This is my first review of this one since the Age Statement was dropped. Elijah Craig 12 was probably not the best bourbon, but if someone were to ask me 5 years ago to name the most bourbon-ish bourbon, I'd have said EC12 without hesitation. The toffee, butterscotch, vanilla, with a hearty oak backbone was my baseline for all other bourbons. I've had one other bottle of this, but it was a NC ABC single Barrel selection that was just over 8 yrs old if I recall. For that reason I didn't review it, but I remember it being fairly decent for the money. Let's see how the regular NAS Small Batch fares, shall we? Nose: When first poured I get lots of alcohol and oak. Give it a few minutes to open up and a nice sweetness develops on the outer edges. Toffee, butterscotch, Karo Syrup, wrapping around the alcohol and oak in the center. You also get a touch of peanut brittle, orange peel and a little barrel funk. Very pleasant if you spend some time with it and allow it to breath a bit. Neat: Prickly heat and a little on the thin side are my first thoughts. The sweetness from the nose carries over in vanilla and caramel. Dry roast peanut, orange peel and white pepper spice. Initially, a lot of heat for a 94 proofer, but that dissipates after a few sips. Finishes with a medium warmth, coating the palate with a slight bitterness and tingly pepper. A little (not enough for my taste) musty barrel note that I like in my older Heaven Hill stuff. I also remember my single barrel selection having a little creamier mouthfeel. Splash: A few drops of water adds an herbal note to both nose and palate. Adds a little more vanilla, amplifies the barrel funk, and tames the heat. Weirdly, the musty oak note that I love in Henry Mckenna 10yr finally shows up when I nose the empty glass. This makes me think that some interaction with the oxygen in the bottle might make it more prominent in future pours. Verdict: Man, I miss the 12 year old, but there are only a handful of bourbons better than this one in the $25-$30 range. My problem here is at the $29 regular price, it's only $6 less than the newly price increased personal favorite Henry Mckenna 10yr at $35. I got this bottle on sale for $25 which definitely helps. I still might consider this a "baseline" bourbon if someone were to ask (I think the HMcK10 is a little too unique to be a bourbon-ish bourbon) for a recommendation. It's a solid 4 Star choice.