Elijah Craig Barrel Proof – The Hazmat Bottling. It’s called such because of the blistering 70.1% (140.2 proof) it was bottled at. To this day still reigns as the highest proof release in the Elijah Craig Barrel Proof lineup. If you’re not familiar with the ECBP lineup I’ll give a little background info on it below. If you’re already well-acquainted feel free to skip it and jump on down to the Elijah Craig Barrel Proof review below.
The Elijah Craig Barrel Proof releases have been coming out since the fall of 2013 and have continued to come out every quarter since making 4 releases per year. ECBP carries a 12 year age statement and is an uncut, unfiltered bourbon which means no water has been added is non-chill filtered. This is the truest form of this whiskey outside of an uncut single barrel. This Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is release #6 and to-date there have been 12 counting the one that just came out – I’m not sure if it still carries the 12 year age statement.
Bourbon Whiskey Info
Region: Kentucky, USA
Distiller: Heaven Hill Distillery
Mashbill: 75% Corn, 13% Rye & 12% Malted Barley
Cask: New Charred Oak
Age: 12 Years
ABV: 70.1%
Cask Strength | Non-Chill Filtered | Natural Color
Batch: 6
Price: $65
Bourbon Whiskey Review
EYE
Ruddy caramel
NOSE
Oak, currant-heavy dark fruit, complex dark sweets, spice (clove, anise, cinnamon) and a touch herbal. Water brings out citrus peels, marshmallowy vanilla, cocoa and leather.
PALATE
Oak, toasted corn, complex spice, complex dark fruit, caramel heavy dark sweets, vanilla, leather and a bit of cocoa. Water brings out citrus peels, toasted grains and the cocoa becomes more brownie-like.
FINISH
Long oaky fade accompanied by notes of roasted peanuts, corn, dark fruit and spice
BALANCE, BODY & FEEL
Well balanced, full body and a rich oily feel.
OVERALL
Some friends and I tasted this batch 6 of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof along with the first 8 ECBP releases a few months ago in a tasting and it was unanimously everyone’s favorite and it’s easy to see why. It’s complex, multi-faceted and carries a strong sense of depth. Water also worked magic on this one and opens it up, evening it out and rounding any rough edges. It’s a lovely whiskey and the perfect end-of-summer sipper with a chunk of ice slowly melting with each sip.
SCORE: 90/100 (A-)
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Review
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Summary
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is a good whiskey and this batch 6 is fantastic.
Overall
- Nose - 91
- Palate - 92
- Finish - 90
- Balance, Body & Feel - 88
they just had two bottles of this to ay at 60buck . Is this a sweet bourbon like the rest of H.H. stuff ?
It’s sweet, but the oak and proof keeps it balanced
I think the new one is 133 proof only a two bottles. a shame I just got Russell’s reserve . didn’t have the cash.Is this a sweet bourbon like the rest of H.H. ?
Will you be reviewing the Aug. batch~ 130.6 proof soon? I’m enjoying it a lot so far.
If I can snag one for retail-ish I will. Problem is they’re all going for $120-$150 around Los Angeles and I just can’t spend that for this :/
The newest b517 124.2 proof is exceptionally good but just try to find it.i can locate pappy easier.
Way too oaky for me. have a friend that enjoys islay scotches and really likes this. maybe there’s some connections. I enjoy barrel proof whiskeys and found Stagg, EHTBP and Bookers to all be much better
The one I picked up last month at HH is 139.4 proof (69.7%) with no age statement.Is this the 8th release? Doesn’t HH use the same mash bill for all their products except for their rye? Thanks for the site, really enjoy the info and always open the email as soon as it hits my inbox.
Hey Todd,
Thank you and thanks for sharing. The 139.4 was release 11, release 12 is 136 proof.
Cheers!
Josh, I have the 136 proof and I can confirm it still carries the twelve year age statement on it.
Thanks for sharing. Cheers!
Please, about the rule that the spirit goes in the barrel with 62,5% ABV, how it becomes 70,1%?
In hot climates water evaporates faster than alcohol and so you loose more water than alcohol so the concentration of alcohol becomes greater. In cooler climates, like Scotland, the exact opposite happens.
Thank you, Josh. I apreciate your blog and i’m always learning here. Keep the good job!
Just confirming, that ECBP still carries a 12 year age statement “Bottled straight from the barrel and without chill filtering, the nose, the taste and the finish from twelve years of aging are preserved in their purist form.” On the back of a 139.4 proof bottle. Pretty sure this is the latest release.
Cool. The latest is the 136 proof, bur I haven’t seen a bottle of it to make sure. Thanks for confirming it was still there on Batch 11!
Cheers!
I just found a bottle of batch #12, the 136 proof, and it still has the 12 year age statement on the back.