Elijah Craig Single Barrel Barrel Proof Bourbon (Private Label)

132 Proof / 66.00% 9 years Serial #6284597 Rick: MM Floor 7 Aroma - big vanilla note and dark fruits up front. Sweet honey and oak balance nicely in the middle and just a hint of pepper and cinnamon way in the back. As it opens up, I’m getting a smokey barbecue note. Honestly reminds me of smoked chicken and pineapple. Really bizarre yet very intriguing. The more I smell this the more the aroma grows on me. At first I wasn’t sure, but I’m picking up quite of bit of complexity the more it opens. Taste - Holy F that was a beastly first sip. Extremely effing hot first sip. (I love high proof stuff but this one took me by surprise ) Really enjoying this long finish though… super sticky. I almost got nothing on that first sip.. just straight heat. Proceeding sips - the usuals come through (oak and vanilla). Smoke, Caramel, slight hint of honey and baking spices. Finish is slight herbal tea and more of that sweet caramel and honey. Very very sweet lingering long finish to be honest. Adding few drops of water - getting lots orange peel and citrus notes. Which I did not find originally. More vanilla popping through now too. Finish isn’t as sweet and long as it was when I drank it neat. It’s transitioned to more of a musty oak and cinnamon. Overall - It’s a bit all over the place for me. Not sure what to really think of it. Wish I had an ECBP proof to compare it against. Will revisit this when/if I do against a standard release.

Spicy and good

Private barrel, 9 years old, 67.3% ABV. Compared to batch A121 (which is the only Barrel Proof batch I've tried), this obviously has a lot of similarity, but is slightly less smooth, less balanced. Despite being younger than the 12 year Barrel Proof, the wood seems more aggressive. I think the blenders of the Barrel Proof batches probably know what they're doing. That being said, it's more similar than different, and still good. I can imagine that there may be some of these private barrels that absolutely knock it out of the park. Definitely thumbs up, but this barrel at least doesn't give me anything more than the regular Barrel Proof batches (other than a few more proof points over the most recent batches).

Smooth up front, strong burn at end