Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch C923
For several years, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof (ECBP) was my daily drinker. I loved the cask strength bourbon, the dark richness and caramel, and the red fruit that added enough brightness and acidity to lighten the pour. Every time a new batch came out, I would rush to find it.
There were some standouts - B518 and B520 were incredible - but over time, the quality started to decline. The product maintained a 12 year age statement, but anyone who knows the size of Heaven Hill’s warehouses knows that 12 years in one place will give you a totally different product than 12 years in another. Batches became thinner and less flavorful. I didn’t mind the lower proof once in awhile - it was about the flavor.
Then, word came that the 12 year age statement was being dropped. Cue every Heaven Hill nerd sighing with their heads in their hands. We were told that some would be under the 12 years (B523), but occasionally we’d see ones older (C923). This bottling, marked at 13 years 7 months, has barrels as old as 15 or 17 in it (admittedly, this is hearsay from my friend Mike at The Bourbon Culture, but I trust his sources).
The inclusion of barrels as old as 17 makes sense for several reasons. First, Elijah Craig recently retired its 23-year-old product, meaning the Elijah Craig 18-Year-Old is the oldest regular release from Heaven Hill (Evan Williams 23, of which not one bottle has been produced in 2023, doesn’t count as a regular release). When your oldest age statement is 18, you start selecting out bottles that are approaching that age but have already peaked. The natural place for those is ECBP.
Second, ECBP’s original raison d’etre was to replace EC18 while Heaven Hill replenished their aged stocks a decade-plus after the 1996 fire. To have it return to something ~12 years old but with older stocks in it harks back to that time, and I’ll be honest this release tasted a lot more like the old labels than the new ones.
Third, in announcing that the 12-year age statement would be dropped, Heaven Hill also included this tidbit: that barrels for ECBP would be pulled more and more from the lower-middle ricks than the top, meaning the barrels could age a little longer and a little gentler than the hot and brash top-of-the-warehouse method Jack Daniel’s and others use for high-proof releases.
I wasn’t a huge fan of the B523. It wasn’t bad, but it didn’t stand out either. This one stands out. It made me wonder whether ECBP was truly back, whether the Shapiras and the Heaven Hill team realized that for us - the consumers and nerds - it’s not always about the age statement. Sometimes it’s about the quality and how the whiskey makes us feel.
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof C923 made me feel closer to how the old labels and the B518 and B520 did: that I was drinking what high proof bourbon should taste like. It was a welcome reversion.
Thank you to Heaven Hill for providing this bottle free of charge. All opinions and notes are my own.
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch C923: Specs
Classification: Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
Producer: Heaven Hill Distillery
Mashbill: 78% Corn, 12% Rye, 10% Malted Barley
Proof: 133 (66.5% ABV)
Age: 13 Years 7 Months
Location: Kentucky
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch C923 Price: $74.99
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch C923: Tasting Notes
Eye: Dark amber.
Nose: Warm, classic Heaven Hill nose, if a little tight at first (it opens quickly). Gentle nuttiness on nearly no proof. Dark chocolate-covered dried cherries, baking spice up the nostrils. The cherry note turns into brandy or kirschwasser.
Palate: Drinks far below proof, adding back some of the age (but thankfully not too much oak) that recent batches had lost. Werther’s candies and a slightly burnt caramel, with barrel char and coffee grounds rounding it out with slight bitterness. Mouthfeel gets better with air, also bringing in black pepper and strong pretzel crust and churro notes. Coating and medium-bodied.
Finish: Coffee grounds and semisweet chocolate, older Heaven Hill definitely rounding out towards the end. Figs emerge late, dried and sticky on a medium-length finish.
Overall: ECBP is back? Maybe not permanently, but this is a standout batch among the modern batches (A117 and forward). The dark fruit at the end elevates the Heaven Hill notes I love about ECBP. Funny thing is, usually I like the B batches best, but this batch easily wins this year’s 3-way battle.
Final Rating: 7.6
10 | Insurpassable | Nothing Else Comes Close
9 | Incredible | Extraordinary
8 | Excellent | Exceptional
7 | Great | Well above average
6 | Very Good | Better than average
5 | Good | Good, solid, ordinary
4 | Has promise but needs work
1-3 | Let’s have a conversation
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