Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, B525

I’d like to thank Heaven Hill for providing this sample with no strings attached.

IMAGE: Bottle of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof bourbon, batch B525, labeled 11 years, 6 months old and 126.2 proof, sitting on a wooden deck with lush green trees in the background.

Headed off to the dentist in a little bit to get a tiny cavity filled before it turns into something worse. I’m assuming my face will be numb and I’ll be miserable afterward, so I’m trying to get this out before I need to leave. And there isn’t much time left, so let’s make this one short.

We’ve covered these releases many times before, so I think most of us already know what’s going on with them. But if you’re new, here’s the short, short version: Elijah Craig used to be a 12-year-old product. Just before it transitioned to a non-age-stated (NAS) version, a companion “Barrel Proof” offering was released. That product stayed 12 years old even after the NAS transition and became a three-times-yearly release. A few cycles ago, they dropped the 12-year age statement as a standard and now just list how old each particular batch is. Most have been right around 12 years, though at least one has been older. The batch code helps you track it: the letter (A, B, or C) tells you if the bottle in your hands is from the first, second, or third release of the year. The first number is the month of release, and the last two digits are the year.

Okay, now that that’s out of the way, let’s dig in and see if it’s any good.

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, B525

Purchase Info: This sample was sent to me at no charge for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $74.99.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $5.00

Details: 63.1% ABV. 11 years, 6 months old

Nose: Pretty typical Heaven Hill profile: vanilla, caramel, cinnamon, and oak.

Mouth: Hot and sweet with notes of cinnamon, wintergreen, vanilla, honey, and oak.

Finish: Medium length and warm with notes of honey, cinnamon, and oak.

IMAGE: A hand-drawn smile that indicates I like this particualr release.

Thoughts: I like the nose on this one. It smells like bourbon—like, if you were making a “bourbon-scented” item, this would be your template. The mouth is as warm as you'd expect at over 120 proof. Nice heat and sweetness. I’m digging the honey notes on both the palate and the finish, and the mouthfeel reinforces that with a thick, rich texture. This is quite good. I really like it.

Oh, and since I was whining about the price of the last Heaven Hill product I covered, I should mention that this one continues to be much more reasonably priced compared to Old Fitz Bonded. It’s only about $6.50 per year of age. Fair is fair, and I don’t want to be called a hypocrite for calling out high pricing without acknowledging the opposite.

Comparison to last time: A125 is much less cinnamon-forward than B525. The mouth on A125 is sweeter and oakier. As always, both of these are very tasty—but B525 has a little extra oomph that puts it over the top for us.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Decanter Series Spring 2025

I’d like to thank Heaven Hill for providing this sample with no strings attached.

IMAGE: Bottle of Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Spring 2025 Edition bourbon, labeled 100 proof and 9 years old, sitting on a wooden deck with green foliage and an American flag in the background.

Hello friends! I’m back! Hopefully, you noticed that I was away last week…

Anyway. I was in a very tiny RV, driving to and from Knoxville, TN. Now you may ask: Why Knoxville? There are so many other places in the country to drive a tiny RV to. Why would you not choose (insert your favorite place to drive a tiny RV here)?

Well, the answer to that is basically a giant shrug. I have no idea why we decided on Knoxville proper. We have our usual birthday/anniversary trip planned for September and wanted to test out our probable method of transportation. We had the idea that it would be fun to take a September trip to Northern California in a drivable RV. My wife has always had the fantasy that she’d enjoy the smallest vans made. You know—the super small kind that fits into a parking spot with little trouble. Something cute.

The issue with that is… they’re also super small on the inside. I found that out when I needed to pee, couldn’t actually fit in the toilet area (vertically at all or horizontally comfortably), and had to stand in the “kitchen/hallway” and just aim at the toilet to relieve myself. (I happen to be a very good aim, having had almost 50 years of practice.) Toss in assorted tripping and stumbling hazards and we realized that, if nothing else, the layout was just shit. But also that we really could use a bit more space—and a “lounging area” that wasn’t just the driver’s and passenger’s seats flipped around. After driving all day, those were the last seats we wanted to be in while trying to relax.

