Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon

This tastes like a rye. There is some sweetness, a bit of apple, and some sweetness. There is a ton of spice and quite a bit of wood in here. The flavor is full like the Glenmorangie 18, but also like the Glenmorangie 18, it is fairly one note. This is quite good and I could drink it often, but I don't love it. It smells alcoholic with some wood and a little spice. The flavor is kind of bitter like barrel with lots of cinnamon. There's a strong bitter herbal flavor that I am not a fan of. There's a rounded nature here, but the bitter herbal flavor gets in the way. There is definitely vanilla too. The flavor is a bit too bitter for my taste but I do appreciate that caramel backing. It's very drying. There are some good flavors but the balance is a bit off. Watered, the drying bitterness takes over. There is mineral, anise, plum, vanilla, cinnamon, clove, leather, and ash. From the ash, I can discern smoke and salt. It's a bit much. This drink isn't bad, but it is exceedingly bitter. I think Elijah Craig needs some work. I enjoy the richness, but it really kind of tastes fake. The finish is nice though, pushing this just up past the regular Elijah Craig. Wow, this has quite a rich nose with sweet butterscotch and vanilla wafting out alongside some wood that smells like it was left outside in the elements to acquire some nuanced notes of spice and herbs. Still, it doesn't smell terribly harsh, instead leaving a smooth and balanced impression with minor rough hints here and there. There are some toasty notes on the nose too that remind me of Booker's Shiny Barrel. The palate is lighter and fruitier than I expected with lots of bright cherry and red apple coming through. The alcohol is quite present and there is some bitterness form the barrel, but it disappointingly hangs out in the back, not providing the complexity of Wild Turkey Jewbillee with its fruitiness. The notes it has aren't bad, but it seems lacking and has too much alcohol. At full strength, I prefer the regular Elijah Craig, though this is definitely sippable. It's a big disappointment after the awesome nose. With some water added, more wood and spice come out, filling in the flavor. It starts to taste more like Booker's Kitchen Table, though its flavor doesn't come together quite as well. The continued red fruit is kind of nice, but it also kind of exacerbates the alcohol. Watered down substantially, more of the spices come out and balance the fruit. It certainly has more impact than the regular Elijah Craig does, but it feels like it's just out-shouting it. It's richer and more bitter, though not inherently better. That said, it sure does taste good and some some eventual depth when water is added. Like, quite a bit of water. It's a bit annoyingly numbing. The flavor is ultimately pretty good with a lot of water and the complexity improves, but the alcohol still comes through quite a bit and it's too numbing. It just doesn't quite all fit together, though I would sip it. It gets a 15 to a 16 for its richness, but it really lacks the subtlely and complexity of the regular Elijah Craig. Yeah, there are some hints of really nice notes in here, but the alcohol just comes in screaming.