Elijah Craig Small Batch 12 Year

[TheWM]

Standard blurb:

Elijah Craig 12-Year-Old is a true Small Batch premium Bourbon, and had that distinction before the term even existed.

Bottled exclusively from a dumping of 100 barrels or less, the brand carries the name of the Rev. Elijah Craig, the man who discovered the method of making true Kentucky Bourbon when he stored his wares in barrels that had been charred in a fire.

"Nose: About as complete a Bourbon aroma as you are likely to find...Near miraculous: one of the most beautiful noses found anywhere in the world today. Taste: A bourbon to keep in the mouth forever...Comments: Perhaps one of my favorite five or six bourbons and ... perhaps at its best just before bed. Brilliant."

- Jim Murray, Classic Bourbon,
Tennessee, & Rye Whiskey

To me I was a bit worse for wear when I opened this and by the second small dram, it was certainly kicking in, to the extent that I woke up on the sofa at 2.15 am! Anyways, so what I can remember:

Nose:

I couldn't get too much apart from a sweetness, maybe pear or banana notes, although I fear there was actually too much going on for me to pick up at the time.

Taste:

Fire. And more fire. This certainly has a kick that was not expected. It comes out at 47% but certainly feels stronger, which is definitely a good thing IMO. For me, it needs a bit of water (or actually more than I would put in normally) I ended up with about a 85:15 ratio at a guess.

The water transforms it and brings out more layers of flavour that are hiding behind the fire. Sweetness and smoothness immediately come through, raisins and caramel? Definitely vanilla creaminess in there with a slight bitterness running through the background. And just when you think you've identified something else, another new smoky note hits leading onto the:

Finish:

Spiciness beyond anything I have tried previously, with an element of a maritime (saltiness) like and Old Pulteney that lingers.

Quality shone through on this and opened another dimension to my whisky hobby (bourbon). This Elijah Craig has set a standard that for me I didn't think would be so high. Totally different animal to Tennessee whiskies they pale in comparison, this is a real man's whiskey and should be treated as such.

And if you consider that I bagged this for £21 (with a coupon) this has to be the best value dram I have ever tried. I'd happily pay double and if you have tried the Single Barrel from JD, try this and see how different they are.

[GBrough]

It is an excellent whisky (sorry if necroing this thread). My bottle has sat at a quarter full for about a year and evolved into a heavy vanilla rollercoaster, there is a single barrel version out there but for the price i could get Knob Creek SIngle Barrel (which is cask strength or very close to it).
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The Laga 16.

It even tastes like an ashtray-WM

[scotchirish]

I was born and raised in Kentucky. Bourbon is in our blood.
Ellijah Craig is among the best of the best. Actually, it is quite undiscovered and unappreciated except by those who actually drink it. I'm glad that many think higher price denotes better taste (Woodford Reserve, Blanton's); it keeps Elijah Craig very affordable. This is quite simply . . . very, very good bourbon.