Wear Your Whiskey With Elijah Craig’s New Char No. 3 Cologne

(Photo: Elijah Craig)

Elijah Craig is expanding beyond whiskey with the release of Char No. 3, a new cologne inspired by the charred oak barrels used to age its bourbon. The brand says the fragrance aims to mirror the aromas tied to barrel charring and the Kentucky landscape. The cologne is now available for pre-order for $49.99 and will ship ahead of the holidays.

Char No. 3 takes its name from the Level 3 char used on every barrel that ages Elijah Craig bourbon. The company states the scent blends notes of charred wood, spice and a light sweetness meant to mirror the materials that shape the distillery’s spirits. According to a news release, the fragrance includes notes of juniper berry, lavandin, orange blossom, nutmeg, oak barrel, birch wood, vanilla and cocoa.

“Elijah Craig’s pioneering approach to Bourbon-making, especially the art of barrel charring, has always been about craftsmanship, depth, and character,” Heaven Hill Associate Vice President of Global Whiskey Brands Max Stefka said in a news release. “Those same qualities naturally lend themselves to a fragrance – one that captures the spirit of our legacy through a rich, layered scent experience that feels unmistakably Elijah Craig.”

Fragrance company Symrise developed the formula through a study of the brand’s charred oak staves. Crafting Beauty handled development and manufacturing. Elijah Craig notes that the cologne draws from the same sensory palette that shapes its Small Batch Bourbon, though this product is, of course, for topical use only (don’t drink the cologne).

The cologne will also be sold in limited quantities at the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience in Bardstown, Kentucky.

Elijah Craig is produced by Heaven Hill Distillery, the country’s largest family-owned distillery. The brand credits namesake Elijah Craig as the first to age whiskey in charred oak barrels, a practice that continues to define bourbon today.