Review #368 - Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch B524
Batch B524 of the thrice annual Barrel Proof series of Elijah Craig bourbons - this again falls under the old standard 12 year age statement, though not by much: 11 years and 2 months, this time. It's the second release of 2024, after A124, which was just a few months younger, at 10 years and 9 months of maturation.
Heaven Hill uses a lower-rye mashbill for this batch, just like the other Elijah Craig whiskies: 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley. This batch actually comes in at a relatively high strength for the series, at least in the scope of recent years: 65.3% ABV, or 130.6 proof. That proof should convey the famous Heaven Hill flavors with plenty of strength, but could it be a bit hot on the palate?
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch B524
USA - Bourbon
Current Locally Available Price: USD 75 (2024)
Age Statement: 11 Years
Strength: 65.3% ABV
Details: Not chill filtered; batch B524
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 2 times over 1 month; bottles at 100% and 90% fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a nosing glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Cherries hit first, along with a decent amount of oak; you can feel the proof on the nose. The oak is both sweet and dry, with some fragrant leathery notes; brown sugar and candied pecans add more sweet scents. A nice nose, if not the most complex, but it's nicely balanced sweet to dry.
Palate: A thick mouthfeel - warming, oaky, full of baking notes. Brown sugar, paprika, chili spice, and cardamom are all present, though brown sugar is by far the strongest. There's a slight barbecue taste to the oak, along with hints of wood smoke; the cherry from the nose takes time to arrive, and it's mixed with some cola flavors.
Finish: Medium-long, and brown sugar is still strong. That cherry from the end of the palate grows in strength, too, and it starts to lean a bit sweeter; more cola and a kick of oak tannins add more layers. In the aftertaste, it's a bit of leather again... relatively well balanced.
Final Note: This is a very solid, if slightly unexceptional, batch of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof. We enjoyed the fruity cherry notes, and there was still enough maturity in the oak notes with the slightly lower age statement. While the flavors were nice, it also wasn't the most complex pour - a little more simple than the average batch of this bourbon.
Value, as usual, is quite good - it's hard to get barrel proof bourbon with age statements this high for less money. The quality is generally very good for these releases, too, so we would be happy to recommend picking up a bottle.
Our Average Rating: 7.7 / 10
In the current whisky landscape of increasing prices and variable quality, we've added a value rating to our reviews that relates to the score and the available pricing of each whisky. This roughly equates to a 0-10 scale; no reviews so far have exceeded a score of 10, although it is technically possible for the formula to produce a value rating higher than 10 with a high enough score and low enough price.
Value Rating: 7.35
About Us: We're a husband and wife review team living in the Midwest United States. Generally, our reviews and tasting notes will be a compilation of both of our experiences with a whisky over several tasting sessions.
Check out our other Elijah Craig reviews:
Review #333 - Elijah Craig 10 Year Private Barrel - Wiseguy Lounge Pick 'John Dillinger'
Review #332 - Elijah Craig 10 Year Private Barrel - Wiseguy Lounge Pick 'Arson'
Review #298 - Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch A122
Review #297 - Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch A121
