Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is a 12 year old, cask strength, release from Heaven Hill in Kentucky. Batches were originally denoted by proof alone, but in recent times, since the bottle re-design, batches now get additional designation to help with tracking releases. I tasted this dram blind and then got the reveal at a later time, so keep that in mind as you read through these notes.
Very well-integrated on the palate, but the high ABV cries out for water, which brings chocolate, butterscotch, bitter orange, coconut, almond, and creamed corn. The finish is a long, delightful reprise of it all.
On its own it doesn't taste like barrel proof, especially with those 12 years of aging to help mellow out the spirit. Personally, one ice cube tends to do the trick nicely!
All told, this is a huge whiskey, bigger than most Elijah Craig Barrel Proof releases (which are hardly “quiet” bourbons), a spirit which takes some time (and water) to find its comfort zone.
