Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch C918 Review

I love the ECBP releases, I snag them whenever I can find them and slowly work through the bottle. Savoring it and taking my time because I never know when I’ll get to score it again. Though with the Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch C918 release that loving relationship has hit a bit of a snag as you’ll see in the bourbon review below.

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch C918

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch C918 Review: Details and Tasting Notes

In Heaven Hill’s Words:

“Uncut, straight from the barrel without chill filtering, the nose, taste, and finish created by twelve years of aging are preserved in their simplest form. At full barrel proof, you can enjoy Elijah Craig much the same way our Master Distillers do when they sample straight from the barrel in our Kentucky rickhouses. It’s a bold and honest expression of what charred oak barrel aging can do for Bourbon, from the man who originated the process.”

ECBP C918 Details (price, mash bill, cask type, ABV, etc.)

Details (price, mash bill, cask type, ABV, etc.)

Region: Kentucky, USA

Distiller: Heaven Hill
Mash Bill: 78% Corn, 12% Rye, 10% Malted Barley
Cask: New Charred Oak
Age: 12 Years
ABV: 65.7%

Cask Strength | Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color

Batch: C918

Price: $60

Tasting Notes

EYE
Caramel

NOSE
Astringent oak, acetone, caramel coffee syrup, imitation vanilla, peanuts and some cocoa and spice.

PALATE
Astringent oak, acetone, farmy/hay notes, musty oak, char, burnt cocoa, roasted peanuts and spice.

FINISH
Long -> Acetone, astringent oak, char and peanuts.

BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Not balanced, full round body and a hot dry feel.

This is is the hottest more acetone heavy ECBP I’ve had. Time and water help a bit, but can’t fully save it.

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch C918 Review: Overall and Score

This reminds me of Old Blowhard it’s so over-oaked and astringent. The Aroma comes across a bit artificial and chemical like; Palate is dry and floods through with that same chemical nature but with a bit more oak and fruit that pulling it through; The Finish starts rough, but ends up fading out not too terribly.

It’s like they took all the barrels from the top of the warehouse that were aged for at least 12 years and put them in this batch. Typically I love the the ECBP releases, but this is all brute power and doesn’t contain all of the depth and layers I sounds in so many of the other releases. But hey, they can’t all be winners and I’m still looking forward to the next one.

SCORE: 77/100 (C+)

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch C918 Review