doubting my earlier decision to give this a 21, but I think it has earned it. I'm now thinking of giving this a 22, which is just blowing my mind. I wish I'd bought more when I had the chance. Ick! Elijah Craig A120 is nothing when compared with this. At one point I thought that they were similar in quality, but it's now apparent to me that this is by far superior. I'm not quite ready to call this a 23, but it's definitely a 21 or 22. Considering the decadent flavors here and the smoothness, I think it has earned a 22. What an amazing dram. There's high variation among Elijah Craig Barrel Proof releases, but there are enough wins that I'm going to keep searching the shelves for them. How does this ultimately stack up against the B520? It's tough to say, but I might be leaning a hair toward this. That chocolate is just to die for. I'm really hopeful that a couple of months with the bottle opened with make this even better.

ELIJAH CRAIG BARREL PROOF SHOWDOWN: 2021 Elijah Craig Barrel Proof A121 Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B521 Continuing to work through whiskies in my collection that I’ve yet to review. I’ve got several years and releases of ECBP; however, my only complete year for all three releases is 2017. For 2021, I was never able to find C921, so this showdown will compare the A121 to the B521. I’ve gone through seven years of community ranking data for each triannual rating of ECBP, and averaged the 21 averages themselves to establish a community mean for the seven-year period 2017-2023. This will enable us to quantify what the group things about a particular release relative to the overall average (mean). At the time of yesterday’s review: • mean(m): 4.26 • standard deviation(s): 0.14 • sample size(n): 3008 (If you don’t care about stats, you can skip the next two paragraphs). Because I’m unable to aggregate all ratings for each specific release (Distiller, are you listening? Give us more data!), I’m unable to establish a standard deviation for a particular release. But I am able to compute the z-score for each particular release relative to the entire sample. The z-score is computed as follows: ((mean for the specific release minus the mean for the entire sample) divided by the overall sample’s standard deviation). This statistic quantifies how much better or worse a particular release is in relation to the community’s ranking of all ECBP over the sample period. Assuming a normal distribution, any z-score within +/- 1.0 standard deviation is assumed to be within “normal” limits (per the empirical rule, ~68% of the distribution is within +/- 1 standard deviation from the mean). A z-score of +/- 2 standard deviations would represent ~95% of the distribution; and +/- 3 is ~99% of the distribution. Thus a z-score of +1.5 would be a significantly better release than normal (and -1.5 would be significantly worse). A z-score of 2.0 would be better than 95% of the sample, etc. (End of stats geek stuff). Elijah Craig Barrel Proof A121 The A121 presents as a deep, dark amber, much like Pantone 152. Effusive nose shows toasted oak, peanut brittle (this later after going back and forth between the two), cherries, pomander (both the dried orange and clove components), some corn pudding, vanilla, and a little anise at the end. The palate is wonderfully sweet and the alcohol is quickly noticeable on the back end, bringing some spice. Charred oak, just a smidgen of tannic bitterness, and nice vanilla on the finish. Caveat lector: I’m a huge ECBP fan, and I’m certainly not alone there. Where else are you going to find rich, bold flavors at 125-ish proof for $75? Larceny Barrel Proof (another Heaven Hill product) is getting there (it’s actually a little cheaper). Elijah Craig Barrel Proof has no competition in this space. Would I buy it again? Yes. Over the course of half an hour, the A121 just kept getting better and better. It’s amazing. 4.5 on the Distiller scale. My rating: 4.5 Community: m=4.24, z=-0.16, n=239 (marginally worse than all ECBPs) 123.6 proof. 12-year age statement. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B521 Like the A121, the B521 is a clear version of Pantone 152. Nose exhibits crème brûlée, toasted oak, clove, apple cider, and a little bit of a dusty element. Palate is sweeter than the nose, with chocolate-covered cherries. I even thought I got a touch of pineapple, with some coconut: not quite a piña colada, but coconut is not uncommon from oak. . The alcohol seems a little more integrated (to be fair, it is 4.6 proof points lower than the A121), but teh spice is there. Roasted marshmallow, a little oak, and a long pull of vanilla on the finish. This is beginning to sound like a broken record: complex nose, rich and robust flavors, barrel-proof strength, and $75. Would I buy it again? Yes. Every time. 4.5 on the Distiller scale. My rating: 4.5 Community: m=4.15, z=-0.81, n=190 (moderately worse than all ECBPs) 118.2 proof. 12-year age statement. Both of these ECBP releases have without-a-doubt bourbon profiles, with the volume pushing full blast. They’re not perfect exemplars—my benchmarks are the 2019 William Larue Weller and George T. Stagg for higher proofs—and these fall short of that smoothness and the warm, enveloping, even soothing experiences that those bourbons provide. While I’ve listed some different descriptors—which are subjective and often times overlap and are not explicitly distinct—the two releases are more similar than they are different, and consistent with typical ECBP offerings. I rate them higher than the Distiller community. How many bourbons are that much better? Not many. I’ll happily savor these neat: like all ECBP releases, they offer both hedonistic and intellectual pleasure. N.B.: All spirits tasted neat in a Glencairn glass.

