Whisk(e)y: Eljiah Craig Barrl Proof – C917 Nose: The rye and 65.5% abv gives the nose a peppery sensation along with a flare of the nostril. When you go deeper there’s a memorable smell of leather and cinnamon sticks. Roasted nuts also shows up when you give a nose side to side. You can tell that the nose on this is more complex than the Elijah Craig Small Batch. Palate: After letting this dram sit for 20 minutes neat, here is my take. The first sip coats your entire mouth. You can definitely feel the layers and complexity on the inner cheek. Very smooth. Heat on the back of the tongue and stays present slightly a minute or so afterwards. Great spice and manageable at 65.5% abv. Keep in mind, this is straight from the barrel and not meant for the kiddies or anyone over the age of 70. Sip number two I could pick up dark brown sugar / molasses. It has more weight to it than your regular whisk(e)y. I’ve read that chocolate is present in this whisky which I would have to agree to a degree. I find it difficult to pick out, but can sense a subtleness of it if my senses are correct. Overall: This is a great whisky. Plain and simple. I feel that any range of connoisseur would like this, yet, collectors and reviewers will appreciate quite a bit. I love high abv’s personally and find that with such a high percentage on the bottle, it still packs a lot of flavour. Elijah Craig scores major points in this category as the rule of thumb is the higher the abv the less flavour. I sip this only on special occasions or in this instance for reviews. It’s not a whisky to be chugged down, but more so a keeper for the holidays or special occasion. Is this worth buying? Hell ya! Stock your shelves with this one. Cheers,