Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch C920

I purchased two bottles of C920 during the pandemic and never got around to trying either one of them. Frankly, I purchase a lot of bottles and finally getting around to giving them a try. This is one that I'm glad that I purchased multiple bottles. The flavor profile is nothing less than AMAZING. The cocoa, brown sugar, oak and cherry notes are off the freaking chart. I has that traditional Heaven Hill nutty profile, but the other flavor notes are more dominant. While it clocks in at 132.8 proof, it smooth with no burn, but leaves you with a very memorable Kentucky hug that leaves you wanting more. Heaven Hill a home-run with this release. Cheers!

Nose: Oak, fruity, cherry Palate: Syrupy sweet brown sugar, baking spices Finish: Long lasting with sweet oak For 130 proof this certainly doesn’t drink like it! Well balanced with a fantatic full body. A pour I could enjoy all night.

Dark chocolate

The nose starts with caramelized bananas, sour cherries, flapjacks cooked in bacon drippings and slightly worn catchers mitt then dark chocolate covered hazelnuts and freshly lit pipe tobacco followed by sautéed cinnamon apples, lemon candy and orange zest followed by ginger, spearmint, anise, cloves and mildly bitter black tea with high ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel starting with caramelized bananas, sour cherries, flapjacks cooked in bacon drippings and slightly worn catchers mitt then a moderate to high bitter and sour spice that slowly fades to a spicy mocha and freshly lit pipe tobacco followed by sautéed cinnamon apples, lemon pith and orange peel followed by ginger, spearmint, anise, cloves and over-brewed black tea with high ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with a mild black pepper spice, cocoa nibs, sour cherries, lemon zest, cloves, spearmint, leather and ashy oak. Overall, another tasty Elijah Craig release, but a far step down from the B520. The traditional bourbon notes are ramped up by the proof but the fruits are on the sour side along with a bitter black tea note and a rough spice that overwhelms much of the palate and finishes with bitter and sour mix. I tend to be more sensitive toward sour and bitter flavors than most which threw the balance of this one off for me, but I could see someone less prone to those flavors find a lot to like here. A huge thanks to @ctbeck11 for the generous sample.

Rating: 15/23 N: A surprising, light cinnamon roll scent up front, including a moderate layer of that classic Cinnabon icing. A bit of tart yeastiness. That's about it though. Oh, after a couple of minutes, some sour mash bitterness starts coming through. I start to pick up light notes of polished wood as well. This is still quite a light nose. A little bit of earthiness with some turmeric to it, then some lightish wood with tannins and spices. Sadly, I'm not getting the cinnamon roll anymore. The nose is still pretty light, but it's less fun and enjoyable. It's still thoroughly serviceable though. P: This combines the lightness and burn that sometimes afflict Elijah Craig Barrel Proof batches into one profile that is really not doing it for me. I do get wood and spices and some bittersweet chocolate, but I also get copper pennies, even early on. The cinnamon rolls are not to be found here. Wow, those copper pennies are pervasive. They overwhelm the bitterness and yeasty funk of the sour mash and also mask the wood. F: Bitterness. Copper pennies are unavoidable, but there is a bit more wood now. The spices also get a little more time here and the chocolate comes back for a brief encore. - Conclusion - This is just a rough release that isn't living up to the usual quality of this brand. It's still a good bourbon, but it's not of the quality that it should be. Resilient 15 (18/23) crushes this with its lesser bitterness and weird flavors being limited to its vitamin minerality. The Resilient is sweeter and more enjoyable with much less burn. This isn't really more complex either. And this certainly isn't more balanced. I could maybe believe a 17, but that would really be a hard sell. My cask strength bottling of Garrison Brothers Single Barrel (15/23) is pretty close to this in quality. It's fuller and without the rough edges. Sure, it isn't quite as complex, but it honestly isn't that far off and this is really rough. I'm actually considering that this might be inferior. So what about regular ol' Elijah Craig Small Batch (15/23)? Well, it certainly tastes younger. It's more sweet and fun, with minimal challenge to it. It's in the same category as Knappogue Castle 12 for just relaxing and enjoying a glass. This, on the other hand, is challenging. I like challenging sometimes. This is not one of those times. This is more akin to challenging for the sake of being challenging. I'll admit that the comparison with regular Elijah Craig is a bit difficult because of the proof difference, but the Garrison Brothers also seems like it could be a bit better, so this might be a 14. Russell's Reserve 10 (15-16/23) is lighter than this in a way that makes it slightly watery in comparison, but it's complex with good (though stylized) balance. The Russell's also doesn't burn nearly as much as this does. I'm inclined to say that the Russell's is a bit better. I would take this over either of the Larceny Barrel Proofs I've tried any day of the week though, so there's no way that this is as low as a 13. Elijah Craig C920 was always pretty much guaranteed to be a let-down considering that it was following the amazing B520. That said, this isn't just a let-down in comparison; it's a fairly low point for the Elijah Craig line. It's a 14 or a 15, which is just shameful. My inclination right now is to give this a 15, but I can imagine the burn bringing it down from there to a 14. Thanks to @ctbeck11 for sharing this one!