For today’s bourbon review I’m welcoming back a long time friend of the site: ECBP. Namely, the Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch B520. This is a release that, almost, always delivers a bold bourbon experience. I’m rarely disappointed when I get a bottle and this is no exception.
Aged 12 years, HH mash, bottled at cask strength. You know the drill by now.
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch B520 Review: Details and Tasting Notes
“Pour yourself a glass and take your first sip of Barrel Proof. Then add a few drops of water to open up the flavor to your liking. You won’t be disappointed.”
Details (price, mash bill, cask type, ABV, etc.)
Region: Kentucky, USA
Distiller: Heaven Hill Distillery
Mash Bill: 78% Corn, 10% Rye, 12% Malted Barley
Cask: New Charred Oak
Age: 12 years
ABV: 63.6%
Cask Strength | Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Batch: B520
Price: $60*
Tasting Notes
EYE
Deep ruddy oak
NOSE
Dark fruit, oak and leather dusted with roasted peanuts, anise, clove, and some bicuity, oily and candied citrus notes.
PALATE
Darkly sweet, darkly fruity and oaky with notes of clove, anise, caramel, roasted peanuts and a touch of menthol.
FINISH
Med-long -> Darkly sweet, nutty and oaky.
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Good sense of balance, full body and a tad dry.
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch B520 Review: Overall and Score
Aroma is a balanced delivery of drier rustic notes and stickier sweet notes that pulls the fruity, nutty, spicy, leathery, oaky profile together; Palate is a bit sweeter but stays the balanced course; Finish fades from fruity sweet to darkly sweet to nutty and oaky far too quickly. It’s good, but it’s “standard good” for an ECBP.
Which isn’t a bad thing. Like Booker’s, ECBP has a higher minimum quality than many things on the market. That’s why I jump on them when I can, I know the odds are in my favor of it being an awesome whiskey. This Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch B520 toes that line and hits that minimum expected quality dead on.
SCORE: 4/5
*Disclosure: The bottle for this bourbon review was graciously sent to me by the company without obligation. The views, opinions, and tasting notes are 100% my own.
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch B520 Review $60
Overall
4- Nose (4)
- Palate (4)
- Finish (4)
- BBF (4)
User Review
0 (0 votes) Comments Rating 0 (0 reviews)Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch B520 Review Summary
A big sweet and oaky bourbon that hits all the notes perfectly. It’s a fun and tasty whiskey that keeps up with the quality we’ve come to expect from this label.
’’’’’’