I’d like to thank Heaven Hill for providing this review sample of Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel and a small comparison sample of Elijah Craig Small Batch with no strings attached.
Hey there! Sorry about last week. It turns out that I had the opportunity to rent a private house on the north shore of Lake Superior for a few days and I took it. My wife and I were in desperate need of time out of our house and we felt like we could sterilize and isolate effectively enough to take the risk.
I mean it couldn’t be worse than visiting our local grocery stores where half the patrons are not only not wearing masks, but are also making fun of those who do.
And it was a wonderful trip! Listening to the waves crashing against the rocky shoreline while drinking my coffee in the morning was very relaxing. And doing it while not having internet or cell service was even more so.
But just before I left, I got a package from Heaven Hill. Inside was a bottle of the recently announced Toasted Barrel version of Heaven Hill’s Elijah Craig Bourbon. Helpfully they also included a comparison sample of standard Elijah Craig Small Batch as well as example barrel stave samples to illustrate what has causes Toasted Barrel to be different than Small Batch Elijah Craig. So what is the difference between this new expression and the Small Batch one that has been out for a few years now?
In a nutshell, it was finished in a second new charred oak barrel in which the staves had been heavily toasted and lightly charred. This bourbon started out as the same juice used in Elijah Craig Small Batch. As with most other Heaven Hill products, including standard Elijah Craig, it had been aged in a barrel whose staves were charred to a #3 level char. I’ve included an example of that below (ignore the shininess, they were kind enough to put a finish on the wood so that we didn’t get charcoal all over everything).
After it was fully matured, the juice that could have become Small Batch was entered into a second barrel. As I said above, this was a second new charred oak barrel. The staves were heavily toasted and lightly charred to a #1 level char. According to Heaven Hill, the toasting was done to “bring forward dark sugar flavors within the wood, caramelizing and blending them together to create a toast that is not too smoky and offers just the right amount of sweetness.” The charring was done to maintain the standards of identity of Straight Bourbon Whiskey by only using new charred oak in the finishing process. (In other words, they don’t have to say “Straight Bourbon Whiskey finished in XYZ barrels” on the label.) I’ve included an image of both of the example staves they sent along below. One stave illustrates the level of toasting that happened before charring and the other shows the char level of the staves that the finishing barrel was made of.
I think this stuff is pretty neat. But you are probably wondering how the new kid tastes and how it compares to standard Elijah Craig Small Batch.
Elijah Craig: Toasted Barrel
Purchase Info: This sample was graciously provided by Heaven Hill for review purposes. The suggested retail price is about $49.99.
Price per Drink (50 mL): $3.33
Details: 47% ABV. Finished in new charred oak barrels that have been heavily toasted.
Nose: Toffee, mint, cinnamon, ginger and hints of molasses.
Mouth: Sweet. Caramel, fruit, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Finish: Medium in both length and warmth. Lingering fruit, cinnamon, mint, nutmeg, and some cocoa.
Comparison to Elijah Craig Small Batch: Noses are pretty similar with the Toasted Barrel showing much more toffee. The mouth of Toasted Barrel is sweeter, richer and fruitier. The finish of Toasted Barrel is softer than the finish of the standard Small Batch.
Thoughts: This is great! Many of the same notes as Elijah Craig Small Batch, but more concentrated and refined. I find it to be sweeter and richer. I really like it and I'll happily grab a bottle of this if I see it.
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