Coppercraft 9 Year Old Straight Bourbon

I’d like to thanks CraftCo and their PR team for sending me this sample with no strings attached.

When I first published a review of Coppercraft Bourbon back in May of ’24, most of the comments I received told me that if I ever got the chance to grab one of their 9-year-old single barrels, I should do it. Well, I never did see one of those, but I recently was offered a sample of their new 9-Year-Old Small Batch Bourbon, which I happily accepted.

Coppercraft Distillery is a craft distillery in Holland, Michigan, a small city on the shores of Lake Michigan. It was founded in 2012 and is slated to reopen in August of 2025. It produces gin, vodka, applejack, rum, canned cocktails, a partially sourced rye, and sourced bourbons. Coppercraft is part of the CraftCo portfolio, which also includes Fox & Oden (reviewed here back in October of last year). CraftCo, in turn, is owned by the DeVos-backed Windquest Group based in Grand Rapids, Michigan. According to an email from their PR team, this bourbon is “Distilled in Indiana,” much like its portfolio mates. The company doesn’t provide much more information than that. However, I don’t know about you, but for me, “Distilled in Indiana” on an unknown bourbon is a plus. If it’s coming from MGP, it will probably fall somewhere between pretty darn good and great.

So what makes this different than any other bourbon sourced from Indiana? To find out, I asked their PR team about the “brandy-inspired” slow proofing of the barrels. They explained that it takes a few weeks to bring the whiskey down to proof, and they do this in the barrel by adding what is known in the cognac world as “petites eaux.” Not knowing what that was (I’m not the Cognac Guy, after all), I did some digging online and found what I believe to be a great definition.

“For an added layer of intrigue, there is something unique that can be used in place of or in combination with water called petites eaux. Petites eaux (“little water” in French) is water that has been placed to “age” in an empty, used Cognac barrel. The water will slowly pull any remaining alcohol out of the barrel staves. According to Nicholas Faith’s book ‘Cognac: The Story of the World’s Greatest Brandy,’ this water solution can get up to around 20% ABV after several months, which shows how much alcohol can potentially still be left inside the barrel staves. Petites eaux is used as a slower method of lowing the proof and, in a way, adding different aromas or flavors.” — CognacReverie.com, accessed July 23, 2025

So basically, it’s adding water to a barrel that previously held bourbon and using it to pull out more whiskey trapped in the wood. Essentially, they’re proofing it down with something akin to an extremely low-proof bourbon. Jim Beam uses a similar process for Devil’s Cut, which, in my opinion, is an improvement over standard Jim Beam White (or at least it was the last time I had either, which was a few years ago).

So, let’s see how it tastes, shall we?

Coppercraft 9 Year Old Straight Bourbon

Purchase Info: This bottle was sent to me by the producer, at no charge, for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $37.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $2.53

Details: 45.3% ABV. 9 years old. Distilled in Indiana (from PR email, not on bottle).

Nose: Nutty, vanilla, almond, green apple, baking spice, and a hint of wintergreen.

Mouth: Mint, green apple, caramel, cinnamon, and almond.

Finish: Medium in length and warmth. Lingering notes of wintergreen, vanilla, green apple, and almond.

Thoughts: Total mint bomb—but not in a bad way. If you’re sensitive to mint notes, skip it. However, if you don’t mind mint, this is quite tasty. You might notice that there is one thing I didn’t call out above that I thought I’d notice in there. And that is oak. At nine years old, I expected more of it, but nine years—while a decent length of time to age—isn’t twelve or fifteen, where oak tends to dominate. Overall, I like it. I especially appreciate seeing an age-stated bourbon for under $40.

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Heaven Hill Grain To Glass 2025: Rye Whiskey, 2nd Edition

I’d like to thank Heaven Hill for providing this sample with no strings attached.

Five point four inches of rain fell into my rain gauge last night. In twelve hours! That’s right, I’m the kind of old guy who now has a rain gauge. It’s handy for knowing whether I need to water the new tree in my front yard, but honestly, it’s also just satisfying to see how much that so-called “heavy” rain actually amounted to. You know, typical old guy stuff. Though I think this is still within the limits of acceptable behavior for an almost 50-year-old, but if my yard starts looking like a scientific outpost before I hit 68, someone step in, okay?

Anyway, as I wait for the waters to subside in my backyard, we might as well talk about whiskey. And tonight’s whiskey is a doozy. I’m just going to come right out and say that I was debating the rating of this one right up until I started typing.

