Elijah Craig 18 YO

BourbonReviewsHeaven HillElijah CraigAmerican Whiskey

Nov 8

Written By David Levine

Elijah Craig 18 YO

Heaven Hill

45% ABV/90 Proof

18 YO, Distilled 9/16/1997

Barrel 4126

Eye: Coppered gold. Medium rims and syrupy droplet legs.

Nose: Beautiful, rich in vanilla and baked bourbon goodness. Some dry oak, but it’s not woody. Cinnamon custard. An ECBP profile dialed down a bit. Air opens more woody oak but not spice.

Palate: Well, there’s the oak - dry and spicy and woody, like drinking oak water. Tastes watered down even though the bourbon notes are there. Lots of vanilla in the background, but its totally dominated by the oak. Roasted almonds keep building. Mouthfeel is thin and dry, as dry as a liquid can be. Tannic as hell, blocking out all the other flavors.

Finish: Mild and lingering, sweet and woody oak.

Overall: The Elijah Craig character is there but the low proof plus the dominating oak makes this a no-go for me. I shouldn't be that surprised that an 18YO bourbon is that oaky, but it's so unbalanced I can't imagine paying the extra one-to-two hundred dollars for this - just give me an ECBP instead.

Rating: 4.6

10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close (Blanton’s Straight from the Barrel)

9 | Incredible | Extraordinary (GTS, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B518 and B520)

8 | Excellent | Exceptional (12+YO MGP Bourbon, Highland Park Single Barrels)

7 | Great | Well above average (Blanton’s Original, Old Weller Antique, Booker’s)

6 | Very Good | Better than average (Four Roses Small Batch Select, Knob Creek 14+ YO Picks)

5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary (Elijah Craig Small Batch, Buffalo Trace, Old Grand-Dad Bottled-in-Bond)

4 | Sub-par | Many things I’d rather have (A.D. Laws Four Grain, Compass Box “Oak Cross”)

3 | Bad | Flawed (Iron Smoke Bourbon, Balcones)

2 | Poor | Forced myself to drink it (Buckshee Bourbon and Rye)

1 | Disgusting | Drain pour (Virginia Distilling Co. Cider Cask)