Now, as to why Knoxville? First off, there are a couple of National Park Units there. One of them is the second of three units in the Manhattan Project National Historical Park. We visited Los Alamos around this time last year, so picking up the second of three interlocking passport stamps felt like a fun goal. But more importantly, this was a trial run that allowed me to test the various ways we plan to spend our overnights during the September trip. We tried Harvest Hosts, campgrounds, and hotels—just to see how Mr. Tiny would handle itself (that’s what I referred to the RV as in my head, don’t get any weird ideas just because I mentioned peeing earlier). And best of all, if something did go wrong (which it did), we were in a populated area—or at least more populated than Wyoming or the Nevada desert.

But the best part of going to Tennessee? We passed through Kentucky twice and had many opportunities to spend almost as much on bourbon as I did on the RV. We’ll probably have a lot of bonus posts this summer to go through the things I picked up. But for now, let’s get on to tonight’s bourbon—which I did not get while away.

Tonight’s bourbon is the latest release in Heaven Hill’s Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond Decanter Series—this one being the Spring 2025 release. As always, this release uses the Heaven Hill wheated bourbon mashbill and meets the requirements to be labeled bottled-in-bond. It is nine years old and bottled at 100 proof.

Old Fitzgerald has a long history. It was the flagship product of the Old Stitzel-Weller distillery (of Pappy Van Winkle fame). After being purchased by Heaven Hill, it eventually slid down the ranks of prestige, having qualified for more than one Bottom-Shelf Bracket back when we adhered to strict pricing rules for that series. A few years ago, though, the bottled-in-bond version was relaunched as a prestige offering. The average price was about $10 per year of age—a big jump from the twenty-something dollars per bottle it had previously carried. These days, the price has increased even more to about $14 per year of age, which is quite the jump.

Disappointing as a frugal person, but not unexpected for someone who follows the bourbon industry. Anyway, let’s dig in and see if this is worth the price.

Old Fitzgerald Bottled-in-Bond, Spring 2025

Purchase Info: This sample was sent to me at no charge for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $129.99.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $8.67

Details: 50% ABV, 9 years old.

Nose: Caramel, vanilla, spearmint, and oak.

Mouth: Caramel, vanilla, cinnamon, leather, and oak.

Finish: Medium in both length and warmth. Notes of cacao nibs, vanilla, cinnamon, oak, and just a hint of spearmint.

IMAGE: A hand-drawn smiley face. This denotes a “like” rating.

Thoughts: Though I am not a fan of Heaven Hill deviating from their prior pricing plan of the MSRP being $10 per year aged, if you’re the sort of person willing to pay $130 for a bottle of bourbon, you won’t be disappointed in paying that for this one. If anything could be said to be worth that price, this would be. I’ve had far worse bourbon for more money. Because this is absolutely delicious—it’s rich and thick, and the oak-derived notes of leather and cacao are probably my favorite part of this one. Big fan.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Jefferson’s Reserve Cask Strength

I’d like to thank Jefferson’s Bourbon and their PR partners for sending this sample with no strings attached.

IMAGE: Bottle of Jefferson’s Reserve Limited Edition Cask Strength bourbon, labeled 130 proof, sitting on a wooden deck with trees and greenery in the background.

It’s been a minute since we last looked at anything from Jefferson’s Bourbon. Not for any real reason—I usually like it. But many of their releases have been more of a “change of pace” bourbon for me, as they haven’t always lined up perfectly with my palate. Well, just having bourbon outside of a tasting has become a change of pace for me these days, so I don’t buy or consume nearly enough to warrant a "change of pace" product on the shelf. Because of that, I don’t buy their stuff as often as I probably used to, and as such, I don’t cover it as much either.

That said, they were nice enough to send me a sample to check out, so let’s dig in.

Jefferson’s Reserve Cask Strength is an 8-year-old Kentucky straight bourbon bottled unfiltered at 130° proof (65% ABV). This limited-edition release will be available starting April 2025 at select retailers, restaurants, and bars across the U.S., with a suggested retail price of $69.99 for a 750 mL bottle. Here is what the brand has to say about this release:

“For years, Jefferson’s Reserve has been our flagship bourbon, celebrated for its balance and sophistication. With this cask strength release, we’re peeling back the layers to reveal the whiskey in its most authentic form—untamed, uncut, and packed with intense flavor,” said Trey Zoeller, Founder and Master Blender of Jefferson’s Bourbon. “This is for those  who crave the full experience of a high-proof  bourbon that’s as big as it is drinkable.”

Let’s see how it tastes, shall we?

Jefferson's Cask Strength.

