Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch A123

ELIJAH CRAIG BARREL PROOF SHOWDOWN: 2023 Elijah Craig Barrel Proof A123 Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B523 Elijah Craig Barrel Proof C923 Continuing to work through ECBPs in my collection. I’ve got several years and releases of ECBP; my only complete years for all three releases are 2017 and 2023. I’ve previously reviewed the ECBP A123 in a showdown with its Heaven Hill cousin, Larceny Barrel Proof A123 (October 11, 2023); but I’ve yet to review all three 2023 releases in “Showdown” format. In 2017, Elijah Craig introduced a new bottle and label. For the A117 release to the A123, the label at the bottom had three boxes: one for proof, one for ABV, and one for batch (i.e., A123). Each bottle carried a 12-year age statement. This changed with the B523 release, and thus far continues with the C923. These labels continue to show the proof in the first box, but the second box now shows the age statement, which is no longer only 12 years. The B523 is 11 years and 5 months; the C923 is 13 years and 7 months. 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). As of roughly a week ago: • 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 A123 Like each of these 2023 releases, the A123 color is a clear mahogany, like Pantone 159. caramelized sugar, root beer, pineapple upside down cake, barbecue sauce, caramel, maple syrup, chocolate pudding pie, and vanilla. There is a faint vegetal note like celery seed, but this only makes it more interesting. The amazing depth and breadth on the nose doesn’t miss a step on the palate, which is sweet and spicy. Some drying leather and lots of vanilla on the long finish. When I did a Showdown between the ECBP A123 and the Larceny Barrel Proof A123, I rated the ECBP 4.25 vs the LBP at 4.5. If that was accurate, I can’t wait to taste the LBP A123 again! Th ECBP A123 is very, very good. Would I buy it again? Yes. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is the best value in all of bourbondom. And it’s not that $80 is “cheap”; rather, it is inexpensive relative to bourbon-price insanity, and represents amazing value in its combination of price, flavor, and proof. Easy 4.5 on the Distiller scale. My rating: 4.5 Community: m=4.42, z=1.13, n=49 (well above all ECBPs) 125.6 proof. 12-year age statement. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B523 Like each of these 2023 releases, the B523 color is a clear mahogany, like Pantone 159. Muted nose compared to the A123 (although it does open up after 15+ minutes). Cocoa, pecan pie, marzipan, deep sandalwood, and a dusty dry leather note. It becomes much more assertive on the palate, with cola syrup and a deep honeyed sweetness, and the 124.2 proof (the lightest of the bunch) makes an appearance. That same assertiveness continues on the finish, with the dusty dry leather note making a second appearance, along with some slight bitterness and a hit of vanilla. As of last week, the Distiller community has ranked the B523 at 4.47, second only to the C523’s 4.49. I can’t agree with that. The nose is a wallflower compared to its A123 and C923 siblings, and that same nose is incongruous with its own palate as well. To be fair, these are high-class problems, manifest from high expectations. Would I buy it again? Yes. Of course I would. I’ve never been disappointed with any release of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, and the fact that they can be found at $80 is just incredible. 4.25 on the Distiller scale. My rating: 4.25 Community: m=4.47, z=1.49, n=69 (well above than all ECBPs) 124.2 proof. 11-year, 5-month age statement. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof C923 Like each of these 2023 releases, the C923 color is a clear mahogany, like Pantone 159. Effusive, penetrating nose shows banana bread, brown sugar, rich apple pie, caramel, sweet and sour sauce, the same very light celery-seed note that I got on the A123, and a cooling hint of licorice. On the palate, the flavors coat the tongue, and the robust flavor intensity keeps the high 133 proof in check. Toasted marshmallow—including some that you let catch on fire and get a little burnt—on the finish, along with a little root beer and vanilla. Wow. Transcendent. ECBP C923 is on another level. Insofar that I can recall, this is my favorite release of ECBP. This bourbon can be found for $79.99, which is the best bourbon value I’ve ever come across (the A123 is not too far behind). Would I buy it again? Yes. Please, if you see any at retail, leave a comment below and I’ll be there ASAP. 4.75 on the Distiller scale. My rating: 4.75 Community: m=4.49, z=1.64, n=69 (significantly better than all ECBPs) 133.0 proof. 13-year, 7-month age statement. Overall, the B523 is the softest of the bunch, and was the easiest of the three to rank. It has the lowest age statement, and the lowest proof (just slightly lower than the A123). But that’s not a ding; it is very good. “Softest” is relative to the other two, and tasted alone, that same descriptor could come across as “smooth.” But the nose is AWOL in comparison. The A123 and C923, however, are on a different level, with robust aromatics and flavors from start to finish. As I’ve stated before, these “Showdown” formats aren’t necessarily meant to declare winners and losers, but rather to establish some context amongst various themes. For the 2023 releases of ECBP, however, there is a clear hierarchy: C923, closely followed by A123, and then B523. I’d happily drink the B523 neat and enjoy every sip. And to be clear, I’m not influenced by the fact that the May release is somewhat lower (11 years, 5 months) than ECBP’s typical 12-year age statement. It simply lacks the unbelievable intensity of the January and September 2023 releases. At some point down the road, I’ll do a Showdown between the ECBP B523 and the Larceny Barrel Proof B523; perhaps the ECBP will show differently against that backdrop. N.B.: All spirits tasted neat in a Glencairn glass.

