A little background

Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel is made from a mashbill of 78% Corn, 12% Malted Barley, 10% Rye, which is the traditional Heaven Hill mashbill. According to Heaven Hill, “Toasted Barrel adds another layer of complexity to the traditional Elijah Craig Small Batch by finishing our fully-matured Small Batch Bourbon in custom toasted and flash charred new barrels made by premium American White Oak air-dried for 18-months. Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel has no age statement, is bottled at 94 proof, and has a suggested retail price of $49.99.

(Tasted neat from a Glencairn Glass)

Color

Dark Amber

Nose

The nose is quite enjoyable with sweet notes of caramel, burnt marshmallows, oak, and some faint hints of apple. Basically, a caramel dipped apple on a toasted oak stick!

Palate

The palate is well balanced with bold notes of both sugar and spice. Baking spice and pepper fade into sweet notes of cocoa and caramel.

Finish

Complexity from the palate continues through to a long and enjoyable finish. Baking spice, bakers cocoa, and oak notes are long-lasting with a nice Kentucky hug.

In closing

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. The additional complexity takes this bourbon to another level and is great enjoyed neat. At $50 bucks it’s quite affordable and in my opinion a fantastic addition to the Heaven Hill portfolio.