Purchase Info: This bottle was sent to me for review purposes at no charge. The Suggested Retail Price is $69.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.67

Details: 8 years old, 65% ABV

Nose: Strong floral vanilla notes initially, followed by cinnamon, cherry, and oak.

Mouth: As hot as you would expect 130 proof to be. Follows the nose with vanilla, cinnamon, oak, and cherry notes.

Finish: Long and warm, with lingering notes of vanilla, cinnamon candies, and a bit of oak.

IMAGE: A hand-drawn smiley face. It denotes that I like the bourbon.

Thoughts: Holy shit! This may be my favorite Jefferson’s bourbon yet. It has all the heat you’d expect at 130° proof. Neat, it is thick, rich, spicy, and sweet. A touch of water tames some of the heat and brings out more oak, a little almond, and even more vanilla. Folks, I really like this one. And not just in a “change of pace” manner. If you see this one out in the wild, do yourself a favor and treat yourself — it’s worth the splurge.

BourbonGuy.com will be off next week due to a short vacation. Regular posts will return on May 21, 2025.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Woodinville Whiskey: Tequila Barrel Finished Bourbon

This sample was provided by the producer with no strings attached.

IMAGE: Bottle of Woodinville Special Limited Release bourbon finished in tequila barrels, labeled 100 proof, sitting on a wooden deck with a green backyard in the background.

I am an outlier in my family. I do not like tequila. At all. Not in a margarita, not in a cocktail, not in a glass on its own. I’ve tried expensive tequilas and inexpensive ones. It just doesn’t mesh with my palate. So when a bottle of Woodinville Bourbon that had been finished in tequila barrels landed on my doorstep, I was a little concerned about how this review would go. But I persevered and did the tasting anyway. I mean, there’s no way it would be as bad as some of the TerrePure bourbons I used to occasionally review. And I went into this review with an open mind, even though I’ve been known to describe a margarita as “lovely sweetened lime juice ruined by tequila.”

So, what is this bourbon? And where can a person get their hands on a bottle if they adore both tequila and bourbon? Well, I’m going to let the producer tell you a little story about that. They went through all the trouble to write a wonderfully transparent story. It would be a shame to let it go to waste.

“Tequila and Bourbon, together— a pairing Woodinville co-founder and head distiller Brett Carlile could not wrap his mind around. “It’s something I always wanted to try but was afraid to take a stab at. Eventually, curiosity got the best of me. So, I went for it and was blown away by how well Tequila and Bourbon play together,” says Carlile.

 Brett’s experimentation landed on what he and Orlin see as a real winner: Tequila Finish Woodinville Flagship Bourbon. It’s a Bourbon that’s made quite the trek. It started with grains grown in Quincy, WA where the Omlin family has farmed for four generations. Then those grains headed across the Cascade mountains to our distillery in Woodinville, WA, to be distilled in this Western Washington town where nearby wineries and breweries send their wild yeasts into the air— lending a distinct terroir to the whiskey.  That new-make whiskey heads back across the mountain pass, again, where it’s placed in new American Oak barrels built from wood that seasoned in the elements for 18-24 months. 

 Brett tasted that Bourbon, and once it reached nearly 6 years, he deemed it ready for a fun project in the top-secret Warehouse 1. (It’s an original barrelhouse on the farm that’s home to numerous experiments.) Brett sourced some Extra Anejo Tequila barrels, and the team filled those emptied barrels with Woodinville Bourbon. And there it sat. Orlin and Brett revisited it, during the sweltering summers and frigid winters of Central Washington. And, a few months back, they tasted it and knew it was ready to release.”

According to the press release, 2,000 bottles were produced. 500 of them will be available at the distillery on May 3rd starting at 10 a.m. On May 5th, the rest will become available on their website, woodinvillewhiskeyco.com. The price will be $69.99 per 750 mL bottle.

Let’s see how it tastes, shall we?

Woodinville Whiskey: Tequila Barrel Finished Bourbon

Purchase Info: This bottle was provided by the producer for review purposes at no charge. The suggested retail price is $69.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.67

Details: 50% ABV. Aged for over 5 years.

Nose: Green apple, brown sugar, and woodsy notes.

Mouth: Dry and oaky—trending toward, but not reaching, astringency. Notes of agave syrup, baking spice, brown sugar, and vanilla.

Finish: Warm and on the shorter side of medium length. This is where the tequila influence appears strongest to me—notes of agave and cinnamon.

