Elijah Craig Small Batch Single Barrel Select

You ever have a whisky that makes you wonder if maybe you did something to screw up your sense of taste? One that makes you sit there and doubt your buds? The kind of whisky where you have to taste other whiskies that you know much better after it just to check and make sure that everything's okay? Elijah Craig Small Batch is one of those budget bourbons drinkers hold in high regard. For about $30, you apparently get a pretty flavorful whisky with caramel and vanilla, but it’s been a long time since I’ve wanted to devote $30 to a budget bourbon. Over the past year, however, I’ve become more interested in the unique whisky experience, bottles that come and go and won’t come again, strangers passing in the night, sharing an experience they’ll remember fondly as one time only, no promises made for the future, no repeat performances. All right, slow down, I’m talking about whisky here. What I mean, of course, is that the words “limited distribution” appeal to me, the words “single barrel” appeal to me, the words “exclusive” appeal to me. And while I know that plenty of stores carry the Elijah Craig Single Barrel Select, and while I know that Elijah Craig Single Barrel Select tends to get released each year, the words “Single Barrel Select” make this stand out for me as something I would be inclined to seek out over a standard “Small Batch” that constitutes the core rage of a brand’s sales. Of course, near me, the FW&GS stores differentiate between the two by charging $13 more for the Single Barrel Select, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to spend that much for Elijah Craig, even unique Elijah Craig, when for just a small amount more, I could get something I knew I liked more (or if I wanted to spend just $20 more, I could get Elijah Craig Barrel proof). Not every region and every store, of course, charges that much more for their Elijah Craig Single Barrel Select, so when I was down the shore with my family in July and spotted Circle Liquors’ pick for…if I remember correctly $32.99, I snapped it up (along with a few other bottles available there but not here). Since I collect whisky, I don’t necessarily get to everything I buy straight away, but this past weekend, while watching my beloved Philadelphia Eagles struggle desperately against a vastly superior KC Chiefs, I cracked this open with my dad, thinking that, from the description of EC Small Batch (Caramel, Vanilla), this would prove autumnal and suit the transition into October. And…? Well, I wasn’t impressed. To call the nose delicate would be doing this whisky a favor. It’s muddled. Yes, I can tease out caramel and vanilla, really the vaguest of sweetnesses, if I put in the effort and strain my nostrils so much that the veins are sticking out on my forehead, but it’s faint among the grain, which predominates—not to such an extent that the nose is harsh, but to the extent that it’s certainly nothing to celebrate. Light-bodied would also be hyperbole when it comes to describing the flavor. It was so incredibly light-bodied as to have almost no flavor (again, I could tease out caramel and vanilla, but I was hoping this whisky would live up to the hype surrounding other reviews I’ve read of EC Single Barrel Select). Now, full disclosure, when my dad and I drink whisky during football, I usually supply the whisky. Part of this is I put in the time to research whisky more deeply than he does, so I usually find exciting stuff. And part of it is the sense that, after all he did for me in raising me, he shouldn’t have to pay for a drink for the rest of our lives if we’re drinking together; but he doesn’t like to arrive empty-handed, so he’ll often bring something, and this week, we started off with his offering of Wild Turkey 101 Rye. So switching to something lighter like the EC Barrel Select might not have been fair to the EC Barrel Select. It may have affected the taste to have recently had something a little bit heavier on the tongue (and also, I didn’t dry the glasses so thoroughly after rinsing them, so the trace amounts of water might have been affecting the EC Single Barrel flavor?), so I tried to equivocate. Scratch that, "we" tried to equivocate. We kept looking at each other. "It's not a bad whisky," we said to each other. Several times. And you know what it means when you keep saying, "It's not a bad whisky"? If I have to spell it out, it means you're trying to convince yourself that you didn't waste your money. “Maybe a little time to breathe would do this some good,” I said. So, after a glass of this, we shifted to Writer’s Tears Copper Pot because by that point, the liquid in our glasses didn’t matter so much and I wanted to kill the Writer’s Tears since the level was getting low. And now a few days have passed, and it’s had a little more time to breath. And…? The nose remains muddled, and the grain in the whisky has become the most prominent flavor dominating everything. The finish is harsh, raw. I’d read somewhere that Elijah Craig’s predominant whisky used to be a 12 year, but they were forced to go to Small Batch when they started to run out of supply. Apparently these days all the 12 year is used for their Barrel Proof line (correct me if I’m wrong here) while Small Batch blends 7-9 year barrels? I also read that the Barrel Selects are often more engaging, more interesting because they’re predominantly 8-9 years and obviously not mixed with younger stock. So what happened here? If I were to guess, I would say that the Circle Liquors pick was significantly younger. Was that why it was comparatively inexpensive to the stock in FW&GS here, where they state definitively 8 or 9 years on the shelves? I’ve had some great bourbon in my time and I’ve had some bad bourbon in my time, and this, I can safely say, is not working for me (by which I mean, hesitant as I am to admit I wasted money on a dud). Now I just have to figure out if I can use the remained of this bottle for mixed drinks (honestly, given how grainy it is I'm not sure it'll work there unless there are specific recipes on what you can do with grainy whisky). Or maybe I’ll keep trying it every once in a while and eventually something will click, but overall, I’m disappointed. Honestly, I'm having a lot of trouble giving this a star-rating because when you're this turned off, what do you give it? One and a half-stars because it'll get you drunk and it's not as repellant as the worst whisky I've ever tasted (it's not as bad as white whisky)? But that's not really what I'm looking for. I'd love to taste some of the bottles other reviewers here have tasted because it sounds like if you get a good pick, you get a solid whisky, but I'm not gambling with my money on this one again. Picked by: Circle Liquors Barrel Serial No.: 5844241 Rickhouse: HH Floor: 5