Despite its vaunted reputation, I've held a grudge against Elijah Craig for a while. I'm sure I used to drink the Small Batch way back in the day before I paid attention to what I was drinking primarily because it was inexpensive and readily available. But the first time I actually actively bought a bottle of Elijah Craig was one of the barrel proof releases in 2020. This was before I was keeping records, before I joined Distiller here and could capture my experience and look back on what my feelings about a particular bottle were. The bottle was fine, if not a little hot, but given the hype that surrounded it, I expected life-changing (I believe it was B520, but I could be mistaken; it might have been B521 and my memory is merging my past into a little ball). In any case, that all right bottle of Barrel Proof was followed by a single barrel store pick from Circle Liquors outside Ocean City Jersey, which might still be my lowest rated whisky on this site. Honestly, it was like water with a little alcohol mixed in. It was 94 proof same as the Small Batch, but I probably would have been better off buying the Small Batch given the quality of what I got in this case. I used it as a mixer to try and finish it, and as a mixer it was awful. It was so weak tasting that when I made Manhattans all I tasted was vermouth. I felt a little betrayed given everything I'd heard and read: Elijah Craig was supposed to be a reliable brand. That's probably the only reason I'm here, trying again. The reputation. The reliability. Am I really not an Elijah Craig fan? Or did I simply pick two expressions that didn't do it for me when there are wonderful expressions out there. Now I buy a bottle of whisky every Friday. That's sort of how I make it through the week. Don't mistake that as I drink a bottle a week. There's a ton of whisky in a cabinet in my house waiting to be tasted. Probably 60-some bottles at this point, and because I buy one a week but don't drink one a week, it grows. I try not to plan what I'm going to pick up. I peruse the state store site prior to heading to one of the nearby branches and I have ideas about what I'm looking for, but I'm always willing to change my mind in the store. Also, the site isn't always up-to-date, so when I got there, even though the online site said ECBP was cold out, what they meant was they had no more ECBP C922. They had just that day gotten in the ECBP A123. And, well, doesn't the release of a 3x/year Barrel Proof always feel like an event? Like something special just happened? Like, if the site says they're out, and the store has it in, and it just arrived that day, maybe that's the one you should get? Or is it only me? Anyway, before grabbing this, I walked around the store, eyeing up other bottles. I considered Pikesville, being the rye lover I am, but I passed. I gazed at some of the scotches with longing but the ones I wanted were above what I wanted to spend on my first bottle since my credit card turned over. They had the Knob 18, but if I'm going to spend that much on a whisky, I have my heart set on the Highland Park 18 and not the Knob, and I think most of y'all would send up an Amen at that. So, I circled back and picked up the Elijah Craig, a bottle that just felt good in my hand, its shape, its weight, like pulling Excalibur from the stone. Plus, even though EC just raised the SRP of this to $70, our stores are charging $65, so it felt like a discount. The reviews I've read have said that this is in keeping with the tradition of solid releases, but it's not the best in recent memory. But they also say that this favors the wood and spice, which I tend to prefer to the sweet when it comes to bourbon. And so the nose on this is beautiful to me. There's a lumberyard quality of fresh cut wood to the nose coupled with a trace of caramel and vanilla. This is exactly what I mean when recently reviewing a host of bottled-in-bonds where I say I prefer something as inexpensive as Old Tub to Jack Daniel's Bonded: it's got a summery feel of the ballpark, of the carnival rather than a cloying sweetness. It's not necessarily a nose I'd like to get as a scented candle, as I've mentioned before with certain scotches like Dalwhinnie or Talisker DE, but it makes me nostalgic in that a spiced and oaky nose reminds me of days in my 20s, when the springtime came and I'd pick up a bottle on my way home from work, rest my feet up on the sill of an open window and stare out at the evening sun as it was just about to go down, maybe a cool breeze blowing in, preparing to head out into the