Review #211: Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Rye Batch A925

MASH BILL: 51% rye, 35% corn, 14% malted barley 

AGE: 12yr 3mo

PROOF: 108 

COST: $75 for 750mL bottle (South Carolina)

Well, a lot of us wanted it, and it’s finally here! Over the past decade plus, Heaven Hill has developed well respected portfolio of barrel proof national releases. Starting in 2013, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof became a national release allowing the Heaven Hill standard bourbon mash bill (God’s mash bill) of 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley to become available, unadulterated, at cask strength. Then in 2019, they made Larceny, their wheater mash bill of 68% corn, 20% wheat, 12% malted barley, also available in barrel proof as a national release. In 2023, Heaven Hill made their wheat whiskey mash bill of 51% wheat, 37% corn, and 12% malted barley available at cask strength with a national release in Bernheim Barrel Proof. Now, we finally have their barely legal rye whiskey mash bill available in a barrel proof release! Let’s dive in!

Reviewed neat in a Glencairn.

APPEARANCE: Polished mahogany (1.6), very viscous with numerous slow, medium bodied legs.

NOSE: Bold spice on the surface but deep, rich sweetness. Spicy rye and hay hit at first, then caramelized brown sugar and ripe cherries fall in below that. Once I pick up the sweetness, it unlocks notes of rich dark chocolate, toasted vanilla, and a lightly expressed orange peel. The more I nose this I start to get a sort of artificial sweetener note like Splenda or Stevia on the front with the spices. Big inhales really bring out loads of sweetness and zero proof heat tingling the nasal cavity. Just an all-around great nose!

PALATE: Thin to medium mouthfeel and a bit prickly on the palate. Big rye spice, white pepper, and orange peel on the landing. Raisins, caramel, and a few dashes of vanilla extract start to blossom while the spice expands across the whole palate with a nice tingle. Hay and a mild seasoned oak start to show up late. The rich red fruit I got on the nose isn’t as present on the palate, but there is a light orchard fruit sweetness. (I do get some Rittenhouse Rye vibes from it, though not surprising since it’s the same mash bill and I would presume the same yeast.)

FINISH: Very long and dry finish. The peppery rye spice transfers over nicely along with oak, raisins, and light vanilla. A sprinkle of orange zest pops early on and then fades away. A cinnamon spice and black pepper start to appear but also fade after a few seconds. The perfect touch of mint weaves in without notice at first. In the end, the rye spice, tannic oak, vanilla and touch of mint persist for literally minutes. While I hate mint, I do love this finish.

RATING: 8.1/10

OVERALL: While I can't say there are too many surprises here, that's a testament to Heaven Hill setting a pretty solid bar for barrel proof releases over the years. I feel like all of their barrel proof releases, whether it's Elijah Craig, Larceny, or Bernheim, are all in that 7-8.5 out of 10 range. Very consistent, very good, certainly some of the best value whiskey out there. This Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Rye is no exception. I love a rye that has some sweeter notes to it. It has the bold spice of a rye but the sweeter notes of a bourbon with that high corn content of a barley legal rye. I love that this is cask strength at 108 proof. That makes it very approachable and full of robust flavor without the proof getting too high and blowing your palate out. While that's normally not a concern with Heaven Hill's 125+ proof ECBP and LBP releases anyway, keeping that proof down on the barrel proof rye whiskey also helps tame some of the spice from getting amplified by the proof. A very well executed whiskey, yet again, from Heaven Hill. I always pickup ever release of ECBP, I'm hit and miss on LBP, but based on this (and trying the Y batch at the distillery before this release), I'll be seeking every ECBPR release for the foreseeable future.

 

1 | Disgusting | see my 1/10 ratings

2 | Poor | see my 2/10 ratings

3 | Bad | see my 3/10 ratings

4 | Sub-par | see my 4/10 ratings

5 | Good | see my 5/10 ratings

6 | Very Good | see my 6/10 ratings

7 | Great | see my 7/10 ratings

8 | Excellent | see my 8/10 ratings

9 | Incredible | see my 9/10 ratings

10 | Perfect | see my 10/10 ratings

 

Check out all my reviews: Woodgrain & Whiskey.