I’m always on the lookout for new or interesting spirits to try, especially given what we do here at Thirty-One Whiskey. Fortunately for me, I’m only a block and a half from my local Garfield’s Beverage so when out running errands, I will often just pop in to see what they have. Which is exactly how I came across a bottle of Elijah Craig barrel proof bourbon and, since I’ve enjoyed some of their other expressions, I once again bought a bottle of bourbon I did not need.
History
The eponymous Elijah Craig was a Baptist preacher living in Kentucky between 1738 and 1808. Sometime around 1789, he founded a distillery and started doing things a little differently. According to some accounts, Craig was the first person to try out what has since become the standard process for the production of bourbon: putting a corn-based distillate in charred oak barrels.
Around two hundred years later, in 1986, the Heaven Hill company would start producing a line of bourbon from their distillery named in his honor.
Established in 1935, shortly after the end of prohibition, Old Heavenhill Springs Distillery was founded by a group of investors in Bardstown, Kentucky. They were gambling on the idea that alcohol production would be a booming business and invested heavily in being one of the first companies to stand up and service that market. One of those investors was well known distiller Joseph L. Beam (first cousin to Jim Beam) who would also become the first master distiller of the facility.
As the years went on, the five Shapira brothers bought out all of the other investors to become the sole owner of the business and changed the name to “Heaven Hill Distillery”, which was a typo on the paperwork from the original Heavenhill distillery. Despite being bought out, the descendants of Joseph Beam remain the master distillers of the facility to this day.
Their primary distilling facility burned down in 1996, destroying 90,000 barrels of whiskey and lighting the creek that feeds the distillery on fire for nearly two miles downstream. According to our tour guide on my recent trip there, the fire melted five fire trucks and burned for nearly four days. (That said… she also said that “the truth is agreed upon fiction”, so take that last anecdote as you will.)
The business survived and they purchased a new distillery in Bernheim from Diageo in 1999 where production now takes place, but all aging still takes place at the original Bardstown facility.
The 1935 bet has paid off — big time. Heaven Hill Distillery is currently the biggest family-owned distillery in the United States and the second largest holder of bourbon whiskey inventory in the world. Their flagship brands include Deep Eddy vodka and Elijah Craig, and their facility hosts the annual Kentucky Bourbon Festival.
Product
- Learn More: What Is Bourbon Whiskey?
As a Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, this is required to start with a grain bill of at least 51% corn. According to a 2021 press release announcing the release of the bourbon, we know that this uses the traditional heaven hill mashbill of 78% corn, 12% malted barley, and 10% rye. The next step, as always, is that the grains are milled, cooked, and fermented to create a mildly alcoholic distillers beer.
After that, the grains are distilled which ramps up the alcohol content and selectively captures the components and flavors of the spirit that the distiller wants, resulting in raw “white” whiskey. That newly made whiskey is then placed into new charred oak barrels for a period of no less than two years (as required for the designation of a Kentucky Straight Bourbon).
This bottle takes what would otherwise become Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon and gives it some additional time to age in the barrel. Specifically, nine total years. After nearly a decade, this bourbon is bottled uncut, straight from the barrel at nearly 60% ABV on behalf of Garfield’s Beverage who chose this specific barrel for their “Private Barrel” edition.
Packaging
With the exception of Elijah Craig 18-year, every bottle is relatively the same in terms of construction. It’s a medium to tall height rectangular bottle that has been stretched out, allowing for some added curves to the shoulder and sides of the bottle.
The base of the bottle remains rectangular, with a very minor outward flare. Towards the upper part of the bottle this flare becomes more bulbous, giving a curved shape, and the curve continues unimpeded to the neck of the bottle, with nearly zero shoulder.
The lip is wide and flat, which seems to encourage a consistent pour. The bottle is topped with a wooden and cork stopper, where the wood cap is wide and flat — and perfectly aligned with that wide and flat lip. It all makes for a nice, neat appearance and a good pour.
The font and color scheme is consistent with the rest of the Elijah Craig line, with the name and type of the whiskey printed in a yellow gold color directly on the bottle. The only variation on the label is a black label stuck just above the normal label calling out this is a special edition single barrel variety for the local spirits distributor.
Overall, it’s a clean and minimalistic bottle. It stands out and will not let you forget that it’s an Elijah Craig product.