See, tonight’s whiskey is the Second Edition of Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey, a limited release for 2025. This rye is made from a mashbill of 63% rye, 24% corn, and 13% malted barley. And they’re quick to point out that this is a higher rye content than Heaven Hill’s traditional rye whiskey. The corn used was Beck’s Hybrids 6225, sourced from Peterson Farms in Nelson County, Kentucky. The whiskey was distilled in 2018, entered the barrel at 107 proof, and was aged for over six years at Heaven Hill’s Cox’s Creek rickhouse. It is non-chill filtered and bottled at barrel proof, 105.2 proof (52.6% ABV).

Here is what the company has to say about the release:

“With this second edition of Heaven Hill Grain to Glass Rye, we’re proud to showcase not only the art of rye whiskey making but the full story behind every drop—from seed to barrel to bottle,” said Conor O’Driscoll, Master Distiller at Heaven Hill Distillery. “The unique mashbill and higher rye content bring a bold complexity, while the transparency we provide—from the corn varietal to the barrel entry proof—gives whiskey lovers an authentic connection to the process. This is a rye whiskey that speaks to our team’s dedication to precision and passion for innovation.”

Let’s dig in, shall we?

Heaven Hill Grain To Glass 2025: Rye Whiskey, 2nd Edition

Purchase Info: This sample was sent at no charge by the producer for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $99.99 for a 700 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $7.14

Details: Mash bill: 63% rye, 20% corn, 13% malt. Corn varietal: Beck's 6225. Barrelled at 107 proof. Bottled at 52.6% ABV. Distilled in 2018. Six years old.

Nose: Oak, almond, black tea, and orange zest.

Mouth: Oak, cinnamon, black tea, orange zest

Finish: Warm and on the lounger side of medium length. Notes of black tea, orange zest, a hint of peppermint, oak, and vanilla.

Thoughts: Halfway through the tasting, I checked to see if any of the local liquor store websites had this listed as "In Stock." There is one, and I’ll be picking it up if it remains there. (Notice I’m not saying where that is…)

This is a very, very good rye whiskey. It has enough sweetness to accent all the lovely flavors, but not so much that it overpowers them. I’m really digging the notes of black tea and orange zest. As far as I’m concerned, this is my favorite rye that I’ve had in a very long time. I don’t love the price, but if you can swing it, this is a worthwhile splurge. It is very interesting in the best way possible.

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Remus Babe Ruth Reserve, 2025

I’d like to thank Ross & Squibb Distillery and their PR team for providing this sample with no strings attached.

And I’m back. A day late, but not a dollar short. Or something. Completely forgot what day it was yesterday as I was traveling to get yet another tattoo. So, let’s jump right in and make sure you don’t have to wait any longer.

Remus Babe Ruth Reserve is the latest special release from Ross & Squibb Distillery. This time, they’ve teamed up with the Babe Ruth Family to release 8,399 bottles of bourbon—one for each of the Bambino’s at-bats. It carries a suggested retail price of $149.99, which, all things considered, isn’t bad for a limited release these days. The blend consists of three different high-rye bourbon mashbills: 73% of the blend comes from their 49% rye bourbon distilled in 2017, 15% from a 44% rye bourbon distilled in 2016, and the remaining 12% from their 36% rye bourbon, also distilled in 2017. The final product is bottled at 111 proof.

Quoting the producer now:

“We’re honored to pay homage to one of baseball’s icons with our latest collector’s release of Remus Babe Ruth Reserve,” said Ian Stirsman, master distiller of Ross & Squibb Distillery. “Our 2025 edition is masterfully crafted and is sure to give baseball fans and high-rye bourbon lovers a unique and memorable way to celebrate America’s pastime and its most legendary player.”

So, let’s see how it tastes.

Remus Babe Ruth Reserve, 2025

Purchase Info: This 200 mL sample was provided by the producer at no charge for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $149.99 for a 750 mL bottle.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $10

Details: 55.5% ABV. Blend of Mashbills: 73% 2017 49% rye bourbon, 15% 2016 44% rye bourbon, and 12% 2017 36% rye bourbon.

Nose: Toffee, bubblegum, wintergreen, and oak.

Mouth: Nice and spicy. Notes of cinnamon, caramel, vanilla, and oak.