Blind tasting - 1.0 oz neat in a Glencairn Elijah Craig Single Barrel Select (NAS) bottled in 2019 for Orange Count ABC (47%, open 6 months, $29.95 in NC) Henry McKenna 10Y Single Barrel Bottled-in-Bond Barrel No. 7279, Barreled on 05-29-09 (50%, open 8 months, $39.95 in NC) Nose: A - Rich cinnamon and caramel, vanilla cream, medium oak, rye, and ethanol, light brown sugar and toffee, light dark fruits 8.5/10 B - Honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, chalky dried fruits and corn dust, light oak and peanut, very light ethanol and rye 7.5/10 Palate: A - Surprisingly muted on the tongue because I was expecting more with the nose, light caramel and vanilla, light corn dust, light oak and spice 6.5/10 B - Stronger oak and ethanol, spicy, light caramel sweetness, dry cereal with no added sugar, could use more fruit and sugar for balance 6.5/10 Finish: A - Oak and tannins pop, rye and baking spices, light vanilla, medium-short finish 6.5/10 B - Dry and tannic, oak lingers, corn dust and cereal, medium finish 6/10 Drinkability: A - 7/10 B - 6.5/10 Total Score: A = 28.5/40 B = 26.5/40 A = Henry McKenna 10Y Single Barrel Bottled-in-Bond B = Elijah Craig Single Barrel Select This one surprised me a little because I purchased multiple bottles of the Elijah Craig because I loved it and it was a great value at $30 or $27 during sales in 2019. I immediately disliked the Henry McKenna when I bought it in December 2019, it was too astringent and artificial chemical on the nose and taste, but I think it has greatly improved after being a few months open. Both of these were much better on the nose than on the palate, particularly the Henry McKenna which smelled wonderful. It was a letdown on the tongue, while the Elijah Craig had a bolder flavor but was a little too dry and tannic. Both are great values though. I use my score out of 40 for my Distiller rating. By themselves I'd probably rate them closer to 3.75-4.

