Ctrexman
Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon
Bourbon — Kentucky, USA
Reviewed
May 9, 2020 (edited January 26, 2022)
Waited till this went on sale $27 then scooped it up. There seems to be a lot of disappointment compared to the 12 yr version. I never tried the 12 but this is supposedly 8yr which is still good by todays standards. Poured neat, good coating and legs. Nose is fantastic! Dark brown sugar, toasted marshmallows, little bit of baking and rye spice with some dusty oak. Very fresh and fragrant. Mouthfeel is thin but soft. Palate comes in hot with spicy cinnamon and caramel, nutmeg, rye dough and hefty black pepper oak. Its vibrant and aggressive flavor verging on harsh but walks the line. Finish is long oak and char with peppery heated cinnamon. This is spicy bourbon yet balanced with sweetness and oak. IMO it delivers on the profile of Four Roses single barrel without the excessive pepper and wood. .......84/100
27.0
USD
per
Bottle
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@jsk Totally agree this drinks hot for the proof, but I now think that is intentional. I’ve had a lot of Heaven Hill products and they are normally super mellow. I’ve been trying to figure out if that bite is mostly rye, oak or age. I used to think age, but now I feel there is more to the story.
I’ll second the store picks. I’ve gone through 3-4 NAS bottles and the ability to pick between 8-14y (got lucky once) does allow you to dial in the degree of oak and bite to your liking. That said, the 11y I found is more balanced and enjoyable than the 14y.
@jsk agree with that notion. Ended up with 4x $25 bottles of a local pick last year. And it was > 11 yr stuff to boot. Delicious!
My only real criticism of EC Small Batch is that it drinks a bit hot for it's proof. Keep an eye out for any store picks of this, they can be really good. I think store picks of EC are probably the best $30 bourbon out there.