Last week I was on a family vacation to the Outer Banks area of North Carolina. As we drove home, I was able to finagle an evening in Louisville, one of my favorite cities to visit. Which reminded me that I should probably get around to talking about a bottle that I picked up on my last trip to Louisville back in May.
It was on that May trip that I remembered that there was such a thing as a private selection of Elijah Craig Small Batch. Well, one that wasn't the Barrel Proof version, that is. I was sitting at the bar of the Silver Dollar having a drink with one friend while waiting to have supper with another. My friend and I both ordered one of their private picks of Elijah Craig, erroneously thinking it was the barrel proof version of the product. It was not.
It was, however, delicious. Which meant that when I hit up all my favorite stores to do a little whiskey shopping, I needed to keep my eye out for it. And I found it at a store that had been recommended to me by a reader called Evergreen Liquors. It was only my second stop there, but I had really enjoyed the private picks I'd picked up there the September before. And so with those two thoughts in my head, I picked up tonight's bottle.
Elijah Craig: Cox's and Evergreen Hand Selected
Purchase Info: $29.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Evergreen Liquors, Louisville, KY
Details: 47% ABV
Nose: Worn leather, cotton candy, vanilla, and nutmeg
Mouth: Nice and spicy. Sweet with a good hit of baking spices and vanilla with fleeting hints of fruit.
Finish: On the longer side of medium with lingering notes of oak tannins, mint, and sweet fruits.
Thoughts: This is a very good selection from a store where I've been happy with previous picks I've purchased from them. Two data points are not yet a trend, but it might be a trend forming.
Compared to the standard release, this bottle is spicier in the mouth with a warmer and oakier finish. The noses are very similar.
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