10 year Kroger Pick, 94p Rick T floor 6 for $25. That’s right, I said $25. Do you like Elijah Craig? If not you should? Try it try it, if you may. Try a barre pick I say! How many of these have I had tonight? Enough to turn out the Dr Seuss mockery. Bright holden with teardrop legs that arrest midway down the glass. Prickly oak, cinnamon, anise, cigar wrapper, fresh cherries, vanilla and brown sugar with an hint of naval orange. Thin body and immediately corn- forward and sweet, followed with immediate heat, cinnamon, coriander and cayenne, then buttered and roasted pralines into a subtle 2 dimensional wood and vanilla finish. Empty glass elutes oak, creamsicle, cinnamon and tobacco. Well worth every cent. This was $25. Buffalo Trace would roll over if it met this bottle. Honestly this is a stones throw away from Old Ezra 7y BP which is spicier and less oaky but also twice the price. Honestly, the wood with the thin palate make this an excellent, full flavor but lighter sipper. This is not a bourbon that will cause deep, existential introspection. This is a bourbon you drink, enjoy and then go do whatever you damn well please. I will be packing it into a flask, alongside 30 cans of Natty Light as I march into the Indy 500 tomorrow because damnit it’s summer and I need to FEEL the thunder of an unrestricted Honda twin-turbo 2.2L V6 shake me back to life after this past year and a 120+ proof in the heat just won’t end well. Try it if you may, I say!

After a couple months of tasting lots of new stuff, I decided to open a bottle of a known favorite. It's kinda like visiting an old friend and just enjoying a sip of quality bourbon. I used to really enjoy the old EC 12 year single barrel and found it to be an incredible value. They claim they could not supply enough 12 year product to fit demand so a small batch product (something like 10,000 barrels of 8-12 yo barrels) was created and I liked it but missed the old 12 year stuff. Enter the 11 year store picks. I really like these and I have seen some 13 year picks. At $33, they are hard to beat. This one is from Total Wine and reminds me of the old 12 year if you can remember back that well. Immediately, I am greeted with buttered popcorn and vanilla on the nose. There is a distinct nuttiness. As it opens there is a touch of grassiness and rye spice. While I am typically more influenced by the nose, this bottle excels on the palate. It's got all the great bourbon flavors: vanilla, maple syrup, toffee and that nuttiness, with a bitter oak background and underlying baking spices in a most enjoyable meld. Alcohol is mostly in the background but there is a nominal lip numbing effect. It screams: I am bourbon. Can you taste satisfaction? That's what I get and a nice dry finish that lasts till the next sip.

Barrel No. 5195665 Floor 5; Rick A Age 12 years Picked by Heaven Hill Master Distiller and Durham ABC Open 7 months Nose - Peanut brittle, caramel apples, light vanilla, grainy corn, strong oak spice, and light ethanol. Palate - Caramel, vanilla, oak spice, toffee, stewed cinnamon apples, and barely any ethanol taste. Medium finish with more dry oak and rye spices than on the front palate, watered-down caramel, and vanilla bean. I mostly see 9-10 year EC store picks these days, so when I heard from Bull City Bourbon Club we were getting a local 12Y pick I jumped at the chance to buy it. The standard 94 proof EC is never my go-to bourbon because of proof, but it always holds up really well against the competition. I think it's one of the best classic examples of bourbon on the shelf, and it's hard to beat these high age store picks at $30. For comparison, I also have a Blanton's on hand. That is double the price (if you can find it at MSRP), almost the same proof, and probably a little more rye content than Elijah Craig. Side-by-side, these match up really well on the nose and palate. I know the bottle is really cool, but you're really wasting your time and money searching for Blanton's when stuff like this sits on the shelves everywhere.

Elijah Craig Small Batch Single Barrel 9YR *NOSE: A bit harsh even after a 15 minute rest. I get Cinnamon, Barrel Spice, and Barnyard Funk. *NEAT: Like the nose, it is harsh. It seems a lot hotter than 94 proof. There is a thin Vanilla Bean Sweetness on the Front End, some Bitter Oak Mid-Palate, and Cinnamon and Bitter Tannins on the Backend. Big KYHug glowing in the chest. Very little, if any, complexity. If I try really hard, I can pull some Orange Oil and Black Licorice out of it. There is a palate layering coating of Slightly Musty Oak that I like, but not much else. *SPLASH: A capful of water really helps. It softens the nose a bit and reduces some of the Bitter Tannins, but man this is still overly hot for its proof. Another capful and it’s just Vanilla Water with a burn. *VERDICT: What a disappointment. I really had high hopes. I can’t remember the last time I bought a bottle of regular Elijah Craig, but I have ordered it when dining out or at bars. I don’t remember this heat and bitterness. This barrel definitely should’ve went into the batch to have its flaws blended out. Hopefully it’ll make a good Whiskey Sour, because I believe that is where most of this bottle is headed.