Neat
The whiskey is a rich amber color that gives off a very strong smell of alcohol almost immediately — there is no surprise from the very beginning that this is a high strength bourbon. You can also pick up notes of fresh lemon citrus and a mild vanilla sweetness mixed in with that high proof alcohol. Honestly, it’s what I expect to smell with a Bath & Body Works hand sanitizer.
Shockingly, that strong aroma of alcohol does not seem to translate to the flavors of this whiskey. It’s surprisingly sweet, with notes of vanilla and a bitter dark chocolate. As the flavor develops there are some sour notes that appear and start as a strong lemony citrus, but tend to fizzle out into a bitter sour beer flavor towards the back of your tongue.
While there was a nose-hair-singing level of alcohol in the aroma, we haven’t really seen any of that in the flavor itself — but that does not mean this whiskey does not bring the heat. There is a strong spicy black pepper finish flush with oak and baking spices that I’ve come to expect with most barrel proof whiskey, and it certainly adds some appreciated complexity and texture.
It seems hard to make a barrel strength bourbon that is enjoyable neat, but I think that this bottle really seems to hit that mark. It’s strong and in your face as a high ABV spirit, but it’s still mellow enough and has complexity that makes it an interesting choice to sip neat.
On Ice
Usually, this is where barrel strength whiskeys seem to shine for me, with the ice cutting enough of the harsher elements to give you a strong yet drinkable bourbon. But honestly, this whiskey was pretty good even taken neat, so there’s an open question as to what the ice will do in this scenario.
With this spirit we do see the heat mellow out a bit, giving the bourbon a smoother finish. However, there is a lot of other stuff that seems to get stripped out as well. The vanilla is still hanging around, but the dark chocolate is all but gone along with the citrus notes. What is not impacted is the strong finish – it’s still very oaky and has a strong pepper spice.
So you are left with a strong bourbon that has a mild vanilla sweetness and big oaky flavor. Not terrible, but a little simplistic if I’m honest.
I really wish this had stood up a bit more to just a little bit of ice. Given at how well this drank neat, I am sure it was asking too much to be great on the rocks, too.
Cocktail (Old Fashioned)
To me, the old fashioned is a great cocktail for before or after dinner, when you are relaxing and enjoying good company. This whiskey creates something unique and more rustic – something that seems to fit better with your buddies around a campfire with a good cigar.
For starters, that strong oak flavor that has been built over nine years in a barrel is the star of this drink. That boldness is counteracted by the sugar, which adds just enough sweetness to bring some needed balance. The angostura bitters definitely add some herbaceous notes and bitterness to the spirit, but there’s way more inherent bitterness from the dark chocolate and oak notes than the angostura adds to the party and that I think helps to keep it all in check. In my opinion, there is the right amount of heat as you sip this drink.
This cocktail is not for those looking for an old fashioned to wash down a filet at your local steakhouse. This is for someone who wants to hear the ice crack as a roaring fire pops and sparks.
Fizz (Mule)
I expected a little more from this bourbon in a Kentucky mule — the strong bold flavors we saw in the old fashioned usually translate to a balanced mule. However, this bourbon just seem to fall apart here.
The bourbon is not completely behind the ginger beer, but it’s not holding its own either. The ginger beer is the overwhelming flavor profile, while only a mild oakiness comes through from the bourbon.
I really do not taste much else other than the oak, to be honest — everything else just seems to fall aside. I expected a little bit more, but that is what I get for being excited for a mule.
Overall Rating
Another good whiskey from Elijah Craig. This is quickly becoming my favorite product line from Heaven Hill, a distillery that we have covered extensively.
I appreciate any barrel strength bourbon that is enjoyable neat. It’s easy to bottle something at a high ABV that tastes like oak and burning — it’s an entirely different skill to craft a 60% bourbon that can be enjoyed neat and still make a unique yet delightful old fashioned.
That said, this is not a bourbon for the faint of heart –it’s got a kick. But for me, that’s what I want in a barrel proof whiskey: something both audacious and piquant that can be enjoyed with a robust cigar.
| Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey Production Location: Kentucky, United States Classification: Straight Bourbon Whiskey Aging: 9 Years Proof: 59.75% ABV Price: $69.99 / 750 ml Overall Rating:   |
Overall Rating: 4/5
A bold barrel proof bourbon that can be sipped or mixed in a robust cocktail