Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel
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Distiller:
Heaven Hill
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Bottler:
Heaven Hill
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ABV:
47%
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Age:
NAS
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Price:
$$$$$
A new novelty - Toasted Releases are becoming more commonplace across portfolios. Rich and complex on the nose, but a bit disappointing on the palate, this symphony of oak, toffee, almond and cocoa plays an enticing tune, though with a mistuned instrument here and there. Great for fans of oak, a bottling worthy of pause if you don't.
- Raided Score: 80
- Publication: Distiller
- Excerpt: If you enjoy eating mouthfuls of cinnamon red hots, this is the bourbon for you. If not, stick to their classic Small Batch Bourbon.
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- Raided Score: 88
- Publication: Drinkhacker
- Excerpt: Compared to standard-bottled Elijah Craig Small Batch bourbon, the obvious and immediate difference is that Toasted Barrel is much, much sweeter — too much so, to be frank. The woodsy heat of the Small Batch isn’t even noticeable at all in the Toasted Barrel rendition; those looking for a sugar bomb, well, you found it.
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- Raided Score: 92
- Publication: WhiskyCast
- Excerpt: The finish is long and smooth with lingering spices and dark chocolate. Very nice!
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- Raided Score: 91
- Publication: Whiskey Consensus
- Excerpt: Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel is a very enjoyable and more complex variant of the standard Elijah Craig Small Batch. The toasted notes aren’t in-your-face but do add a very enjoyable baking spice, cocoa, and oak quality.
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- Raided Score: 96
- Publication: The Whiskey Wash
- Excerpt: It's a successful experiment. The Toasted Barrel is tastier and more nuanced. I love getting to taste a vertical in whiskey!
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- Raided Score: 82
- Publication: Whiskey Raiders
- Excerpt: Elijah Craig Toasted barrel is a new entry in Heaven Hill's catalogue, bringing them to parity with other brands like Michter's and Old Forester who also supply toasted releases. The palate feels a bit thin - surprising given how much oak emanates in each step of the tasting.
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- Raided Score: 85
- Publication: Breaking Bourbon
- Excerpt: At $50, it’s a splurge, but well worth it for bourbon enthusiasts seeking a bourbon with some additional character.
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Raided Score is a conversion from an external site's score, to our in house uniform scoring system. Please see the FAQ for more.
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Synopsis:
A new novelty - Toasted Releases are becoming more commonplace across portfolios. Rich and complex on the nose, but a bit disappointing on the palate, this symphony of oak, toffee, almond and cocoa plays an enticing tune, though with a mistuned instrument here and there. Great for fans of oak, a bottling worthy of pause if you don't.
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Intro:
Elijah Craig Toasted barrel is a new entry in Heaven Hill's catalogue, bringing them to parity with other brands like Michter's and Old Forester who also supply toasted releases. After primary maturation, the Elijah Craig bourbon is further matured in a barrel that has been toasted, rather than charred. This is bottled at Elijah Craig's standard 47% ABV and I've been working through this bottle for a month or two now. Let's get to it.
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Nose:
Fudge, toffee, confectioners sugar and almond. Quite a bit of honey, some sweet berry, and hefty oak. A bit more complex than I appraised at first, the berry notes and the honey presence is a bit more forward than on first opening where oak dominated a bit more.
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Taste:
Thin to medium mouth feel. Heavy on the cocoa, plenty of oak, some toffee. A buttery sweetness. Overall, the palate leans heavy on the oak, though without a funky splenda note I get in other toasted releases. A bit muted, though not hot.
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Finish:
Medium finish, oaky and dry. There's a bit of heat here. Plenty of wood character, cocoa, and some toffee.
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Overall:
Overall, this is V1 of a new product. I think it's a good start, but there's work to do. The nose is really very nice. The palate feels a bit thin - surprising given how much oak emanates in each step of the tasting. This is better than Michter's efforts in my opinion, which gives me hope. I bet if Heaven Hill can dial this in a bit, they'll have a rockstar in their pocket, though there's work to do before they get there. It's a release to keep your eye on. I'm looking forward to comparing this release to future batches in an effort to hopefully see some big improvement.
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Score:
5
- Our in house critic rates spirits on a scale of 0-10 (10 best) and is aggregated the same as external sources
