I was thinking about making Friday "Rye Day" then something happened today. I was heading home from work and decided I needed to stop in my liquor store to see if anything new was in. My dude who hooks me up said we got 1 bottle of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof in today, if you want it, it's yours. 79 dollars later, I walked out a very happy man. It doesn't matter what else happens this weekend, we're playing on house money!
Friends, this is my 5th installment and I've told you how Buffalo Trace is my favorite distillery, and that Wild Turkey is 1A, but I have now given you 3 Heaven Hill whiskeys. This one, in my humble opinion, is the best Heaven Hill has to offer though. The particular bottle that I'm talking about today is one I bought last year (I didn't open today's bottle yet). This bottle was from the January 2015 release.
A quick side story about this particular bottle. Last January, one random Friday I called Heaven Hill's distillery in Bardstown and asked when the release of ECBP was going to come out. The man said, "Actually, it is today we have 2 bottles left." I was a little disappointed as there was no way in hell one would be left the next day. The guy said hey, go ahead and give me your credit card number and you can pick it up tomorrow. I made a 2 1/2 hour drive to Bardstown to pick up that bottle. I had tried since 2013 when it was first released to get that damn bottle. It was honestly the most excited I have ever been to get a bottle!
Let's get to it shall we?
This bottle was 128 proof. Color is deep Amber. In my opinion it's the best looking pour out there. Typically, if you can find it, it should price at around 70-80 bucks per bottle. This is one of the best bottles of bourbon in the business, it's well worth the money folks!
NOSE: Fruity can't say it's citrus, but can't pinpoint it exactly. Before adding a little water, the alcohol is pretty strong. A little water opens up vanilla and toffee. Definitely can detect the corn too.
PALATE: I actually really like a bourbon with some punch, so the alcohol content in this one packs some punch. On the front there is vanilla and carmel. It doesn't last long though. This has a lot of spice to it. Very peppery and also the oak is present. I can pick up on the grain as well, especially corn. You get a lot of the char from the barrel too. The finish is long, this one hangs around for a while, but not in a bad way.
THE VERDICT: Get this one if you can. It's a barrel proof, non-chill filtered (the best bourbons in my opinion) whiskey. It's not for the faint of heart though. I drank it neat, but it really does pack a lot of alcohol punch so a little water really does go a long way on this one. I have some top shelf stuff that I paid a lot more for. I have some that are more rare or sought after as well. What I don't have are many bottles that compare to this one. It truly is in my top 3 or 4.
Here are a few links about the bourbon and the other releases. The bottle I got today is release 11, it's 139.4 proof, can't wait to try it.
http://www.breakingbourbon.com/elijah-craig-barrel-proof.html
Heaven Hill distillery and heritage center is really cool. The building is built to look like the still. Highly recommend they tours: http://www.bourbonheritagecenter.com/tour-and-trolley-ride/
