Elijah Craig Single Barrel 18 years 750 ml

Product Info

Elijah Craig 18 Year - What can say about this highly allocated bottle from Heaven Hill? This single barrel was bottled on August 1, 2023 and is one of HH’s high aged bourbons that is released annually. I picked this up from Total Wine and was able to get this bottle at MSRP. The barrel number is 6404 and this bourbon comes in at 90 proof. *** Side Note*** I bought this bottle after purchasing the Elijah Craig Barrel Proof C923, which contained some high aged bourbon, with the youngest being 13 years, 7 months. Of course, that was one of best ECBP that I have tasted, so I’m wondering how this will compare. Many reviews always talk about this being over oaky and the question that looms, is if this is worth $150 price tag, when you can buy a 12 year ECBP around $75. Well enough talking , let’s Pour, Sniff, and Sip. Did I find one of those special single barrels? We’ll see.

Cheers 🥃 and “Welkome to the Neat Lounge”

Price: $149.99

My Tasting Notes: I allowed this to rest in a Glencarin glass for 20 minutes before sampling.

Appearance: Dark Bronze

Nose: The nose has a nice balance of caramel and sweet oak. Behind that is a very pronounced amount of vanilla and confectionery sugar. Others have mentioned that it smells like a crème brûlée. It actually does and it also reminds me of a fresh baked sugar cookie. The nose is really nice and definitely makes you feel like this is going to be an enjoyable pour. Digging deeper you pick up a slight hint of cinnamon. I also get an earthy old dusty smell that lets me know that this is some older bourbon. Teasing this out more, there is an undercurrent smell of oranges and fig. Based on appearance and smell alone I give the nose and 8.5.

Palate: Right out of the gate you pick up the oak and slightly rye spice. The oak is right on the edge, but definitely not over oaked. While the sweetness is noticeable, it’s not as pronounced as it was on the nose. The vanilla and cinnamon are detectable, but definitely in the background. The texture is slightly thin and drying at the end. On the second sip, it feels more vibrant on the tongue but still not overly oily. Surprisingly, there is a cocoa powder taste, that I didn’t detect on the nose. This is one bourbon that I think you want to take your time with and let it open up. I think it’s complex enough on the palate that you can taste the time it was aged in the barrel. All in all, the palate is solid. I give it a 7.5.

Finish: The finish starts off a lot spicier on the back end and bodes well for a 90 proof bourbon. I would say that the finish has a slightly long linger to be on the thinner viscous side. The baking spice actually hangs on to the very end. The caramel, vanilla, sweet oak are somewhat present throughout the finish. While the finish is a little drying on the end, I really like how the overall taste profile was for this single barrel. I’ll give the finish an 8.

Summary: As I mentioned earlier, this is a bourbon, that you should take your time with. I can definitely say, that this was really well balanced and I compliment Heaven Hill for being able to release such high aged bourbon that isn’t super oaky and still has pretty complex flavors. I expect this bottle to get much better over time and will be one that I will share with many friends. The nose, palate, and finish are quite good for a lower proof bourbon. While not an exceptional pour, it is very good and an enjoyable pour. At $150 was this worth the purchase? I’m not sure. I think it could be around $100 and be more palatable at that price, but you are getting a truly well aged bourbon that could possibly be extraordinary depending on the single barrel you purchase. I’m happy with it, but won’t need to run out and buy a backup bottle. I have a couple of ECBP C923’s and that will have to work for me 😎.

Rating: This is a solid 8.0 on a 10 point scale