The Whiskey Reviewer A World of Whiskey, Poured Every Weekday
By Richard Thomas
Rating: B+
Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel Bourbon
(Credit: Heaven Hill)
The latest arrival to the double new oak aging party is Elijah Craig. This growing class of whiskey involves a special and particularly American type of maturation. The whiskey begins with a normal cycle of aging in charred, new oak barrels, and then receives a finish in a second set of new oak barrels.
Only American whiskey has made a signature commitment to maturing whiskey in new oak barrels. Other world whiskey industries might mature some of their spirit in new oak, but even in Canada this is a minority of the total stock, and in other countries it is a tiny minority. Encountering a non-American whiskey whose first round of aging has been in new oak is therefore extremely rare.
Although a handful of Irish and Scottish whiskies have been finished in new oak, the stock these are blended from is entirely or predominately drawn from spirit aged in used casks. By default, double new oak aging is an American practice.
In this instance, regular Elijah Craig (already aged 10 to 12 years) has received a finish in new barrels that were first toasted, then flash-charred. The finish period is unstated, but several months is common and probably the case here. These choices are tailored to double down on the vanilla sweetness drawn from oak aging.
The Bourbon
This middle amber-looking pour has a nose that smacks of toasted sweet corn, vanilla, flame roasted mashmallow and cake spices. The flavor is candy corn and vanilla served heaped on a small, thin platter of oak, dusted lightly with spices that have shifted from what one would find in a cake to the sharper blend used in cookies. I found was a light one that ran in the oaky and spicy vein.
The double new oak treatment made this whiskey quite distinct from the core Elijah Craig Small Batch expression. I can’t say it actually built on or improved upon the Small Batch, but it also didn’t take it back a step. Instead, this member of the team has adopted a whole new playing strategy, while staying in the same league.
The Price
A bottle of Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel Bourbon is priced at $50.
