Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel Review

About – “In 1789, Elijah Craig discovered greatness when he first charred oak barrels to make Bourbon. Today, we honor his innovative spirit with Toasted Barrel: a unique expression that is charred to start and toasted to finish. This expression takes our award-winning Small Batch and finishes it in a second, custom toasted barrel for an added layer of sweet oak complexity. The result is a 94-proof Bourbon with notes of baking spices & chocolate, and a long, smooth finish.” This new release in the Elijah Craig joins the list of other distilleries with a toasted barrel finished bourbon. Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel is an allocated release and comes with a retail price of $60.

Nose – The toasted element is there, but not as deeply as with other toasted barrel products. Along with that is a rich toffee and baking spice. If you dig a little deeper there is a chocolate note that comes out as well.

Palate – Chocolate leads the ways along with graham cracker that comes in on the mid palate. There is a good amount of oak that comes in towards the back palate and is joined by cinnamon and nutmeg leading into a medium length sweet and spicy finish.

Score – C+

Verdict – In comparison to to other toasted barrel bourbons, particularly Woodford Double Oaked, this release just falls flat. I would venture to say that Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel has spent less time finishing in that toasted barrel. I wish they would have really swung for the fences on the toasted element instead of trying to stay down the middle of the road. I am sure a lot of people will love this release, but after tasting it I wouldn’t feel bad if I had missed out on getting a bottle.

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