Elijah Craig 12 Years Old (47%, OB, 2016)

• Category: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Origin: Heaven Hill Distillery
• Bottling: Heaven Hill
• ABV:  47%
• Cost: £34.67

What They Say:

Bottled exclusively from a dumping of 100 barrels or less, the brand carries the name of the Rev. Elijah Craig, the man who discovered the method of making true Kentucky Bourbon when he stored his wares in barrels that had been charred in a fire.

Tasting Note by The Chaps at Master of Malt

What I Say:

I picked this up for £25 under offer at a supermarket and what a bargain it was! Unfortunately Heaven Hill have dropped the age statement from this product and it is now just called Elijah Craig Small Batch, despite rumours they are planning to increase the barrel dump from 100 per batch to 200 per batch – read more about it from Fred Minnick.  Shame as since this purchase in early 2015, this has become my go to Bourbon and is often a warm-up or palate-testing dram in many of our tasting sessions.

Colour:

Dark copper/amber gold (12/20) light fine tears leave fine legs

Nose:

Highly polished wood, antique furniture shops, beeswax, oak wood, vanilla cream, Victoria sponge cake or Madeira cake, sweet honey, floral honeysuckle, freshly cooked pancakes with sugar, lemon juice and maple syrup

Taste:

Smooth, demerara sugar, honey, lemon juice, hints of milk chocolate, rich vanilla, crème brulee, a sprinkle of cinnamon spice, thick oaky wood with toffee and fudge, furniture polish and beeswax candles, toasted wholewheat bread and pancakes with maple syrup

Finish:

Medium, mildly spiced, and rich creamy toffee

Overall:

Very enjoyable, perhaps a touch lighter on the palate than you would expect from the nose, a beautiful richness of flavours.

Score: 84/100

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