Finish: Warm and long. Notes follow the nose with caramel, bubblegum, wintergreen, cinnamon, and oak.

Thoughts: Whoooo boy, is this one spicy in the mouth. But in a good way—spicy enough that I picked out the finish notes before the ones on the palate because I needed to swallow first. Once you get acclimated, though, the sweet and spicy notes come through quite nicely. I'm a fan. It’s a little expensive for my budget, but if yours has more room in it than mine, this is mighty tasty.

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If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Traveller Whiskey

For a long time, people have been making whiskey that was a little less robust than… well, whiskey. And as part of the Federal Government’s quest to keep people from being bamboozled when they make a purchase the tax rolls safe, they came up with a bunch of tiny, neat boxes to put every different kind of spirit into for legal and taxation purposes. For example, you may have heard of this little product called Vodka. I hear there was an entire era where people hated this guy so much they created a cavalcade of ultra-sweet, sugary drinks specifically designed to cover up its flavor. I believe it was called the 1980s. But what is Vodka, really? Here is what the Federal Government has to say:

Vodka: Neutral spirits distilled or treated after distillation with charcoal or other materials so as to be without distinctive character, aroma, taste or color (Neutral spirits being defined as: Spirits distilled from any material at or above 95% alcohol by volume (190 proof), and if bottled, bottled at not less than 40% alcohol by volume (80 proof)).

Why bring that up? Well, neutral spirits are one of the many ways people make their whiskey taste less like whiskey. Back in the early 1900s, Prohibition decimated whiskey production in this country. After booze became legal again, stocks of aged whiskey had dried up—sometimes literally. To stretch what little aged stock they had, producers added either young whisky or neutral spirits to the blend. Many of them were trying to make it taste as close as possible to the whisky people were used to while working within their limitations.

Of course, some—like the head of Seagram’s—actively believed in combining whiskey and neutral spirits. Seagram’s famously bought Four Roses and converted it from a Straight Bourbon to a Blended Whiskey. And since Scotch and Canadian whisky were both lighter (than, say, Bourbon) and popular at the time, who’s to say he was wrong? Seagram’s did end up a pretty big company.

So now that I’ve mentioned the dreaded B-word, let’s define it:

Blended Whisky: Whisky produced by blending not less than 20% on a proof gallon basis (excluding alcohol derived from added harmless coloring, flavoring or blending materials*) straight whisky or a blend of straight whiskies and, separately or in combination, whisky of any type or neutral spirits

That’s right—a blended whiskey can be up to 80 percent vodka. Fun, huh? But producers can go even lower: down to 5 percent whiskey and still put “whiskey” on the label. That is called Spirit Whiskey (Whisky produced by blending neutral spirits and not less than 5% on a proof gallon basis whisky, straight whisky or combination of whisky and straight whisky provided the straight whisky is used at less than 20% on a proof gallon basis).

Of course the other way to make whisky taste less like whiskey is to make Light Whiskey (Whisky produced in the U.S. at more than 80% alcohol by volume (160 proof) [but less than 95% alcohol by volume (190 proof)] and stored in used or uncharred new oak containers). Science tells us that above 160 proof flavor compounds start to break down, and at 190 proof they’re essentially gone. So the higher the distillation proof, the less flavor in the distillate. But since Light Whiskey is still aged in a barrel, you will get more flavor out of light whiskey than out of blended whisky. And if you want to get really crazy you can add some straight whiskey to your light whiskey and make Blended Light Whiskey (Light whisky blended with less than 20% straight whisky on a proof gallon basis).

Okay, so why the giant tangent about whiskey that doesn’t taste as much like whiskey as it could? Well, tonight’s whiskey is a Blended Whiskey. The last time I covered a Blended Whiskey was in 2017. I still get comments on that post, taking me to task. I’m just leaning into it.

Traveller is a collaboration between Musician Chris Stapleton and Buffalo Trace. It is another in a long line of vanity whiskey brands for musicians. We’ve covered a bunch of them over the years.

From the Press Release:

“Buffalo Trace Distillery’s Master Distiller Harlen Wheatley and Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and musician Chris Stapleton today unveiled Traveller Whiskey, a new, premium blended whiskey that represents a first-of-its-kind collaboration of collective artistry. Proudly blended and bottled at the World’s Most Award-Winning Distillery under Wheatley’s expert supervision, Traveller is the result of countless hours of testing, tasting and dedication to craftsmanship that have produced powerful songs and world-class whiskeys…Traveller is a completely unique combination of whiskeys hand-selected from The Sazerac Company’s award-winning distilleries.”