The nose is bold and dense starting with powdered sugar dusted banana fritters, Grade A very dark maple syrup, sautéed cherries and vintage antique leather then dark chocolate fudge with toasted hazelnuts and freshly lit pipe tobacco followed by apple pie filling, raspberry jam and mandarin oranges followed by ginger, spearmint, anise, cloves and polished mahogany with high ethanol burn. The taste is a medium to full mouthfeel starting with caramelized bananas, sautéed cherries, vanilla creme brûlée and vintage antique leather then a moderate bitter and sour spice that quickly fades to spicy dark chocolate mocha and freshly lit pipe tobacco followed by apple pie filling, raspberry jam and mandarin oranges followed by ginger, spearmint, anise, black pepper, cloves and polished mahogany with high ethanol burn. The finish is long with a spicy mocha, maraschino cherries, banana fritters, toasted marshmallow, anise, cloves, spearmint, leather and polished mahogany. Dang, this is the best of the series so far! All those traditional bourbon flavors are denser and richer than the other ECBPs and side by side with the previous best of B520, this is the richer and more balanced of the two with a long and lingering finish that just hangs around with a minor spice, creamy citrus and well-aged oak. A huge thanks to @ctbeck11 for the generous sample.

Ok…I’m gonna level with you…nosing/tasting this whiskey may very well change your life. I could get frisky with this whiskey and not a person would bat an eye. Now… on to business… Nose: sweet tea…but better, beef teriyaki noodles…but better, Ethiopian coffee…but better, a vanilla brown sugar oatmeal pancake…but better. Taste: Honeyed black tea with a note of mint and a biscuit on the side…but better, evolves into a caramel candy square that some genius confectionery sprinkled a hint of pepper into…but better, a “this whiskey made my wife like whiskey” sort of whiskey… but better (true story) Palate/Finish: If my mouth tasted like this forever…I would spit at people and they would thank me. The caramel and pepper clings like if it let go…it would die a terrible death. I kinda like this one.

Neat Glencairn Nose: This has an apple pie nose — baked apples, toasted pie crust, cinnamon, cloves and toasted turbinado sugar. Nice and delicate with absolutely no ethanol burn. Palate: The nose carries over 1:1 to the palate - baked apples, toasted pie crust, baking spices and toasted turbinado sugar - but also adds a nice, sweet oak and leather character. Finish: Once again, the nose and palate carry over 1:1 but now I also pick up a light spearmint/menthol characteristic. 87/100 Absolutely no ethanol burn to this dram. This would make an excellent dessert whiskey, but also stands up well for an anytime dram. An instant classic and favorite. Thanks for letting me taste, @TravHernandez!

ECBP Bourbon Boulevard Barrel Pick Nose: Very soft, honeysuckle and brown sugar, white bread, ripe stone fruit, and toast. Nose after swirl: seriously soft! Citrus zest, vanilla icing, those classic bourbony sugars Palate: Medium-thick mouthfeel, THERE'S that ECBP punch! Toffee sweetness, dark chocolate, tobacco, dark berries, brown sugar, ever so slight fruity lightness. Finish: loooooong smooth finish after the ethanol kick. Very slight dryness on the mouth... but not too dry, dark (I'm talking 95% cocoa) chocolate and coffee bean.