night for whatever adventures might await. The palate itself continues the spice. At 125 proof, this is a hot one, but it's not unpleasant. Added to the oak and caramel on the tongue is a sweetness that's also not cloying, maybe dates or figs with a slightly minty touch of ethanol that's also pleasant in the way it coats your mouth and comes out in a minty rush through your nose. The finish here is long, lasts forever, and it's tannic, but again not offputting. Overall, I'm glad this is what I picked up for myself this week. I'm having my dad and brother-in-law over tomorrow for the Super Bowl, and while I plan to open the Laphroaig Lore as my big surprise to them, I'm also thinking I might serve this at some point over the course of the evening. Generally when they're here I don't just stick to one bottle but try to mix it up to give a host of flavors and examples of what whisky can be. The only question is, where do I put this in the sequence of servings? Generally, I tend to go from more delicate to more extreme. For example, I was also going to serve Highland Park Cask Strength Release No. 2. So do I start with the Lore, switch to the Highland Park, and finish with the ECBP A123? Then give them the option for their fourth dram to choose what they want of the three? I don't know, that sounds like a plan to me. But maybe I'll just have to improvise as I go. I haven't tasted the Lore yet. The Highland Park Cask Strength is better than this one. So I'd be amping it up and coming down in terms of my own personal preferences. But it strikes me as the Highland Park would compliment the Laphroaig better. What would say? How do you guys plan your sequences when having a tasting. Do you have theories? I'd say that it's like putting together a good mixtape, only nobody makes mixtapes anymore so that reference is out-of-date. Thoughts? Opinions?

A123 BARREL PROOF SHOWDOWN Elijah Craig Barrel Proof A123 Larceny Barrel Proof A123 Continuing to work through bottles in my collection that I’ve yet to review. I’m a huge fan of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof (ECBP), and have most of their triannual releases going back a few years. The brand itself has been around for just over ten years. Larceny Barrel Proof (LBP) is also a triannual release, though it has only been around for about three years. The “A123” designation refers to which of the three annual releases (January, May, September) the bottle is. The “A” signifies the first release of the year; the “1” stands for the month of January. The “23” means the offering is in 2023. Following these A123 guidelines, “B523” for example would be the second release of 2023: “B” is the second, “5” is May, and “23” is 2023. This methodology can be applied to any release. Both ECBP and LBP are products of the Heaven Hill distillery; hence the same release designation. Both are bourbon, but the ECBP has rye in its mashbill, whereas the LBP employs wheat rather than rye. With both barrel proofs coming from the same distiller and release periods—not to mention the fact that the two differ in proof by only 0.2—I thought it would be an interesting exercise to compare them side-by-side. That being said, a 125-proof bourbon is not something to jump straight into; so I had a good splash of Henry McKenna, also a Heaven Hill product, as a 100-proof warmup. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof A123 Quite dark in color; Pantone 160. Wonderfully complex nose evokes dark chocolate covered cherries, both candy and caramel apples, root beer, pomander, Golden Grahams cereal, vanilla, and a whiff of dust. Alcohol more noticeable than the LBP, despite the proofs being nearly identical. Palate has some viscosity, as well as more dark chocolate cherries and some espresso bitterness. The alcohol is noticeable, transitioning to a spicy cinnamon burn with juicy apples, and a touch of woody tannins; long vanilla finish. I’ve never met an ECBP that I didn’t like. This one is very good, but it’s not my favorite release. That’s not a damning statement; rather, it speaks to the high bar that this brand has set. I try to buy each and every ECBP release, but I sometimes don’t see them in my neck of the woods. When I do see them, they’re typically about $80. Would I buy this again? Every single release, if I could. 4.25 stars on the Distiller scale. 125.6 proof. Non-chill filtered. 