Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch B523

This is growing on me and will continue to Im sure. Cherry, sweet caramel, and pepper on the nose. Its packed with flavor and heavy spice. Dark notes on the front end. Oak, chocolate, spice and burn soon go into more oak along with a bit of interest salty note. It finishes with oak, some tobacco, orange and continued spice. It really stays on the palate for some time. I can imagine returning to this bottle as it opens and being even more impressed.

No legs in the glass to speak of. Deep amber color. Nose is sweet and full of cinnamon with a touch of chocolate and nut bread. The whiskey explodes onto the palate as a spice bomb. Bitter chocolate follows and licorice lingers on the middle of the tongue. Somewhere in there, candied apple makes the scene. A big long chest hug ends the experience, more like a whiskey in the 130 proof range. Not a whiskey for beginners. Adding ice or water rounds out both the nose and palate, lengthening the finish and leaving it less dry and with much less heat. Cinnamon sits on the tongue forever. The B's are usually my least favorite of the series every year, but this bourbon brings it.

Fruity, nutty and slightly spicy nose. Black cherry, walnut bread, blackberry preserves lead the tasting, with the well known backbone of the EC mashbill. This release has all the hallmarks of prior releases, with perhaps some additional richness. Remarkably smooth and easy going in spite of the over 62% ABV. Feel free to add more than a splash of branch water to open this one up. It won't lose any of its character. These regular releases are a real treat, as you can see the effects of aging, weather and barrel on the distillate across the years.