Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel Bourbon

Color: a auburn gold. Side by side against the EC barrel proof c923 and this is more light golden. Nose: at first it was verry sweet cherry apple. after sitting for about 12 minutes in a glencairn its a roasty s’more and thick maple syrup. Strong caramel cinnamon as well. Taste: buttery french toast and and dry sour apple that stays very clean and smooth. An above average anount of flavor given the 94 proof. Aftertaste: medium length that draws in more traditional vanilla, cherry, with a toasted ash touch. Overall very sweet and the toasted barrel twist is apparent. Its a nice touch to the Elijah Craig Small Batch. Was lucky to get at msrp, and will hope to get more in the future.

I finally decided to pick this one up yesterday as I was always curious about it and hear about how great it is on the bourbon junkies. Clearly my palate doesn't align with theirs very well. Just a mess right now as I contemplate picking up some ginger ale to wash it down. I will come back to it and see if it opens up some but right out of the gate this is not good whiskey and I really love Heaven Hill products, but I'm struggling to see how this one gets good reviews.