12-year age statement. Mashbill: 78% corn, 12% malted barley, 10% rye. Larceny Barrel Proof A123 Dark, but just a shade lighter than the ECBP; Pantone 159. Cracker Jack, warm apple pie with a pat of butter, Chinese five-spice, warm cola concentrate, and some caramel. Pervasive mouthfeel shows viscosity similar to the ECBP; alcohol on both nose and palate is more hidden, though certainly present. Long finish with a smooth cappuccino element, along with some vanilla. As Keith Jackson used to say during a college football broadcast: “Whoaaaaaah, Nellie!” This LBP A123 is fantastic, like a satisfying home-cooked meal in front of a warm fire. I bought this in a store that is off the beaten path for me, but I’m heading there again soon! I don’t recall exactly what I paid, but LBP can typically be found for $60-70. More, please! Would I buy it again? I’m breaking out my wallet right now. Not to be missed. 4.5 stars on the Distiller scale. 125.8 proof. Non-chill filtered. 6- to 8-year age statement. Mashbill: 68% corn, 20% wheat, 12% malted barley. Barrel-proof bourbons are my favorite: there is no water adulteration. Both of these are non-chill filtered, so you’re getting the esters and fatty acids that are largely captured (and removed) in a normal filtration process. It’s more natural. It’s pure—straight from the barrel. Both of these A123 releases command your attention, as a barrel-proof bourbon should. They are beautiful and sensual and voluptuous and will ruin you if you’re not careful—and they know it. But you keep coming back for more. The LBP A123 is really, really good. It’s effusive in your nostrils, saturates your palate, and wraps around your tongue, snuggling it like a big, warm blanket. It is smoother than the ECBP (though the ECBP certainly isn’t unsmooth; this could be a function of the rye vs wheat component of the ECBP). The LBP finish goes on and on and on. Same distiller, nearly identical barrel proof, different ages, different mashbill: despite the fact that I’m an unabashed ECBP fanboy, I prefer the LBP here. N.B.: All spirits tasted neat in a Glencairn glass.

Aroma opens with red delicious apple, pipe tobacco, wood varnish, leather, sandalwood, and caramel. There’s a significant amount of unwelcome ethanol here. (I know it’s a barrel proof but I’ve had higher proofs with less) This particular release smells closer to a souped-up Elijah Craig Small Batch which…could be better. Palate gets things moving back into the right direction with rich vanilla, Rollo candy, graham cracker pie crust, apple, date, black cherry cola, and milk chocolate. All the notes in the palate are various degrees of sweet, yet it doesn’t become cloying and I would attribute that to the overall profile not being super rich but in this case it might be a feature, not a bug. Finish comes in super quickly with ice cream sundae, cinnamon, clove, oak, and a long spicy blast of peppermint and cinnamon which goes on seemingly forever. While I appreciate long finishes, I’m not certain that these are the notes I want to linger to this extent as there is kind of a toothpaste quality to it. Mouthfeel is weighty and oily, but does have a little graininess. More challenging, less cohesive, and probably just lesser quality than any of the ECBP batches I have sampled. Does that make it a bad whisky? Not at all, and my relatively low rating of 4.0 is less “this is shit whisky” and more indicative of the quality that I am used to seeing from this brand that this one simply didn’t measure up to.

NEAT NOSE - Very bold explosion of oak, brown sugar, and caramel. There is some vanilla and cherry hiding in there that’s much more subtle. PALATE - Viscous mouthfeel. The nose follows through on the palate but man, this one is very oaky. However, it doesn’t come across as tannic or dry which is a surprise. The brown sugar and caramel come through mid palate with vanilla and cherry on the finish. FINISH - Long. Bold, Sweet, Oaky. The last note is cherry as it fades away on the palate. BUY? - Absolutely. I’m sure this could beat some batches of Stagg. BUY AGAIN?? - I’ve thought about backing this one up but I’m fine looking forward to future batches as always.

The nose has notes of dark caramel, pepper, orange peel, vanilla, oak, and a bit of leather. The fruit notes are a bit in the background but are present enough to add dimension. It's really nice. The flavor has heavy-handed dark caramel, and some saltiness lies with the heavy spice. Its quintessential EC flavors turned up to 11. There's some red hot candy as well with pepper and nice char flavor. It finishes on the slightly sweeter side, still drenched with oaky caramel. My initial impression was that it was a solid pour. The more I drink it, the more I like it.