Ok. So, how does it taste?

Traveller Whiskey

Purchase Info: $1.99 for a 50 mL bottle at Liquor Barn, Louisville, KY. Suggested retail price for a 750 mL bottle is $39.99

Price per Drink (50 mL): $1.99 (mini); $2.67 (750 mL SRP)

Details: 45% ABV

Nose: Vanilla, dried grains, wintergreen, a hint of baking spice, and a citrus-like tanginess.

Mouth: Vanilla, cinnamon, wintergreen, 1980s Topps Baseball Card bubble gum (an unwrapped stick of hard bubble gum that has been slightly flavored with cardboard and ink due to the close proximity they were kept in, if you are too young to have had it), and a citrus-like tang.

Finish: Short to medium, on the gentle side of warm; notes of 1980s Topps Baseball Card bubble gum, cinnamon, and wintergreen.

Thoughts: Not a fan. I’m guessing “guy who’s critiqued bourbon for a decade-plus” wasn’t the target market here. In fact, I’d say “serious bourbon drinker” wasn’t the target at all—it really doesn’t taste much like bourbon. (Even Buffalo Trace Master Distiller Harlan Wheatley hints at this in the press release: “If you’ve tried whiskey before and been turned away by the burn – we think you’ll take one sip of this and think, ‘OK, now this I can do.’”) To me, it tastes like a low- to mid-range Canadian Whisky or a very light Light Whiskey. In fact, I had such a negative reaction to this one that my wife suggested that I put it aside and give it a try another day. Which I did. I gave it multiple tries across multiple days, and my opinion didn’t change: I just don’t like it. Good thing we only bought a tiny bottle each, I suppose.

Don’t let that stop you from loving it, though. We all have different things we like, and that’s great. It just gives us something to talk about. And as another postscript, if you wonder why I bounced back and forth between Whiskey and Whisky? It’s just due to who I was quoting. The Feds use Whisky (no e), and Buffalo Trace uses Whiskey with an e. It’s just one of the quirks of American English that we use both and use them interchangeably based on two different countries of origin. Isn’t American English fun?

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If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Speakeasy Bourbon by Willett

I have an innate lazy streak to my personality. Like, so innate that my mother tells stories of how she was concerned I might not actually be alive when I was in the womb. I just didn’t move much. Fifty years later or so, and that hasn’t changed much. I still have a general inclination toward a sedentary lifestyle. I just don’t like to expend any more energy than I have to in order to get the result I want. If the only way I can get a certain result is to work hard and tire myself out, I certainly will. But if there’s an easier way to get the same result, I’ll take it.

And this is why the modern “speakeasy” concept irritates the hell out of me. Seriously? Why make it harder for me to give you my money? I’ve seen ones “hiding” in gas stations and burger joints. I’ve even seen one where you need to do a math problem to figure out the passkey for a keypad—if you didn’t already know it. This one was a standalone building on a busy street, so it wasn’t hiding.

I get that these places appeal to people who are much less pragmatic than I am. But what are my ultimate goals when headed out to grab a drink with a friend? One, hanging out with a friend, and two, grabbing a drink. If I wanted to hang out at an escape room, I would. But since my goal is a drink, just let me buy it. The easier you make it for me to get what I want, the more apt I am to come back a second time. I don’t need anyone to overcomplicate things.

So now that I’ve gotten out an old-man rant that is only kinda appropriate because of the name of tonight’s bourbon, let’s leave off yelling at clouds and get to the purpose of this review. Speakeasy Bourbon is another bottle I picked up on my way through Kentucky last month. Because I don’t get press releases from Willett, I had never heard of this one. I grabbed it because it’s fun when you find a new bottle from an established producer. Most of the time, it means you aren’t about to waste your money on it.

Before we get into the details, let’s let the folks at Willett have their say, from their website:

Behind false bookshelves and trick doors, parties of lavish extravagance were replete with jazz music and the allure of forbidden spirits. Patrons knew to “speak easy” or softly of their secret watering hole, lest they draw the attention of a prohibition agent. The Noble Experiment failed, but the bold resilience of elegant whiskey drinkers has proven timeless.

