Elijah Craig 12 Year Old Barrel Proof

This will be part 1 of a side by side of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof batches C and B. The bottle of batch C belongs to me, the batch B I am muling for a friend who is letting me try a glass for the trouble, not that it was any.

This is from my bottle. Batch C918. Bottle opened 3 months and is 75% full. Neat in a glencairn as usual and glass has been sitting for an hour.

Nose: Very nutty! Cashews and peanuts. Sweet peanut butter. Vanilla frosting. Quite rich, oaky and buttery. More sweet than savory. You can easily tell this has been sleeping in oak for 12 years. Fantastic.

Palate: First sip, oh sweet Jesus take me home I have seen the light. This is an explosion of brown flavours, and quite different from the nose. Strong flavorful tastes of rich German chocolate cake, ripe berries, vanilla, white oak and salted butter. Oh my oh my. There is almost a dairy-like quality which is why I mention butter. The mouthfeel is thick.

Finish: Back to peanut butter, but salty this time. The oak really shows up here as well. Lingers for a nice long, warm time.

Overall: I love this whiskey. It is complex, strong, and rich. The difference between the palate and the nose/finish is quite enjoyable. Batch B has a lot to live up to. This is just as good or better than GTS. There I said it.

Find where to buy Elijah Craig whisky