Larceny Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch A124

HEAVEN HILL A124 SHOWDOWN ELIJAH CRAIG BARREL PROOF A124 LARCENY BARREL PROOF A124 These are two different bourbons—Larceny is wheated, whereas Elijah Craig is not—but both are Heaven Hill products, both are January 2024 releases, both are barrel proof, and both are among my favorite quasi-available high-proof bourbons. I tasted these over the course of two days, with the requisite warm-up necessary to acclimate one’s palate to the high-test alcohol levels. ELIJAH CRAIG BARREL PROOF A124 Color is a rich mahogany (akin to Pantone 160). Nose shows stewed apples, gentle cinnamon, a dusty element, and mint, with a little chocolate covered cherry undernote. The palate has a slightly viscous mouthfeel, following with sweet corn a nice hit of vanilla, which lingers on the finish. The A124 isn’t among my favorite ECBP releases, especially following the otherworldly C923 (which I tasted briefly here to validate my thoughts). However, it has grown on me over the past two days. Many have been disappointed by the lower age statement—below the historical 12 years, and exacerbated by the C923’s 13 years and 7 months. All else being equal, I appreciate a higher age statement, but that doesn’t bias my assessment. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof A124 can be found for around $80. On a relative basis, it’s always a good value for high-quality, age-statemented, high-proof, limited-release bourbon. Would I buy it again? Yes. I attempt to find each release each year. 4.0 on the Distiller scale. 119 proof. 10-year, 9-month age statement. Non-chill filtered. LARCENY BARREL PROOF A124 Like the ECBP, Larceny Barrel Proof presents as rich, dark mahogany in terms of color (Pantone 160). The nose is warm and inviting, with butterscotch and caramel notes, hot chocolate, and a whiff of Chinese-five-spice coolness. There is a light and smooth glycerin aspect that coats the mouth, with sweet vanilla. There are no hard edges, and the alcohol is well-integrated. The back end has Nutella, oak, and espresso elements, and the hot chocolate reemerges on the finish, which has good length. The LBP A124 is very good. It’s a little less expensive than its older cousin, ECBP, and can be found for around $70. Would I buy it again? Yes. Like the ECBP, I look for each of the three releases during the year. 4.5 on the Distiller scale. 124.2 proof. 6-8 year age statement. Non-chill filtered. CONCLUSION The purpose of these Showdowns is not to establish winners and losers per se, but rather to be more of an intellectual exercise to explore the contextual aspects of bourbon aesthetics: whiskies of all types will taste differently in comparison with others. (This was taken to an extreme by Fred Minnick, when he tasted all of the bourbons in his Top 100 for 2023 in one sitting—not advisable, even when spitting, which he did. But I digress). In general, the LBP has a greater warmth, depth, and richness than its ECBP cousin. It’s on the cusp of being very, very good. For the A124 release, I prefer it to the ECBP—despite the different mashbills. Fortunately, LBP hasn’t quite caught up with ECBP amongst the bourbonati, and as a result it’s somewhat more available (and less expensive). All spirits tasted neat in a Glencairn glass.

World Series opener. Yankees v Dodgers. I have worked this prior to about half a bottle. Now is the perfect time to sit back and ponder this pour. This is my first Larceny purchase and been quite impressed. This is bottled at 124.2 Abv. N: Upon first nosing, what is presented is full and deep while not overpowered by ethanol, considering the high proof. Butterscotch, candy corns, oak and baking spices (nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon, cloves) that are all well balanced. Full visions of autumn. Time exposes the sweeter aromas revealing peanut brittle with trace amounts of floral and Strawberry Quick (for those old enough to remember). P: A medium dense palate where the tongue is immediately anesthetized. Once the numbness quickly diminishes, those baking spices coats the mouth. The aromas are embodied on the palate. Deep amounts of cinnamon, almost Red Hots-like, with added flavors of milk chocolate, cola, and, oddly, soft Bavarian pretzels. W: With a healthy dose of water, the palate thins out and the richness of the flavors are muted, but they do remain. Water just allows this to become the same sipper with minimal tingle. F: A finish that lasts an eternity. Oak-soaked caramel that dries the palate. Peanut brittle and cinnamon take it to an end, if it even has an end. I nice little Kentucky hug keeps the soul smiling. N O: This is a full powered, full flavored bourbon. It does not disappoint. The fact you can grab this for $65 makes this a must have. I have often looked Larceny grabbing the likes of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, Barrel or a Bookers. This is in the same league. This is preferable without water, in smaller doses. Water just allows you to take on more of the bourbon without losing much. [$65][94/100][Tasted: 10/25/2024]

