I’d like to thank Heaven Hill for providing this review sample with no strings attached.
There was a time when Elijah Craig had a twelve-year age statement. Eventually, Heaven Hill decided to retire that age statement to give themselves more flexibility to blend it to taste rather than age. At the time, I was upset, but looking back on the decision from the future, I think Heaven Hill made the right choice in reserving that twelve-year age statement for the barrel-proof version of Elijah Craig. We discussed this in detail back in January.
Well, that age statement is currently no more. As of B523, they have removed the standard 12-year-old age statement in favor of a “per batch” age statement. If you frequently perform searches of the TTB’s COLA database, you may have seen this coming as I did. I’ve got at least one extra bottle of C922 stashed away for the future, just in case things take a turn for the worse with this change. For the time being, however, this seems to be another change in the name of flexibility instead of the “we are running out of stocks! Quick, make it younger!” changes of the early- to mid-2010s. In fact, they have already announced that next quarter’s release will be in the thirteen-year-old range. Here’s what Heaven Hill has to say about the change:
Starting with the enclosed B523 expression, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof will now be barreled in small batches with varying age statements. Each batch of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof will have its own unique taste profile and proof, as in years past, and now a unique age statement that will retain the extra-aged characteristic the brand is known for. All other qualities of the series remain the same - non-chill-filtered and uncut to preserve all the natural esters and taste components from the barrels to the bottle. The variance in proof, and now age, from batch to batch is an exercise for true whiskey aficionados to experience the consistency in quality across the series while allowing for the unique intricacies of each batch to pull forward.
Each face label will detail the lowest age of the barrel within the batch, as legally required. The transition of the age from the side to the face label will also show more transparent details down to the month, regardless of how large or small the quantity of the lowest aged barrels in that edition. Batches will be determined to taste and quality by the master tasting team – Master Distiller Conor O’Driscoll, Master Taster Tawnie Gootee and Vice President of New Product Development and Quality Assurance Chris Briney. This change allows for a true small batch selection process to happen, selecting the best extra-aged stocks that make for phenomenal taste experiences.
Ok. Now onto the most important part: how does it taste?
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, B523
Purchase Info: This sample was provided at no cost for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $69.99.
Price per Drink (50 mL): $4.67
Details: Age: 11 years, 5 months. 62.1% ABV.
Nose: Oak, caramel, cinnamon.
Mouth: Very hot in the mouth. Oak, apple, caramel, cinnamon red-hot candies, and ginger.
Finish: Long and warm with notes of apple, ginger, caramel, and oak on the finish.
Comparison to A123: The noses are similar, though A123 is sweeter. The mouth on B523 is much hotter, spicier, and more oak-forward.
Thoughts: This release screams for water, the addition of which not only tames the heat but allows it to sit in your mouth long enough to get flavors other than "HOT!" out of it. Let's just say that after this, my palate is blown out. If I was going to choose between this release and the last, A123 wins hands down. A123 was a very good batch, so it was a good send-off for the 12-year age statement. That said, if you are ok adding ice or water to it, B523 is still pretty tasty. I found it impossible to drink neat (and to be honest, you probably shouldn’t be drinking 120+ proof whiskey neat anyway).
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