Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel
I’ve had this next bottle, an Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel, open for a while now and figured it was time that it was reviewed. I bought this back when it was first released, probably Fall of 2020 or Winter of 2021, and it subsequently sat on my shelf, waiting to be cracked open with some friends. Of course, COVID delayed that and it wasn’t until probably early last Fall (2021) when I had an opportunity to pour a glass. We had opened several nice bottles that I had picked up over the previous year that I hadn’t yet opened and I figured it was time to give this one a try as well. It seemed like a wave of these Toasted Barrel bourbons came to market all at around the same time and people were raving about them. We started with some Weller 12 and Thomas H. Handy BTAC before turning to this bottle and since it was a warm evening, I drank it with a big ice cube in the glass in a vain attempt to stop my face from sweating. I gave it a minute or two to cool, took a sip, and was greatly disappointed. I left the bottle on my shelf for the next year or so, untouched, relegating it to a 3rd-drink-of-the-evening or a mixing bourbon.
Then I started Nice Sipper and figured I would save the rest of the bottle for a review and in the least, I could warn others to steer clear.
But it’s not that simple.
Before we get into that, first let’s talk a bit about this bottle and charring/toasting in general. For those of you who are new to the bourbon category, check out this link here for a quick overview of what bourbon is and what it is not. Now that the basics are out of the way, let’s talk about toasted barrels. As you know, to be classified as a bourbon the spirit needs to be aged in a newly charred oak barrel. Charring levels range from the less intense Level 1 to the Level 4 “alligator char”. The overly simplified version of char levels is that the higher char levels provide more color and caramelization where the lighter char levels keep the more pure oak flavors. For some more in-depth information on char levels, check out here, here, or here. Because toasting is a bit more of a gentle process, you get lighter notes out of toasted oak aging, especially vanilla, and according to a lot of reviewers, marshmallow. There’s a ton of science involved in whiskey making, even in barrel aging, so feel free to check out these sites (here and here) or go down the Google-rabbit hole on your own.
Now this bottle of Elijah Craig takes their base Small Batch product, which ages in a Level 3 charred oak barrel, and then finishes the bourbon (for it is now bourbon after being aged in new-charred oak) in a second toasted new oak barrel to develop more flavor and noticeably more color when compared to the Small Batch (it is helpful that both are bottled at 94 proof, so it’s an apples-to-apples comparison, colorwise). The mash bill is 78% Corn, 12% Rye, and 10% Malted Barley. A little lighter on the Rye than what I traditionally like, and with all that Corn, the Level 3 Char and the Toasted Finish, I’m expecting some sweet sugary notes.
Time for the tasting.
ABV: 47%
How it smells…fruity like a port with figs and dark berries. There’s also some sweetness tempered by baking spices..
How it tastes…starts off fruity with grapes and cherries and then caramel. The end has some woodiness to it, but like reeds from woodwind instruments (to all those saxophonists and clarinet players out there). The finish is sweet like honeyed cornbread, a bit warm with a trickle of pepperiness, and drying.
Price..$50
Rating...🥃🥃🥃
Final thoughts…shit, I actually kind of like this. I think where I went wrong the first time was using the ice. Given how it was made including the mash bill, the char level and the toasted finish, it’s naturally going to be a more delicate and lighter bourbon. The ice mellowed it out way too much. The proof at 94 is respectable, but it’s not too powerful and when coupled with the other factors, it just doesn’t hold up to being watered down. I don’t LOVE this bottle, but I have enjoyed sipping it. At $50, a 3x 🥃 seems appropriate, meaning, it’s well priced for what it is, which is a nice neat sipper, but a subpar on-the-rocks sipper. Interestingly enough, this is a similar mash bill to Knob Creek and to Sam Houston (see my reviews of each here and here, respectively) but the taste couldn’t be more different.
After I did my tasting and took my little notes in my handy journal (shameless, I know), I perused the web to see what others thought of this bottle. I don’t think I have seen such a variety of reviews for any other bourbon, and not just from what I tasted versus what others tasted, but amongst the others as well. Some found it sweet and light, others hot and spicy. It was chocolatey according to some, herbal to others, both to even others. So I guess my suggestion is that you should find a bottle and give it a go yourself. You may not fall in love, but you won’t be disappointed. Unless you use ice.
Nice Sipper Ratings Reminder…
All ratings are done on a scale between 1x 🥃 and 5x 🥃 according to the following criteria
1x 🥃 = I don't like this at all and/or not worth the cost by a mile.
2x 🥃🥃 = This is "meh" and/or slightly overpriced.
3x 🥃🥃🥃 = This is good stuff and/or the price is right.
4x 🥃🥃🥃🥃 = This is wonderful and I'm always keeping it in stock especially at this price.
5x 🥃🥃🥃🥃🥃 = This is amazing and/or this is way underpriced for the quality of the experience.
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