Rating: 22/23 Neck pour. My impression from Elijah Craig B520 wasn't so great off the neck, but it was phenomenal a few months later. I loved the B520, but only after it had a couple of months to oxidize. I heard that the B520 was generally considered to be amazing, whereas this...I've heard nothing about. Let's see. N: Bold, musty wood with chocolate and leather. And some spices, of course. A really nice, decadent nose. It's not as big as Garrison Brothers Cowboy, but it's heading that direction. Sweet but with a bit of a tart side. I do smell a bit of alcohol, but it's not too strong that it's a problem. Some fine minerals, but not in a way that interferes with the other elements or diminishes them. Digging deeper, I get a bit of nuttiness like coconut and some vanilla. How did I miss that vanilla before? P: Less rich and full than the nose suggested. Spice leads into bold woodiness with a milk chocolate backing. It's quite a nice profile, though it's not blowing me away. It isn't as aggressive as I would have expected at nearly 62% ABV. I'm able to pick out more nuance from the woody spices. The biggest flavor is, surprisingly, allspice. There are nice cinamon, ginger, and clove flavors coming off of it. I'm not getting more than a hint of black pepper. Although I like black pepper, a lot of spicy whiskey tastes like black pepper simply because it's the only spicy flavor the young, brash whiskey can manage. This shows its sophistication and maturity nicely through that spice profile. And the mature wood with bit of chocolate is never out of sight. Kind of fudgey. This is actually fairly sweet. I do get a rich layer of vanilla as well. A dusting of minerality alongside it that doesn't detract more than a little from the rich, full profile. F: Vanilla, mineral, wood, spices, chocolate. I do wish that the minerality were reduced here and the chocolate came out more instead. Or some more nuanced wood. Still, it's quite a good finish. - Conclusion - I think I like this a bit more than I initially liked the Elijah Craig B520 (22/23), but it's not as good as the B520 at its prime of near perfection. This is lacking the herbal sophistication that enhances the wood in the B520. That said, the spices are more restrained and decadent in here, which I think is why this performs better right out of the bottle. This actually is a little more decadent, giving me some Garrison Brothers Balmorhea 2021 (17/23) vibes. That said, this is already superior to the Balmorhea. The Balmorhea is definitely fuller, but this is better executed, with more nuance and none of that over-steeped tea bag flavor. This is more of a very decadent yet traditional bourbon. I just need to take a moment to reflect on how easy to sip this is. It's really amazing at this proof. So smooth and decadent. I have no doubt that this is at least a 19, though I would be very hesitant to call it a 22. Wild Turkey Rare Breed 116.8 (18-19/23) rivals this in decadence, but comes from more of a fruity angle. The Wild Turkey shows more alcohol flavor and has more of a spicy burn though. Between the two, this is the clear winner. How about Jack Daniel's Single Barrel Barrel Proof (21/23)? It's a heavy-weight in the fullness and decadence departments. The Jack Daniel's is spicier and burns more than this though. I don't think that this quite achieves the same level of decadence, but it's more nuanced and smooth. That really puts this very close to the Jack Daniel's. I'm quite surprised. I had already decided that this was at least a 20, but to be now thinking that it's a 21 from the neck is astonishing. I'm really hopeful that this will develop into something even more extraordinary than the B520 over the next couple of months! As a final wrap-up in this tasting series, I went back to the Jack Daniels side by side with this and it was immediately clear to me that this was the winner. The fudge, polished wood, and smoothness here, combined with the immense fullness, make this a showstopper of a dram. I was doubting my earlier decision to give this a 21, but I think it has earned it. I'm now thinking of giving this a 22, which is just blowing my mind. I wish I'd bought more when I had the chance. Ick! Elijah Craig A120 is nothing when compared with this. At one point I thought that they were similar in quality, but it's now apparent to me that this is by far superior. I'm not quite ready to call this a 23, but it's definitely a 21 or 22. Considering the decadent flavors here and the smoothness, I think it has earned a 22. What an amazing dram. There's high variation among Elijah Craig Barrel Proof releases, but there are enough wins that I'm going to keep searching the shelves for them. How does this ultimately stack up against the B520? It's tough to say, but I might be leaning a hair toward this. That chocolate is just to die for. I'm really hopeful that a couple of months with the bottle opened with make this even better.