Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch A125

Aroma is pungent and bold with tobacco, leather, allspice, oak, pumpernickel rye bread, and a hint of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, although this is very much more savory than sweet. Ethanol a little pesky for the relatively low proof of this “barrel proof” whiskey. Palate matches the nose almost exactly, so as to not be repetitive see above but thankfully there are some additional notes of dried apple, black cherry, and caramel. Flavors are punchy. Finish is long and complex and elevates things to another level with more leather, cigar, dry oak, cinnamon powder, barrel char, peanut shell, and dried prune. Mouthfeel is great; full-bodied to the point of being chewy, and very oily. A bit of a departure for the brand as this one dials down the sweetness and instead highlights dry and savory flavors. That said, there’s enough sweetness and complexity here to keep things from being unbalanced. Is this one of the best ECBP releases? No. Is it still good? Yes. Is it worth $89.99 that I paid? 100% yes. Keep them coming.

Very thick in the glass, a quick swirl coats completely. Great nose, brown sugar, apple, caramel, spice forward with cinnamon, cardamom, and allspice, and a hint of leather as well. Palate is not initially as complex, reading hot pepper, prunes, and bittersweet chocolate. Finish is thick on the tongue, emphasizing the bitter chocolate. I broke up some ice and dropped a couple small pieces in and did a quick swirl. This brought the fruit from the nose into play and eliminated the bitter effect, while letting the spice come forward by way of clove. Finish is shorter, obviously, but very nice. I'll be drinking this bottle in a rocks glass.

Throw it on a rock and enjoy. The flavor notes other reviewers posted are coming through nicely (pinned the same notes here). As the pro reviewer noted, the alcohol can overtake the flavors but I think that’s true for almost all of these BP offerings (yes, even C923). Let a little water or ice work it’s magic. If you time it right it wont get totally watered down.

Not bad. Still too nutty for my tastes. Black pepper when you add water. Reminds me a bit of Wild Turkey Rare Breed, but not as good. I miss the days of sweet, delicious oaky ECBPs, these just aren't cutting it. This'll probably be relegated to Old Fashioned duty.

A bit hot snd spicy on the tongue. Good pour but not as good ss most releases.

Nice and tasty with that solid burn going down.