Company: Elijah Craig
Distillery: Heaven Hill Distillery
Region: Louisville, Kentucky
Aging: 11 Years 5 Months
ABV: 62.1% ABV
Proof: 124.2 Proof
Mash Bill: 78% Corn, 12% Malted Barley, 10% Rye
Non-Chill Filtered: Yes
MSRP Price: $75
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof – Batch B523 Tasting Notes
Appearance: Very Dark Amber
Nose: Rich caramel, toasted oak, vanilla, baking spice, brown sugar, light fruit, citrus
Palate: Heavy caramel and oak, vanilla, light fruits punch through, citrus, orange, apricot, baking spice, nutmeg leather notes, rye spice, pepper
Finish: Lovely finish that is smooth but also bold for a 124 Proof whiskey. Leaves you with some heat on the palate complemented by a nice oily and buttery mouthfeel full of caramel, oak, and sweetness then ends with a lingering rye spice and pepper
Is Elijah Craig Barrel Proof – Batch B523 an Approachable Whiskey?
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof is always a heavy hitter full of strong flavors of oak and caramel.
It’s not a whiskey for beginners, but experienced whiskey drinkers will certainly appreciate the depth of this pour.
Is Elijah Craig Barrel Proof – Batch B523 Complex?
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch B523 has a lot of complexity.
It starts with heavy oak and caramel from nearly 12 years of aging in barrels.
As the whiskey starts to settle into your taste buds, you start to get spices, pepper, and fruit notes shine through.
The finish is excellent. It’s heavy and bold with a ton of flavor and is surprisingly smooth for how strong this whiskey is.
Being Uncut and Straight From The Barrel gives this whiskey a nice oily and buttery mouthfeel that coats your entire mouth and really lets the flavors shine.
As the finish closes out, it leaves you with a nice balance oak and caramel with rye spice and pepper on the tail end.
*Side Note: This is the first time Elijah Craig Barrel Proof has been aged less than 12 years. They’ve made it clear that they will no longer be sticking to the 12 year requirement.
There has been a lot of debate on the quality of the Barrel Proof bourbons recently and removing the 12 Year age statement should hopefully give their distillers a bit more freedom and creativity.
What are Elijah Craig Barrel Proof – Batch B523’s strongest attributes/flavors?
As usual, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch B523’s strongest attribute is still its heavy oak and rich caramel notes.
While not aged quite as long as some previous batches, the overall flavor profiles are still similar.
This pour being aged 7 months less than the others seems to show a bit.
If you’re a big fan of heavy oak, this will possibly hurt your preference for this one.
I rather enjoy the smooth and balanced flavors in this pour and I find it quite enjoyable.
Rather than straight up oak, caramel, and cinnamon I’ve gotten in previous batches, I get a lot of light fruit flavors like citrus zest, apple, and apricot notes.
It’s still got the nice rye spice and pepper notes on the tail end of the finish, too.
Is Elijah Craig Barrel Proof – Batch B523 a go-to whiskey?
If you’re a fan of Elijah Craig in general, Batch B523 is going to be a bottle you’ll want to pick up.
Since it is a limited-release bottle, this is one I’ll reserve for more special occasions. But if I could buy this on a regular basis, it could easily become a go-to whiskey.
Is Elijah Craig Barrel Proof – Batch B523 worth its price tag?
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch B523 costs $75 versus the standard Elijah Craig at $40.
I think the bottle delivers on its price tag and offers much deeper flavors and has a lot more complexity than the base-level Elijah Craig.
Conclusion for Elijah Craig Barrel Proof – Batch B523
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch B523 is an excellent bottle of whiskey.
For $75, you get a whiskey that is packed full of all the best bourbon flavors you could want in a whiskey.
It’s affordable while still offering top-quality flavors that blend extremely well together.
In comparison to previous Barrel Proof Batches, this one offers a nice change of pace.
It drinks quite a bit smoother than previous batches I have tasted and leans a little more into the fruit and spices than others.
My previous favorite batch was Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch A123, so I’ll have to do a side-by-side of these two to figure out which I now prefer more.
All-In-All you really can’t go wrong with any of the Elijah Craig Barrel Proof bottles.
It’s one of the limited-release bottles that I will always buy when I see it on the shelf each year.
Let Us Know What You Think
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Thanks for reading and cheers!
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