Color: Nice deep cherry-amber Nose: High proof nose... what I mean by that is I get a very strong sense of the presence of alcohol. That is not to say that it's overwhelming or off-putting. It's simply a potent nose of oak, sweet leather, and what I always get as "molasses" but could very well be more "maple". At any rate, it's one of those noses that bodes well for the palate, and you hope it follows through..... Palate (drank with an ice cube): The palate, indeed, lives up to rhe promise of the nose! Viscous mouth feel. Big spice on the first sip. Cinnamon graham cracker follows. I am in total agreement with others who have said this does not drink per its proof. Smooth! Oh, wow! Got a huge "walnut" blast on the second sip. Love when I get any nuttiness from a pour — but walnut is my favorite and ensures a good 0.5 - 0.75 stars boost when it comes time to rate it. Sweet and spicy as the ice cube melts a little. Oh, yeah... "Walnut" is the predominant flavor I get from this bad boy. Mild chest hug begins to settle in as you make your way to the bottom of the glass. Finish: More nuttiness and some burnt oak. Something akin to "drying"(?), but not really. Final Thoughts: Oh, this is good stuff. These batches become harder to find once the initial run hits your stores. But I would go out of my way to find this again. Solid 4.5 stars.

Nose is surprisingly fruity for this expression with strawberry cream, pineapple upside down cake, peanut shell, toffee, vanilla icing, and soft oak. Ethanol is pesky and takes a little off what otherwise might have been near perfect. Palate is nuttier and richer than nose would indicate with caramel, vanilla, hazelnut, fig, date, raisin, toffee, black cherry, chocolate and butterscotch. Complex. Finish is wildly long with a spice bloom of cinnamon, allspice, black pepper, clove, ginger, walnut, and oak. Spicy finish is a nice counterpoint, keeling things from getting too cloyingly sweet. Mouthfeel is vicious, but ends with a bit of dry prickliness. So I’ve seen some claim “best Larceny BP ever!” but not so fast; the profile matches my palate really well and props to Heaven Hill for taking the heat level down a notch but it’s far from perfect; a little boozy on the nose, a little prickly on the palate. So while I can’t in good conscience rank it higher than previous variations of this expression, that said its pretty good. Releases do seem to be getting more consistent and Larceny BP seems to be figuring it out, so I’m here for the ride. At 79.99, its a steal in today’s market.

Nose is apple butter up front but also brings orange citrus and cloves tempered with a good amount of cream of tartar. The palate feels thick, reading that same spice with cinnamon added. I'm not gettong a lot of fruit which I usually get with wheated whiskies (including Larceny). Finishes chocolatey. This is very clean for a barrel proof whiskey, not very hot. Finish does end a little chemically, though. A swirl of ice did not seem to bring the fruit forward but did accentuate the chocolate on the finish and negate the chemical taste, brought a woodiness to it as well. It seems like HH has been honing in on the Larceny BP's since they introduced it a few yeara ago. It's been getting better every year. I like this rendition.

Nose: deep leather and chocolate, with added notes of butterscotch and a light sweet cinnamon. Pretty high proof and little to none ethanol on the nose. Palate: absolutley delicious. Wow. So much dark chocolate here. Its like a high proof WDO. So surprised by this simpmy because I had no expectations. After you’re smacked in the face by dark chocolate, I get a very nice fresh baked bread note. Together its like drinking chocolate fudge cake. This is followed by notes of leather and the slightest bit of dark cherry. I mean wow, so so good. Added bonus: it was a birthday bottle, so I didn’t spend a dime.