Elijah Craig Barrel Proof was one of the first bourbons that captured my attention in a way that I felt the need to try to obtain a bottle of it. The reviews discussed soaring notes of caramels, brown sugar, toasty oak, and amazing desserts. They spoke as though the burn doesn’t exist, and that it tastes like dessert. It took me over a year to track down a bottle here in a Ohio, so did Elijah Craig Barrel Proof – Batch B520 live up to the hype that sent me down this bourbon rabbit hole?
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof – Batch B520
Sight: A solid tawny
Smell: The nose is massive out of the gate. It explodes with vanilla, spice, massive cherries, pepper, and tons of oak. Caramel drizzles through the whole thing and sweet notes of graham cracker and baked snickerdoodles come through. The nose has some heat to it, giving away it’s proof. The vanilla almost has a creaminess and hides a cigar box like note.
Sip: The start of the sip is full bodied with a little bit of sweetness. It opens with a quick disappearing of fruitiness, followed by caramel and vanilla bean, before spice finally begins to build. The flavors of bruleed sugar mix with cigar box and toasted oak. The spice continues to build moving to clove, dark chocolate, and cinnamon territory that head for touches of roasted or slightly burnt notes. Heat sneaks into the picture and some floral characteristics of ethanol flit around the edge with some dried cherries and freeze dried strawberry.
Savor: The end shows a pop of red fruit before it slides massively into oak and spice. The finish lingers with a cigar box / toasted tobacco element.
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is a big, bruising puncher of a barrel proofer that delivers on flavor with a side of power. There’s some really amazing vanilla and caramel notes that come out of this bourbon. The spice and baked good notes are also impressive. All things consider, it’s powerful, a bit hot, and truly tasty. It has enough complexity to keep you coming back, but enough heat to remind you what it is.
In Cocktails
In a Manhattan Elijah Craig Barrel Proof adds a richness to the body with plenty of the caramel and vanilla that make it since on it’s own. The spice becomes super charged, and leaves the fruitiness in the back seat. A truly interesting coffee and toasted marshmallow like note come out at the ending. The vermouth struggles to keep up here, and the bitters actually super charge the oak. While it’s does make a decent Manhattan, you can make a better Manhattan with a cheaper whiskey.
In Review – Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch B520
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch B520 is incredibly interesting on it’s own, but is a little aggressive for work in cocktails. The result is mostly as intended, a beautiful bourbon for drinking one neat. As such, the way we recommend you drink it is neat. If you feel the need for a higher proof bourbon to do some of the work, give