Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon Review (A123/2023)

By Richard Thomas

Rating: B

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon
(Credit: Heaven Hill)

What to write about Elijah Craig Barrel Proof that I either haven’t written before or merits restatement? It’s worth looking back and recalling that 2023 kicks off the 11th year for the expression, and this is the second strongest bourbon in the entire series at 125.6 proof. Also, Heaven Hill is following the times (i.e. inflation) and hiked the price by $10. See the end of this review for the new price point.

The constant of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is that it is a cask strength version of the original Elijah Craig Small Batch, the 12 Year Old version that dates back to the start of the brand in the 1980s. The regular edition switched to No Age Statement years ago, and the formulation is now said to be between 8 and 10 years old.

The Bourbon
The barrel really sings in this ball-breaker of a bourbon. The nose throws up a strong currents of vanilla and a woodiness that blends cherry and oak, plus a solid note of earthy fudge. The flavor again presses a wave of vanilla and tannic oak onto you, so strong it (perhaps not metaphorically, if you take it neat) makes you stumble backwards. This is so much so that I needed an extra sipping to pick up the note of red fruit. The finish goes down spicy, astringently tannic, and leathery.

All this was after I added a double splash of water, to compensate for the well above 120 proof strength of the thing. I found it far too hot as it was to try neat.

The Price
Officially, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof should cost $70. A quick review of online retailers shows that mark-ups are common, but not steep. $80 seems to be a national average.