Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch B522

Not sure why, but the same several boxes of this have been sitting in a local store for a few months, and at a reasonable price of $68. Also not sure why I've walked by this a number of times and decided to buy something else. I finally decided to pick one up half-expecting them to be gone, but it appeared that not more than a couple bottles had been purchased since the last time I was in. This does seem to appreciate 15 minutes or so of air before taking a sip. If you let it breathe for a bit, the nose rewards you with caramel-glazed cherry and some sweet oak lingering in the background. The palate brings caramel, vanilla, peanut brittle, pipe tobacco. The finish has some cinnamon and spice, and maybe a smidge too much tannic oak for my liking, but overall I'm pleased. I don't think this is one of the better releases, but it's still very good and remains a great deal at the $68 I paid - even though it's about $10 more than I paid for my last bottle a little over a year ago. It's also better than the uncut private barrel I had. Update: nearing bottle kill, this has remained quite woody with a good bit of tannin. I’ve found that this is tamed by adding a smidge of a younger bourbon of your liking. Currently having a dram with a small bit of a 5 year old barely legal rye, and it really hits the spot now.

Pungent nose is equal parts sweet, nutty, and woody with praline, peanut shell, rich oak, cashew, vanilla, toffee, and caramel. Ethanol lets you know it’s barrel proof, but is acceptably low overall. On the palate this is a “sweet forward” ECBP release; vanilla, toffee, and caramel from the nose along with marshmallow, black cherry, cinnamon roll, and red delicious apple. Flavors are rich and punchy as expected. Lengthy finish brings some nice balancing spice in the form of cinnamon and nutmeg, along with peanut brittle, oak, tobacco, and ginger. Black cherry from the palate lingers long after everything else fades, which is a delight. Mouthfeel is nicely slick and oily, but only medium-bodied where this cries out for a thicker, chewier feel. Minor flaw. Nice to see an ECBP which leans toward the sweeter side.. The bottom line here is that these releases tend to offer a top notch experience at a reasonable price point and this is no exception. At $89.99, the rebuy factor is a “duh” (not like I will find another bottle but let’s pretend)

Drank with a large ice ball... Oh, my goodness! The nose begins the journey with a strong initial whiff of alcohol, followed by oak, leathery sweetness and allspice. The palate is spicy and smoky wood (think "campfire"), followed by a warm initial chest hug that stays with you for a few sips. Dark cherries, and some sweetness follow and another good dose of spice hits you on the mid palate. The finish is long with a welcome appearance of buttery Sara Lee pound cake(!) which totally took me by surprise. These limited releases are dangerous because if you end up loving them, subsequent searches prove difficult and/or expensive. This is one such bottle. If I can find another bottle at SRP, I'll snatch it up. If you see it for under $100, grab that thing! 4.25 solid stars!

Open 3 months Nose - Caramel, toasted marshmallow, cinnamon bun, allspice, medium oak, and light ethanol. Palate - Caramel and brown sugar, light vanilla frosting, light gingerbread, light tobacco, and light oak. Finish is medium-short with drier oak tannins, vanilla, cinnamon, caramel, light rye spice, and light ethanol. This may be the simplest ECBP I've had, and I struggle to find nuance in the flavors. But I don't think that's a bad thing considering the batches they've put out the last 2 years. B522 is crushable. Similar to C921 but even simpler and sweeter. I think if you're introducing a friend to barrel proof, this would be a great option. It's a nice change up from the dry, hot, and oaky A122, B521, and A121.

Mahogany color. The nose is sweet and dominated by maraschino cherry syrup, along with a little ground walnut, brown sugar, and honey. Rich, full-bodied, slightly oily mouthfeel. The palate is not as one-dimensional as the nose, with notes of butterscotch, bittersweet chocolate, walnuts, burnt cinnamon stick, ground nutmeg, leather and a lot of sweet oak. The finish is long, hot and dry, with more butterscotch, burnt cinnamon stick, faint cherries and oak. Overall, a fine expression. The nose is deceptively sweet, while the liquid itself drinks hotter than the proof and packs a real punch.

The nose presents caramel creme, nutmeg, clove, sugared pecans and cinnamon. There is also a hefty dose of oak cask to tie everything together. Upon tasting, more of those elements speak out, along with cocoa, roasted coffee bean, young leather and mild ginger. Again, the oak encircles the disparate elements and binds them together. The finish is long, with fading notes of caramel hard candies, chocolate covered cherries and a touch of black licorice. Overall, a very sweet, candy-like release, with plenty of traditional bourbon character to please virtually any fan of the craft.