Speakeasy is made from a mashbill of 79% corn, 7% rye, and 14% malted barley. It is entered into the barrel at 125 proof, the highest proof legally allowed. After aging, it is cut to 98 proof and bottled. Let’s see how it tastes.

Speakeasy Bourbon by Willett

Purchase Info: $39.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Liquor Barn, Louisville, KY.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $2.67

Details: 49% ABV. Mashbill of 79% corn, 7% rye, and 14% malted barley

Nose: Oak, wax, cardamom pods, cinnamon, and hints of citrus and mint

Mouth: Cinnamon, chocolate, nougat, oak, cardamom, and a touch of both citrus and mint

Finish: Medium in length and warmth. Notes of cardamom, chocolate, nougat, and cinnamon

Thoughts: Not bad, but not great. When I first nosed this, I was struck by the smell of freshly waxed hardwood. Over time, that shifted to more of a cardamom note among others. The mouth follows the nose and adds in "candy bar" notes of nougat and chocolate. The finish is on the gentler side of medium. More of the same notes. The mouthfeel is thick and rich. There are people who will love this, but I’m not one of them. The notes just aren’t hitting for me. I’m neutral on this one. It currently lives among my cocktail supplies, as it is very nice in a cocktail. Which I guess is thematically appropriate for a bourbon named after a place that sold cocktails to cover up the subpar spirits available at the time. But the price is decent for a cocktail ingredient, if on the higher end of the definition of decent. Luckily, the store selling it didn’t put it behind a math problem…

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If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Maker’s Mark Wood Finishing Series: The Keepers Release 2025

My friends! It’s time for another liquor store find from my recent travels. I saw this one all over Kentucky, but haven’t run across it here in Minnesota yet. That doesn’t really mean much, though—I haven’t been to the liquor store locally for a few months now. That said, I bought this one at Illinois’ Binny’s Beverage on the way home after passing on it a couple of times at various locations in Kentucky. Why did I pass? No idea. Must have found something that struck my fancy more at that particular moment.

So what are we talking about? That would be the latest release in Maker’s Mark’s Wood Finishing Series. They’ve been doing this for a while now. I saw emails in my inbox about the series going back to 2021—though they’ve highlighted different things over the years. The 2024 and 2025 releases focused on the people who help make the product what it is. According to the press release:

“The Keepers Release was born from our close collaboration with the Maker’s Mark warehouse team, the guardians of our barrels,” said Dr. Blake Layfield, master distiller, Maker’s Mark. Their sensory experience of Maker's Mark is unlike anyone else’s — the aromatic oak at different times of the day, evolving tasting notes of our whisky as it ages over multiple seasons — which provided inspiration and helped us shape the flavors of this release."  

Adding to that statement, according to reporting by The Bourbon Review, this expression starts with fully matured, cask-strength Maker’s Mark aged six to seven years, then finished in two batches with toasted American oak staves—one batch aged an additional five weeks, the other nine—before being blended in equal parts and bottled at 109.2 proof (54.6% ABV).

So let’s get to the important part: how does it taste?

Maker’s Mark Wood Finishing Series: The Keepers Release 2025

Purchase Info: $79.99 for a 750 mL bottle at Binny’s Beverage Depot, Bloomington, IL.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $5.33

Details: 54.6% ABV

Nose: Vanilla, toffee, oak lumber, cinnamon, and a hint of mint.

Mouth: Almond, oak, mint, cinnamon, vanilla, and caramel.

Finish: Medium in length and warmth. Notes of almond, cinnamon, mint, and oak.

Thoughts: This is very good. Nice toffee. Lots of oak—though to me, it doesn’t quite come through as the usual oak notes you’d find in a bottle of bourbon. This oak feels more like the kind you'd find in your lumber pile (you do have a lumber pile of old wood, don’t you? Just me?). But while I might have expected that to be a bad thing, it actually works really well here. It plays nicely with an almond note that trends toward cherry. Big fan of this.

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If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Elijah Craig Barrel Select

If the trip to Tennessee and Kentucky was less than successful on the “testing out a tiny camper” front, it was very successful on the “shopping for whiskey” front. I mostly picked up barrel picks from distilleries and stores. They do seem to have a higher hit rate on delicious barrel picks. I’m guessing that is easier when you're that close to the source—especially when they are the source, in the case of distillery gift shops. However, I did grab a few things, such as the bottle pictured above, to save for blog posts too.

