Review #415 - Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch C922
Going back to a past batch from Heaven Hill's Elijah Craig Barrel Proof series - this is a bottle we picked up more recently. It's batch C922, back when ECBP had a standardized 12 year age statement; this was the third release of 2022, and these 'C' batches are often seen as the best of each year.
The distillery uses their famous 78% corn, 10% rye, and 12% malted barley mashbill for the Elijah Craig bourbons, which falls into the 'low-rye' category; still there's generally some spice from the long duration of the maturation. With a bottling strength of 62.4% ABV (124.8 proof), there will certainly be some heat to contend with... will this batch fall on the sweeter or spicier end of the Elijah Craig Barrel Proof scale?
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch C922
USA - Bourbon
Price Paid: USD 90 (2024)
Current Locally Available Price: USD 90 (2024)
Age Statement: 12 Years
Strength: 62.4% ABV
Details: Not chill filtered; batch C922
Tasting Methodology: Reviewed 5 times over 2 months; bottles at 90%, 100%, 90% (blind tasting), 80%, and 70% (blind tasting) fill levels at times of review. Tasted in a Glencairn glass each time, rested 10-15 minutes
Nose: Lots of leather and oak - rich, mature, and showing its proof. Unsmoked tobacco and molasses show more maturity, but there's a lighter side, too: pecans or caramel turtles, peanut, and cream soda. Later on, we found some chocolate and cola.
Palate: A thick mouthfeel, and this carries nicely from the nose into the palate: strong oak and wood smoke, tannins, freshly oiled leather, baking notes like brown sugar. Pepper and dark chocolate add to the spice, and in the background, some orange peel, almonds, and banana mingle. Grows a little sweeter with time.
Finish: Rich and oily, smoky, there's leather and lots of oak. Very mature, which brings some bitter tannins from the oak, but also barbecue, spice, and cola. Sweetness is added by vanilla, while orange oil and cinnamon linger in the aftertaste. It's a long finish.
Final Note: Super mature and oak-forward - the youngest barrels are 12 years old based on the label, but we wouldn't be surprised if there was some even older stock in this batch. Loads of oak and leather, tobacco, and cola - a little bit astringent at times, but not overwhelmingly so.
Value is good here, just like pretty much every batch of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof. While the price is slowly rising, they're still some of the best value propositions for barrel proof whisky on the market.
Our Average Rating: 7.5 / 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: 6.69
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 #383 - Elijah Craig 10 Year Private Barrel - Wiseguy Lounge Pick 'Joe Profaci'
Review #368 - Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch B524
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