Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch A120

A nice bold flavor. This old A120 12-year is another EC Barrel Proof banger. A lot of heat and when you put it on a big rock it smooths it out a touch to refine the flavor more

Sweet on the nose turns to baking spices on the palate.

Pro tip: you don't have to pretend you prefer bourbon to be this high proof. Fill a rocks glass with ice water and buy a little pipette to allow you to add small, consistent amounts of water to your dram. 👃 I don't care who you are, this shit is spicy I get a little dark cherry and after a drop of water it's not as hot as you'd expect 👄 Gotta take small sips on this on, but it is complex oaky goodness 🏁 Surprisingly sugary. Splendid.

The nose starts with bananas foster, morello cherry jam, deep fried bread covered in cinnamon sugar and vintage antique leather then dark chocolate covered hazelnuts and freshly lit pipe tobacco followed by sautéed apples, raspberries and mandarin oranges followed by ginger, spearmint, anise, cloves and polished mahogany with high ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with bananas foster, morello cherry jam, deep fried bread covered in cinnamon sugar and vintage antique leather then a moderate bitter and sour spice that slowly fades to a spicy dark chocolate mocha, toasted marshmallow and freshly lit pipe tobacco followed by sautéed apples, dehydrated raspberries and mandarin oranges followed by ginger, spearmint, anise, cloves and mildly bitter ashy oak spice with high ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with a moderate black pepper spice, cocoa nibs, caramelized bananas, sour cherries, burnt caraway seeds, pipe tobacco and over-brewed black tea. Another tasty bourbon in this Elijah Craig series that the nose really pulls you in with bold and balanced notes of sweet citrus, fried bread, light sourness, dusty old oak and light rye spices that carries over to the taste but fails to deliver on the balance found on the nose as there's a bitter spice that throws it off before allowing those sweet citrus fruits through and finishes rather bitter and spicy with subtle fruits ever so slightly peeking through. Side by side with B519, this is the clear winner for me as the fruits aren't nearly as sour and the A120 incorporates some enjoyable well-aged oak notes that I didn't find in B519. Thanks @ctbeck11 for the generous sample.