Clarkebar
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed
September 29, 2018 (edited January 22, 2019)
At the price, this is very good. It's what I would reach for when a "good stiff drink" is needed. But Bourbons like this I would generally not drink too much of at any one time. Maybe a finger or two...okay, two! I do the same with 3 various Booker's Batches, all very high ABV. The finish will continue to dry your tongue like it's been left out in the Sun at the beach. Drinking it neat, I get two distinct spice burns at different times, one well after the swallow. Definitely agree with @PBMichiganWolverine about the water/ice. That tames this beast and allows for a different experience. Not saying which is the better. Just depends on the mood.
The strength, the burn, the sweet without saccharine, in short, the wonderful bourbon-ness of these liquors allows me to enjoy them without needing too much and also allows me to nurse these suckers 'til the cows come home.
Thanks to the many posters on this whiskey, especially @PBMichiganWolverine for stimulating my curiosity about it.
$64.99 USD in PA
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Forgot to add: mine is B518
@cascode "@cascode even though it’s been ages since my chem eng, I believe it’s the latter. My theory ( yes, theory, since the chemistry of whiskey was inadvertently left out of our grad Chem Eng classes at Univ of Michigan) is that water being more dense, pushes alcohol up, and that helps with the aromas. That would be an easy hypothesis to prove: take two glencairns, fill both with equal amounts of whiskey. Add water to one, hexane to the other ( hexane is less dense than ethyl alcohol, about 0.6, water denser)
@PBMichiganWolverine As ethanol is hygroscopic is it also the case that the addition of water releases fatty acids by bonding more readily with the alcohol, or are changes to surface tension and density more important, or is this all the same mechanism?
@Generously_Paul wow. Yes—-you’re totally correct. “Open up” is the layman vernacular, but it’s all around changing surface tension, temperature ( which impacts evaporation ), and a bit of density ( alcohol being less dense than water). You’re now officially an honorary chemical engineer. 😊
@PBMichiganWolverine "@PBMichiganWolverine I read that water does not “open up” anything as far as releasing more aromas. Rather it increases surface tension of the alcohol which restricts its evaporation rate and allows the other chemicals (esters and aldehydes) to be more easily detectable by the olfactory senses. Of course I would defer to you since you are the one with the chemical engineering degree"
@PBMichiganWolverine Since I always prefer neat, no matter the heat, naturally it does affect the experience. I should try water and see if this blooms like good scotch.
@Clarkebar totally agree—-I couldn’t handle more than an ounce or two. Way too potent. And I’d need a splash of water too, opens up those tightly locked bonds