HEAVEN HILL A124 SHOWDOWN ELIJAH CRAIG BARREL PROOF A124 LARCENY BARREL PROOF A124 These are two different bourbons—Larceny is wheated, whereas Elijah Craig is not—but both are Heaven Hill products, both are January 2024 releases, both are barrel proof, and both are among my favorite quasi-available high-proof bourbons. I tasted these over the course of two days, with the requisite warm-up necessary to acclimate one’s palate to the high-test alcohol levels. ELIJAH CRAIG BARREL PROOF A124 Color is a rich mahogany (akin to Pantone 160). Nose shows stewed apples, gentle cinnamon, a dusty element, and mint, with a little chocolate covered cherry undernote. The palate has a slightly viscous mouthfeel, following with sweet corn a nice hit of vanilla, which lingers on the finish. The A124 isn’t among my favorite ECBP releases, especially following the otherworldly C923 (which I tasted briefly here to validate my thoughts). However, it has grown on me over the past two days. Many have been disappointed by the lower age statement—below the historical 12 years, and exacerbated by the C923’s 13 years and 7 months. All else being equal, I appreciate a higher age statement, but that doesn’t bias my assessment. Elijah Craig Barrel Proof A124 can be found for around $80. On a relative basis, it’s always a good value for high-quality, age-statemented, high-proof, limited-release bourbon. Would I buy it again? Yes. I attempt to find each release each year. 4.0 on the Distiller scale. 119 proof. 10-year, 9-month age statement. Non-chill filtered. LARCENY BARREL PROOF A124 Like the ECBP, Larceny Barrel Proof presents as rich, dark mahogany in terms of color (Pantone 160). The nose is warm and inviting, with butterscotch and caramel notes, hot chocolate, and a whiff of Chinese-five-spice coolness. There is a light and smooth glycerin aspect that coats the mouth, with sweet vanilla. There are no hard edges, and the alcohol is well-integrated. The back end has Nutella, oak, and espresso elements, and the hot chocolate reemerges on the finish, which has good length. The LBP A124 is very good. It’s a little less expensive than its older cousin, ECBP, and can be found for around $70. Would I buy it again? Yes. Like the ECBP, I look for each of the three releases during the year. 4.5 on the Distiller scale. 124.2 proof. 6-8 year age statement. Non-chill filtered. CONCLUSION The purpose of these Showdowns is not to establish winners and losers per se, but rather to be more of an intellectual exercise to explore the contextual aspects of bourbon aesthetics: whiskies of all types will taste differently in comparison with others. (This was taken to an extreme by Fred Minnick, when he tasted all of the bourbons in his Top 100 for 2023 in one sitting—not advisable, even when spitting, which he did. But I digress). In general, the LBP has a greater warmth, depth, and richness than its ECBP cousin. It’s on the cusp of being very, very good. For the A124 release, I prefer it to the ECBP—despite the different mashbills. Fortunately, LBP hasn’t quite caught up with ECBP amongst the bourbonati, and as a result it’s somewhat more available (and less expensive). All spirits tasted neat in a Glencairn glass.