Thoughts: As mentioned above, I've been known to describe a margarita as “lovely sweetened lime juice ruined by tequila.” I do not care for tequila. So I am turning this over to my usually silent, tequila-loving tasting partner and wife so this one gets a fair shake.

IMAGE: A hand-drawn smiley face denotes a “like” rating. In this case it is because of how much my wife liked it.

"I like this. What stands out to me is how well the flavors produced by the yeast that Woodinville uses play with the tequila. I like the woodsy notes on the nose—kind of a cedar, oak, underbrush sort of smell. On the mouth, I like how the bourbon adds richness and baking spice to the product, flavors that tequila typically lacks. If I'm nitpicking, I could wish it was sweeter—not a huge fan of the dryness—but I can get past that. I like it, but am not sure I'd reach for it if I was looking for bourbon. But when I can't decide if I want bourbon or tequila, this will work well."

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

High West Bourye 2025

I’d like to thank High West Distillery and their partners at Lippe Taylor for sending this sample with no strings attached.

IMAGE: Bottle of High West Bourye whiskey on a wooden deck, featuring a jackalope on the label, with a backyard scene and bare trees in the background.

Hello friends! I hope everyone is having an amazing day today. I’ve been hobbling around on an injured foot after my deck bit me last night. I ended up with a five-inch-long sliver of wood stabbed about an inch into the ball of my foot. I was able to get it out just fine—just a little self-surgery with a sterilized X-Acto blade. It ended up looking like a cut. Not too bad... if it were anywhere but exactly where all my weight lands with every step. But hey! That just means I’m done with yard work for a little while. Not going to complain about that.

Especially when there’s whiskey in my glass.

Tonight’s whiskey is one from High West Distillery out of Park City, Utah. I’ve met some of the folks there a few times and always walk away impressed with their operation. In fact, what I love most about them is their willingness to let the consumer know exactly where the whiskey comes from—even if it wasn’t originally distilled by them.

For example, if you take a look at the press release for this particular bottle of Bourye (a blend of bourbon and rye whiskey), you’ll see the following:

Mashbill:
• Straight Rye Whiskey: 95% rye, 5% barley malt from MGP; 80% rye, 20% malted rye from HWD
• Straight Bourbon Whiskey: 75% corn, 21% rye, 4% barley malt from MGP; 60% corn, 36% rye, 4% malted barley from MGP; 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley from KY

That’s pretty cool for a whiskey nerd like me. Plus, this particular release is over 10 years old. So, double-digit age and transparency? Yes, please.

The only thing I don’t love is the price. Trying to sell a $125 bottle of whiskey when folks are trying to figure out how to buy their groceries is... certainly a choice. But I wouldn’t doubt that their suppliers charged them an arm and a leg as well. And as a guy who sells things I make to people (see below), I get needing to make money on the things you’ve made.

One thing I did find odd: they specifically called out that this doesn’t do well with ice. And as someone who usually likes his whiskey with a small piece of ice, I can confirm—it doesn’t really take water well. Of course, at only 92 proof, it doesn’t really need it either.

So let’s dig in before I give everything away.

High West Bourye 2025

Purchase Info: This bottle was sent at no charge for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $124.99 per bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $8.33

Details: 10 years old. 46% ABV. Mashbill: A blend of whiskeys that include: Straight Rye Whiskey from MGP (95% rye, 5% barley malt), Straight Rye Whiskey from High West (80% rye, 20% malted rye), Straight Bourbon Whiskey from MGP (75% corn, 21% rye, 4% barley malt and 60% corn, 36% rye, 4% malted barley), and Straight Bourbon Whiskey from and unnamed Kentucky Distillery (78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley).

Nose: Ripe banana and red fruits, sweet vanilla-caramel, and dusty oak.

Mouth: Caramel, vanilla, red fruit, black tea, ginger, and oak.

Finish: Medium in length and warmth. Lingering notes of floral vanilla, black tea, barrel char, and ginger.

IMAGE: This is a hand-drawn smiley face. It denotes that I like the whiskey.

Thoughts: This is a good whiskey. I’m really enjoying it. There’s very little chance I’ll be purchasing it—not at that price, and not in this economy. But that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a good product. I dig the spicy and oak notes. I just wish it had a bit more proof. The mouthfeel is a little thinner than I’d like for something that runs over $8 a pour. Overall, I like the whiskey—it’s just that I’d like it a lot more at about half to two-thirds of the price.

If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.