Elijah Craig Barrel Proof – The Hazmat Bottling. It’s called such because of the blistering 70.1% (140.2 proof) it was bottled at. To this day still reigns as the highest proof release in the Elijah Craig Barrel Proof lineup. If you’re not familiar with the ECBP lineup I’ll give a little background info on it below. If you’re already well acquainted feel free to skip it and jump on down to the Elijah Craig Barrel Proof review below.
The Elijah Craig Barrel Proof releases have been coming out since the fall of 2013 and have continued to come out every quarter since making 4 releases per year. ECBP carries a 12 year age statement and is an uncut, unfiltered bourbon which means no water has been added is non-chill filtered. This is the truest form of this whiskey outside of an uncut single barrel. This Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is release #6 and to-date there have been 12 counting the one that just came out – I’m not sure if it still carries the 12 year age statement.
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Info
Region: Kentucky, USA
Distiller: Heaven Hill
Mashbill: 75% Corn, 13% Rye & 12% Malted Barley
Cask: New Charred Oak
Age: 12 Years
ABV: 70.1%
Cask Strength | Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Batch: 6
Price: $65
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Review
EYE
Ruddy caramel
NOSE
Oak, currant-heavy dark fruit, complex dark sweets, spice (clove, anise, cinnamon) and a touch herbal. Water brings out citrus peels, marshmallowy vanilla, cocoa and leather.
PALATE
Oak, toasted corn, complex spice, complex dark fruit, caramel heavy dark sweets, vanilla, leather and a bit of cocoa. Water brings out citrus peels, toasted grains and the cocoa becomes more brownie-like.
FINISH
Long oaky fade accompanied by notes of roasted peanuts, corn, dark fruit and spice
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Well balanced, full body and a rich oily feel.
OVERALL
Some friends and I tasted this batch 6 of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof along with the first 8 ECBP releases a few months ago in a tasting and it was unanimously everyone’s favorite and it’s easy to see why. It’s complex, multi-faceted and carries a strong sense of depth. Water also worked magic on this one and opens it up, evening it out and rounding any rough edges. It’s a lovely whiskey and the perfect end-of-summer sipper with a chunk of ice slowly melting with each sip.
SCORE: 90/100 (A-)
