Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon Batch C922

Another one that's been resting in my cellar for 2 years. C922, 12 years in oak, 124.8 proof, tasting neat. Deep rosy brown copper and strong coating legs in the glass. Caramel corn and cherry, maple syrup and dry sweet grass on the nose. Hint of ethanol in the far back. In the mouth, ethanol and rye spices bloom in a cocoon of sweet maple syrup and burnt brown sugar. Dry tannic oak and floral vanilla and cherry take over, with cinnamon and baking spices holding the sweetness in check. You can taste the alcohol content. Finish is tannic, dry grassy spice, mouth-tingling mint, and then a loooong lingering black cherry flavor. Dry but not sour or overly sweet. An ice cube calms, but does not erase, that dry tannic spiciness. It's great, with or without. This was one of those barrel proof releases that EC hit on the nose. It's more assertive than the sweeter Larceny B522 barrel proof I just opened-- drier, more tannic, spicy, and assertive. They're both good. This is more challenging in flavor profile for the additional years it stayed in oak. Glad I held on to it--haven't had an EC like this in 2023 (never found a C923, damn!). Hoping their C924 (next month) is this good. Fingers crossed.

Nose opens with stewed fruits in the form of pear and apple, tobacco, leather, vanilla cake frosting, orange marmalade, caramel chew, old cedar furniture, allspice, clove, Honestly, there is so much depth and complexity here you get a new element with every sniff. A truly great aroma. Ethanol is well controlled. Palate brings more “dark” elements than the nose would indicate; tons of gooey caramel, Black Forest cake, ripe date, toffee, black cherry, fig newton, and dark chocolate. Saying flavors are rich and robust is a massive understatement. Finish is insanely good with…remember one of those crazy ice cream sundaes you would get from a place like Swenson’s where it was three scoops of vanilla ice cream and then you had one fudge, butterscotch, and strawberry topping on each scoop? That’s totally there in this finish. Even a hint of the chopped nuts. Just enough cinnamon, black pepper, and toasted oak to add balance and keep things from becoming cloying. Very long, but wanted it to be longer because it’s so damned good. Mouthfeel is full bodied and creamy. A delight. So some ECBP releases are spicy, some earthy, and some sweet, and this is definitely the latter and it really hit the spot for me. Right up there with the best of the best of the expression. Can’t remember if I paid $79.99 or $99.99 for this but it doesn’t matter because the rating is 5 out of 5 either way.

Color: very dark amber with some solid legs Nose: I get leather. I also get some oak. Also smells decently sweet. Taste: Very good. I get the caramel immediately on the front but it is a heavier caramel is the best way I can describe it. I taste fruit. Almost some light cinnamon on the back of my tongue. Definitely a little heat but it is great. Finish?: pretty dang short finish but it is delicious. Water?: I did not feel the need. It is so good and smooth without cutting it.