Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch C918

Nose: sawdust, vanilla oak, coffee bean, dill, dusty corn, Smokey char, maple & chocolate Palate: cherry cola, vanilla, chocolate, spice’ oak Finish: Warming spice, vanilla & oak

A full volume cinnamon and caramel bomb. Holds its own with BTAC bottles costing many times as much. Very hot straight out of the bottle but a few drops of water keeps the alcohol from overwhelming the outstanding assortment of flavors.

Wow. This one is as good as advertised. I always taste a whiskey with a lot of hype around it with a certain amount of distrust but this one delivers in a big way! Nose: Not as much alcohol punch as I'd expect with the high proof. The first smell that hit was salty peanut shells. This immediately makes me think baseball games with my dad as a kid. Also I'm getting toasted oak, toasted coconut, barrel spices like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, caramel, brown sugars, and vanilla. A very complex nose that keeps developing the more I smell and sip. Flavor: Traditional bourbon flavors like vanilla, butter, and brown sugar but with the dial turned up to 11. More salty peanuts and lots of barrel spices right up front along with some black pepper. Not nearly as strong on the alcohol as I'd expect with the proof. Buttery and oily in a great way. It took a minute for me to put my finger on it but you know what this tasted like? 100% it's cracker jack. I mean the caramel popcorn with salted coated peanuts. Wow this is good. Finish: Long finish with drying oak, more toasted salty peanuts, and barrel spice. This doesn't finish as sweet as the initial flavor suggested. This was great. Well worth the price. It's always cool when a whiskey brings you back to a particular memory and this hits on all cylinders. Well done Heaven Hill!

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