There’s a particular whiskey geek right of passage wherein you realize that not only do you have a lot of whiskey in your home, but you have multiple bottles of the same brand—enough to taste batch-vs-batch side by side. With some brands, those batch-to-batch differences are small enough to be rendered insignificant, but with others, they’re barside arguments waiting to happen. And few brands afford such an easy source of batch-vs-batch comparisons as Elijah Craig Barrel Proof.

We get a fairly regular amount of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof. Generally we sell all the bottles except 1 from each release, holding on to it for exactly this kind of thing. It’s always fun to do a “veritcal” or taste this kind of thing next to one another. Especially when they are fairly regularly reviewed so positively.

From Elijah Craig: “To sip Barrel Proof is to experience Bourbon in its purest form: uncut, straight from the barrel, and without chill filtering. Each bottle is hand labeled with its unique proof and batch number; but the nose, taste, and finish are pure Elijah Craig.”

Whiskey Advocate Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B519 – 93pts

Keeps true to this award-winning whiskey’s oak-driven style, with aromas of lead pencil, leather, and fresh sawdust, balanced by dense fruitiness and tinged with herbal licorice and eucalyptus. Brawny and tannic on the palate, it’s reminiscent of sucking on a cherry Popsicle stick, balancing sweet caramel, brown sugar, and molasses with persistent oak, cedar shingle, clove, and paprika. A rustic, powerful, and robust bourbon.

Whiskey Advocate Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B520 – 94pts

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch B517 was our Whisky of the Year in 2017, and this latest release continues the tradition. The nose exudes spice, rich chocolate, and caramel, followed by a palate that’s loaded with spice, herbs, vanilla, and more chocolate. Water enhances the spice, and also brings out an espresso note. A spice-filled finish is rich and chocolaty. Water enhances it all, but even without, it’s superbly balanced and rich.

Whiskey Advocate Elijah Craig Barrel Proof A121 – 94pts

 A generous nose, with chocolate-covered cherries, candied orange peel, menthol, cola, pine nuts, caramel, corn bread, and varnish. Piles of baking spice and dark chocolate shavings on the palate mingle with raspberry jam, orange peel, gingersnaps, cinnamon, and mint; water amplifies and brightens the fruit character. A lip-smacking finish of dark chocolate, mint, tobacco, and polished oak.