ELIJAH CRAIG BARREL PROOF SHOWDOWN: 2018 Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 Elijah Craig Barrel Proof C918 Continuing to work through whiskies in my collection that I’ve yet to review. I’ve got several years and releases of ECBP; however, my only complete year for all three releases is 2017. For 2018, I was never able to find that A118, so this showdown will compare the B518 to the C918. I thought it would be instructive to go through seven years of community ranking data for each triannual rating of ECBP, and then quantify what the community thinks of each release relative to the whole. For the seven-year period 2017-2023, as of the time of this review, aggregating all releases of ECBP: • mean(m): 4.26 • standard deviation(s): 0.14 • sample size(n): 3008 (If you don’t care about stats, you can skip the next two paragraphs). Because I’m unable to aggregate all ratings for each specific release (Distiller, are you listening? Give us more data!), I’m unable to establish a standard deviation for a particular release. But I am able to compute the z-score for each particular release relative to the entire sample. The z-score is computed as follows: ((mean for the specific release minus the mean for the entire sample) divided by the overall sample’s standard deviation). This statistic quantifies how much better or worse a particular release is in relation to the community’s ranking of all ECBP over the sample period. Assuming a normal distribution, any z-score within +/- 1.0 is assumed to be within “normal” limits (per the empirical rule, ~68% the distribution is within +/- 1 standard deviation from the mean). A z-score of +/- 2 standard deviations would represent ~95% of the distribution; and +/- 3 is ~99% of the distribution. Thus a z-score of +1.5 would be a significantly better release than normal (and -1.5 would be significantly worse). A z-score of 2.0 would be better than 95% of the sample, etc. (End of stats geek stuff). For each year that I review, again for the bottles I have, I’ll do the same stats for that particular year. I’ll also attempt to go back and insert this information in other reviews I’ve done, when appropriate. So here we go. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 Color is a clear mahogany, with bourbon typicity much like Pantone 153. The nose is a bit sharp, and shows apple cider, cocoa, oranges, caramelized sugar, char, espresso, and a dusting of softening nutmeg. The palate is expressive, starting off sweet, followed by a barbecue sauce tang, and then the heat kicks in. Vanilla is prominent on the long finish, with roasted marshmallow making an appearance, along with some lingering char, a touch of bitterness, and additional burn. After the C918, the barbecue sauce tang that I caught on the palate is detectable on the nose, and even a little salt. Nowadays, current releases of ECBP (or previous releases still in inventory) retail for around $75. However, bottles are often marked up because of the scarcity of each release (three per year). Older bottles are even more scarce, and ostensibly would be priced accordingly. I always have my eye out for ECBP; the problem is, I’m frequently not able to find them all. Would I buy them again? Yes. There is variability among releases—they can range from merely good to fantastic—but ECBP is known for its consistency and quality, and on a value basis, $75 (if you can get it) is very good for a barrel-proof bourbon with a 12-year age statement. 4.25 on the Distiller scale. My rating: 4.25 Community: m=4.32, z=0.41, n=81 (moderately better than all ECBPs) 133.4 proof. 12-year age statement. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof C918 Color is indistinguishable from the B518, analogous to Pantone 153. Cocoa powder, pressed sugar cane, orange oil, cinnamon stick, toasted oak, and vanilla. A little creaminess on the palate, with noticeable ethanol. The finish starts with a touch of bitterness—some woody tannins masquerading as espresso—along with some leathery dryness, and then the cocoa and vanilla from the nose appear again on the medium-length finish. All ECBPs are rich and robust, and when sipped neat, not for the faint of heart. The ECBP C918 is no exception. But it comes across as a bit softer and more mellow than the B518. This is great bourbon, period. In the humble opinion of this reviewer, the value can’t be beat—value being not just price, but what you’re getting for the price. And you’re getting an awful lot. At $75-80 retail, would I buy it again? Yes. My rating: 4.25 Community: m=4.27, z=0.05, n=173 (essentially dead-on average vs all ECBPs) 131.4 proof. 12-year age statement. Perhaps the best thing about doing these “Showdowns” is after spending some time individually with each one and writing some notes, I’m then able to go back and forth a bit and smell and taste additional nuances that I wouldn’t have caught otherwise. Overall, the B518 has more complexity and dimensionality than the C918. It has more presence and pervasiveness on the palate. It does carry 2 additional proof points, but at this level, that’s insignificant. Both of these are good, but not otherworldly, consistent with the overall community profile for ECBP. Initially, I had the C918 better than the B518, but after some back-and-forth, the B518 gets the nod, even though due to the quarter-point increments of the Distiller rating system, I rate them both 4.25. N.B.: All spirits tasted neat in a Glencairn glass.