Elijah Craig Kentucky Straight Rye

Very sweet and mild

I have to give it to the EC line - despite being a fanboy of the profile, most of their offerings are still a bargain. That said, I’ve seen prices on this fall from $35 to $25 as it has become more widely distributed. Nose is a mixture of vanilla, maple syrup, rye bread and spearmint. Palate follows and isn’t anything fancy, but the rye component is evident and balanced with a bit of herbal mint. Compared to an $18 bottle of Rittenhouse this has less bite and no cinnamon. Compared to a $20-25 bottle of WT 101 rye I would say it has richer sweetness (as compared to the dusty bubble gum sweetness of WT). From what I remember of Sazerac rye the two are close in sweetness and rye character but Sazerac lacked the herbal mint component. But here’s the kicker, against a $65 bottle of Willett 4y rye… it lacks a few things. No black tea or eucalyptus. But as less than half the price, do I care? This is good enough to sip on its own but would likely make a good Manhattan or Sazerac. That said, I would probably pick RR single barrel rye or Willett 4y if I’m feeling fancy and stick with this for all other occasions, substituting in Rittenhouse and WT 101 rye periodically.

Nose - menthol, cherry Palate - eucalyptus, wintergreen, evolves into a leathery spice

Smooth for a rye