Elijah Craig 12 Year

I'm bumping the rating up a tad here because this used to be one of the best easy-to-find value bourbons out there. Sadly, Elijah Craig no longer uses the age statement to keep up with the demand.

12-Year Side-by-Side Showdown So, I posted this the other night, and only one person guessed my ranking. Here are my notes as promised. From first to last, I came out 1. EC12 (7.5/10) 2. 1792 12 year (6.5/10) 3. Three Chord Twelve Bar (6.5/10) 4. Weller 12 (6/10) EC12: Far and away my favorite pour of the bunch. Not necessarily the most complex, but probably the pour that best exemplified "this just works." Everything came together in a wonderful package that sipped well and was easily enjoyed. Sweet cream with a touch of fruitiness, notes of butterscotch, and an appreciable amount of grassy spice. What lingered in the finish was mostly dry peanut and, ever so slightly, raw sugar candy. Sadly, this is also the hardest pour to get more of. 1792: It was a real toss-up between this and the Three Chord. I needed another pour of each to make a decision. Oily, earthy, hints of tobacco, something almost bitter, noticeable amount of charred oak, dusty leather. In the finish, there was dry peanut powder (more like PB2 than real peanut) and a slightly sour note. There was a hint of something almost savory, like barbecue. Twelve chord: highest proof, most peanut, dry medicinal herbal notes, some caramel, vanilla, and brown sugar. Despite being the highest proof by a good bit, it didn't drink noticeably hotter than any of the others. Maybe the least complex/ most one note. I wish there was more depth and complexity. W12: The worst by a small-but-non-trivial margin. It was the smoothest of the bunch, in that it had the least bite and spice - which makes sense because it's also the lowest proof and there's no rye in the mash bill. However, in what I could taste, there were off-putting notes that were highlighted by the side-by-side format - cheap bubble gum being the worst. The whole thing felt like it was at conflict with itself: thinness in the mouthfeel (too low proof), too much char (from the age), clove, and an unpleasant bubble gum/strawberry banana (a common byproduct of wheat in the mash bill but more pronounced in the side-by-side format). There was also fake strawberry Nesquik in the finish that lingered and lingered. I had to go rinse with water and come back, and it was better thereafter: a touch of maple sugar.

Vanilla. Soft and rounded. Little honey. Medium finish.