BACKGROUND: First brought to market by Heaven Hill Distillery in 2013, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is an uncut, unfiltered powerhouse that is released once each quarter. The bourbon is aged for an impressive 12 years before being bottled at full cask strength, and it joins several other popular high-octane bourbons that include George T. Stagg, Booker’s, and E.H. Taylor Barrel Proof, just to name a few. Each Elijah Craig Barrel Proof release carries a distinct four-character code that begins with a letter denoting the batch - A is the initial batch release each year, B is the second, and C is the third. A number for the month it was released - traditionally, 1 for January, 5 for May, and 9 for September - follows, and the final two digits represent the year. Thus, C919 was the third batch of the year, and it was released in September of 2019. Elijah Craig bourbon is named for a Baptist minister who opened a distillery in Kentucky in 1789, and legend claims that Craig accidentally invented the process of aging whiskey in charred barrels after his barn caught fire. Despite the fact that the fire, according to lore, burned the barrels that were stored inside the barn, Craig decided to use them to ship his whiskey anyway. Customers who received the barrels were supposedly delighted with the effect that barrel char had upon its contents, and a new method of aging was born…or not. Like much of modern day bourbon marketing, the legend of Craig’s amazing discovery is simply the kind of hokum that snake oil salesmen once peddled. The truth of the matter is that the French began storing cognac in charred barrels in the 15th Century, and the practice was likely begun because coopers (the fancy term for “barrel makers) found that charring helped retain the liquor inside without leaking. It is also believed that charring simply burned away any splinters, wood chips, or pesky bugs that were inside the freshly-made barrel. One might also assume that a bourbon named for an 18th Century distiller would have a storied history dating back to the earliest days of the spirit, but the first bottling of Elijah Craig was produced in 1986 and has no ties to its namesake. The C919 bottle I sampled retails for $60 - an incredible bargain considering its age and proof - and it was produced from a mashbill consisting of 75% corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley. NOSE: The nose is a marriage of caramel, oak, leather, and the delightfully musty smell of age that you get when entering an antique book store or a rick house that has been left undisturbed for a long period. Some bourbons that are proofed this high smell a bit like jet fuel, but there was surprisingly little ethanol in the ECBP nose. PALATE: The palate offers the most basic combination of caramel and oak, but when flavors combine absolutely perfectly in a bourbon like this one, basic is more than sufficient. An oily and viscous mouthfeel add to the enjoyment of the flavors. FINISH: The long finish is where the depth and complexity of this bourbon kicks in. A cherry bomb explosion on the finish is followed by oak, leather, cinnamon, and lots of pepper. A delayed heat builds, explodes, and subsides. If you have ever viewed an episode of the YouTube show “Hot Ones” and watched a celebrity’s reaction to Da Bomb hot sauce, I would imagine the experiences might be a bit similar. FINAL ASSESSMENT: Some high-proof bourbons burn for the sake of burning and do not offer complexity or character. Elijah Craig Barrel proof, however, balances taste and proof in a way that produces a warming and comforting blanket of flavor. Rather than simply tasting this bourbon, you end up experiencing this bourbon.