Elijah Craig – Toasted Barrel
Quick Stats:
- Distiller: Elijah Craig (Heaven Hill)
- Spirit: Bourbon
- Aged: Unstated
- Proof: 94
- Purchase Price: $49.99
- Elijah Craig Website
About The Distillery & Bottle: - “In 1789, Elijah Craig became the first distiller to age his whiskey in new charred oak barrels. From our award-winning Small Batch Bourbons to our first-ever Straight Rye Whiskey, our Master Distillers remain committed to honoring Elijah’s innovative spirit.”
- “Twice barreled for added complexity, Toasted Barrel takes our award-winning Small Batch Bourbon to new heights. After it’s fully matured, we finish this Bourbon in a second, custom toasted new oak barrel, where it’s left to develop even more sweet oak flavor.”
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Nose
(4)
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Palate
(4.5)
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Finish
(3)
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Value
(3.5)
Notes & Review
Nose: cedar wood, roasted marshmallow, vanilla cream, rose hip, peach, toasted oak.
Palate: pie spice, cinnamon, dark caramel, and leather.
Finish: deep notes of spiced rye, dry tannin, sugared tobacco, red hot candy.
Review: Elijah Craig’s new bourbon has made a splash in the whiskey market. Elijah Craig (as of this writing) is pretty much the world’s second larger producer of bourbon with a broad range of bottom-shelf entries to highly-sought allocated favorites.
They are definitely cashing-in on the new toasted barrel demand sweeping the bourbon market, following the path paved by the wildly successful Michter’s Toasted Barrel line. Everyone wants a piece of that pie.
However, while many distilleries will try to cash-in on a trend with a half-hearted gimmick, some really put forth the effort to reach forth from the muddled sea of clones, claw their way to land, and stand on their own two feet.
Elijah Craig’s Toasted Barrel does just that.
The bottle floats around $50, putting it in league with other higher-priced bourbons. The bottle is most definitely different than the standard Elijah Craig Small Batch, but also retains much of its base flavor profile. The normal charred flavors present now struggle for dominance over a very prominent toasted flavor.
It’s a struggle that adds complexity to the pour, but for those sensitive to strong flavors or who crave a sweeter pour, it may not be your first pick.
However, if you are a fan of those deeper, more baked flavored, rye-twangy, pours, this would be right up your alley.
The pour is most definitely unique, and we found the execution of this newest entry into the Elijah Craig line to be enjoyable. We are usually fans of more defined flavor profiles, while this one treads somewhere in the middle of the sweet-bold spectrum. Though, if you’re looking for something tasty and balanced, this would be a good bottle to have on your shelf.
User Review
( votes)
Greg Sinadinos started his spirits journey writing a whiskey periodical for Fine Tobacco NYC Magazine. He began answering review requests under a social media page he named “Whiskey Culture,” which quickly merged with Greg’s passion for connecting with others and his interest in history.
Today, Greg travels the country not just looking for great whiskey, but also exploring the history and individuals that the whiskey community is founded upon. He has authored “Whiskey History From Around The World” and is the host of “The Rickhouse” web series.
