Elijah Craig barrel proof 2021 1010 Washington pick

EC single barrel 1010 pick 118.9 proof Nose: neat: caramel and saw dust, pencil shavings. Something fruity… some kind of fruit at first Im struggling to figure out what. Later tootsie roll. Later as it opened peanuts. More caramel. Ethanol. Later a cherry dipped in crushed peanuts. A very yummy nose as it opened. Even later I got a salty funk. Water: gobs of salted caramel. Totally different than the first pour out of the bottle. More caramel with some pencil shavings. Later cherry. Oh shit … baby Ruth bar. Later as it opened salted cherry cordial. Caramel dipped in cherry. So on balance the nose was ok neat and great with water. Body: neat: full Water: full Palate: neat: initially the spiciness is forward. And it gives a nice Kentucky hug. Later the oak & wood comes forward. There is sweetness coming out Water: salted caramel. Spicy caramel. So with water the palate is sweet spicy caramel. It’s good not great. The water cuts out the wood. Interesting. Finish: neat: medium to long. But not smoky like I love. Water: and long finish with smoke. Whoa. The finish is great with water. Note: barrel aged in the Bernhiem warehouse… cement. I’m excited for this. Don notes it is off profile. Neat, this was good. Kind of a half step off the normal barrel proofs… similar but like maybe not as coherent as a standard BP. With water: this opened up like a flower in the morning. Like a big muscular manly flower. On first time through this is much better more coherent and delicious with water. Actually really very good, it just needs to open and be tamed a little.