Day 15 of DB's Bourbon Trail 2024 Advent Calendar - Elijah Craig Private Barrel

Cheers and welcome to our 5th Annual Advent Calendar!

This month, we’re embarking on a high-end bourbon journey, reviewing 25 bourbons from award-winning distilleries across the United States. From December 1st to December 25th, we’ll explore everything from small batches to single barrels, all packed with flavor. Join us in toasting to another incredible year as we share some of our favorite bottles with you!

Our reviews are done using a Glencairn glass and neat, but remember, it’s your bourbon! Enjoy it however you like—over ice, with water, or in a cocktail. The key is to enjoy it your way and not let others influence your experience.

Enough of me rambling. Now, let’s dive into what brought us here!

Day 15 of DB’s Bourbon Trail 2024 Advent Calendar

ELIJAH CRAIG PRIVATE BARREL - SELECTED BY BROWN WATER SELECT

Proof:

120.3 Proof (60.15%)

Distillery:

Heaven Hill Distillery/Elijah Craig Distillery Co. (Bardstown, KY)

Message on the bottle:

No real messaging on this bottle of Elijah Craig outside of their awesome barrel select sticker!

But one thing I do want to note is that Elijah Craig is known as “Father of Bourbon” on their standard bottle. This is the same juice - just straight from the barrel!

So why is Elijah Craig know as that? To fully understand the meaning of the FATHER of BOURBON tagline, we need to know more about what makes bourbon, bourbon.

A couple quick hitters:

• Bourbon must be aged in charred white barrels

• Bourbon needs to be distilled from a blend of fermented grains, and out of those grains, it has to be at least 51% corn.

Okay cool, so how and why is Elijah Craig the "FATHER of BOURBON"?

Below is a little information from their Discover/History page to fully understand their backstory!

Pretty cool if you ask me! Very thankful for Elijah Craig and this bottle that we are getting to enjoy today!

Price Point:

• At DB’s Bourbon Trail, we use BoozApp (not sponsored) to ensure fair pricing on our bourbon purchases. Nothing is worse than overpaying due to supply and demand games.

  • Average MSRP:

    • $99.99

  • Fair Price:

    • $112.45

  • Shelf Price:

    • $149.99

  • DB’s Bourbon Trail Instant Buy Price:

    • <$99.99

Review:

This is an incredible pick from @brownwaterselect on Instagram! If you aren’t already following them and @vabourbonhunter and @whiskeythrottle_bws - make sure you do! They have incredible barrel picks and leaders in the bourbon community. In addition to this Elijah Craig pick, we will feature a couple of picks from them in this year’s calendar. Check them out to get a sneak peak on the high quality pours to come!

Nose: 

The initial impression of this pour is that it is super inviting. It features a fresh bread note with a nice little drizzle of hot honey. As you continue to swirl, a bold cinnamon note emerges, adding a layer of complexity to the nose.

Palate:

The first tasting notes that hit me were cherry and rich hazelnut. As the pour continues, an incredible caramel sweetness emerges, making the experience even better with each sip!

Finish:

The finish lingers for the perfect amount of time and definitely draws you back in for more. The nutty flavor in the palate merges seamlessly with the sweetness and kind of leaves a peanut butter finish to the whole pour and I love it.

Final Thoughts:

The age statement truly sets this single barrel apart. In my view, it far surpasses other private barrels with an 8 or 9 year statements. If you ever have the opportunity, I highly recommend purchasing an 10+ year single barrel expression from Elijah Craig. I have yet to be disappointed - especially when BWS is behind the scenes selecting these pours!

Cheers y’all! 🥃

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