The subject of tonight’s bonus post was purchased at the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience. It’s an eight-year-old Elijah Craig bottled at 125 proof. And boy, do I wish that was the main reason I bought it. Because yes, the tasty bourbon inside was certainly a factor—but come on, that little guy is super cute. There was no way I was walking out of the gift shop without that tiny little barrel of bourbon.

Hey, I’ve been earning a living as a designer for over two decades now. Cool packaging is a weakness of mine.

This is a distillery exclusive, although in Kentucky, there's a law requiring retailers to be able to sell those exclusives as well—so you might find it here and there at retail, too. The cost was $29.99 for a 200 mL bottle. So, not the most affordable per drink. But I was on vacation, and whiskey is my favorite souvenir, so I was happy to spend that on something I couldn’t get at home. Plus, the small bottle size means that even people on a budget can enjoy it if they’re willing to give up a little quantity to do so.

Let’s see how it tastes, shall we?

Elijah Craig Barrel Select

Purchase Info: $29.99 for a 200 mL bottle at the Heaven Hill Bourbon Experience, Bardtown, KY.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $7.50

Details: 8 years old, 62.5% ABV.

Nose: Graham crackers, strong cinnamon candies, honey, and oak

Mouth: Nutty with honey, vanilla, cinnamon candies, and a touch of oak.

Finish: Warm and on the longer side of medium length. Notes of honey, spearmint, and cinnamon.

Thoughts: This is a like rating so close to a love rating it isn’t even funny. It is so good! I should have bought two. That nutty note—at times reminiscent of graham crackers—really makes this shine. I adore this one. Methinks it’ll be enjoyed an ounce at a time to make it last.

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If you want to support our work at BourbonGuy.com, please consider a one-time donation at ko-fi.com/bourbonguy or paypal.me/BourbonGuy. Or you could buy some merch that I’ve designed and/or built (tasting journals, t-shirts, stickers, pins, signs, posters, and more) at BourbonGuyGifts.com. Use code BOURBONGUYREADER at checkout for 5% off any order of $50 or more.

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, B525

I’d like to thank Heaven Hill for providing this sample with no strings attached.

Headed off to the dentist in a little bit to get a tiny cavity filled before it turns into something worse. I’m assuming my face will be numb and I’ll be miserable afterward, so I’m trying to get this out before I need to leave. And there isn’t much time left, so let’s make this one short.

We’ve covered these releases many times before, so I think most of us already know what’s going on with them. But if you’re new, here’s the short, short version: Elijah Craig used to be a 12-year-old product. Just before it transitioned to a non-age-stated (NAS) version, a companion “Barrel Proof” offering was released. That product stayed 12 years old even after the NAS transition and became a three-times-yearly release. A few cycles ago, they dropped the 12-year age statement as a standard and now just list how old each particular batch is. Most have been right around 12 years, though at least one has been older. The batch code helps you track it: the letter (A, B, or C) tells you if the bottle in your hands is from the first, second, or third release of the year. The first number is the month of release, and the last two digits are the year.

Okay, now that that’s out of the way, let’s dig in and see if it’s any good.

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof, B525

Purchase Info: This sample was sent to me at no charge for review purposes. The suggested retail price is $74.99.

Price per Drink (50 mL): $5.00

Details: 63.1% ABV. 11 years, 6 months old

Nose: Pretty typical Heaven Hill profile: vanilla, caramel, cinnamon, and oak.

Mouth: Hot and sweet with notes of cinnamon, wintergreen, vanilla, honey, and oak.

Finish: Medium length and warm with notes of honey, cinnamon, and oak.

Thoughts: I like the nose on this one. It smells like bourbon—like, if you were making a “bourbon-scented” item, this would be your template. The mouth is as warm as you'd expect at over 120 proof. Nice heat and sweetness. I’m digging the honey notes on both the palate and the finish, and the mouthfeel reinforces that with a thick, rich texture. This is quite good. I really like it.

Oh, and since I was whining about the price of the last Heaven Hill product I covered, I should mention that this one continues to be much more reasonably priced compared to Old Fitz Bonded. It’s only about $6.50 per year of age. Fair is fair, and I don’t want to be called a hypocrite for calling out high pricing without acknowledging the opposite.

Comparison to last time: A125 is much less cinnamon-forward than B525. The mouth on A125 is sweeter and oakier. As always, both of these are very tasty—but B525 has a little extra oomph that puts it over the top for us.

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