Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon 10y.o. (A124) Review

Rising from the ashes of Prohibition and into the midst of the Great Depression in Bardstown, KY, Heaven Hill Distillery has grown to be the largest independent family-owned and operated producer of distilled spirits products in the US, and the second-largest holder of bourbon whiskey inventory in the world. The distillery was set up in 1935 after a small group approached the Shapira family seeking capital investment to set up a distillery using their technical expertise. Following personal financial difficulties among the other members of the founding group, their interests in the “Old Heavenhill Springs” distillery were bought out by the Shapira family making the distillery a fully family-owned enterprise. With renewed purpose, the family kept on one of the original investors, James L. Beam as Master Distiller, and hired the best bourbon-producing talent they could find in their local Bardstown. Four years later in 1939, they released their first product, a 4-year-old Bottled in Bond bourbon under the Old Heaven Hill brand. The brand quickly became one of the top-selling bourbons in the State and cemented the distillery’s position as one of the top bourbon producers in Kentucky at the time. The name of the distillery originates from the family name of William Heavenhill who was an early pioneer farmer and owned the original property on which the distillery sat. When originally registering the company a clerical mistake resulted in the name becoming Heaven Hill as opposed to Heavenhill.

On November 7th 1996 a fire that started in one of the barrel ageing warehouses spread by strong winds, destroying almost the entire distillery and numerous ageing warehouses. Overall 90,000 barrels of whisky were lost and for the next 3 years, the company was dependent on production capacity in neighbouring distilleries. In 1999 Heaven Hill completed the purchase of the Old Bernheim Distillery from Diageo in Louisville and once the distillery was adapted, the production and distillation end moved to Louisville whilst ageing, bottling, and shipping still occur on the original Bardstown site.

Today the modern iteration of the company, Heaven Hill Brands, has become a diversified supplier of whiskeys, liqueurs, vodkas, rums, and other spirits. They own 62 rickhouses in Central KY and distribute hundreds of brands. Under the Heaven Hill Distillery portfolio, they produce award-winning products such as Henry McKenna, Elijah Craig, Evan William, Larceny, Old Fitzgerald, and Rittenhouse rye to name a few. The distillery also has the largest number of Bottled in Bond whiskies on the market and is the only heritage distiller that features every major category of American whiskey in their 5 distinct mashbills producing traditional bourbon, wheated bourbon, rye whiskey, corn whiskey, and wheat whiskey. Under 7th Master Distiller (and fellow countryman) Conor O’Driscoll the distillery is on course to fill almost 400,000 barrels again this year and with continued investment production capacity is growing every year to meet rising demand.

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Named in honour of a Baptist preacher, the Elijah Craig family of whiskies have been a staple in drinks cabinets for almost 40 years. Boasting many sought-after releases since the brand’s inception, the current family of offerings consists of a Small Batch Bourbon and Rye, a Barrel-Proof Bourbon offering, an 18 y.o. offering, a 23 y.o. offering, a ‘Private Barrel bourbon offering for retailers and groups, and a distillery-only Barrel Select offering. Previous bottlings under this brand have also included the popular 12 y.o. age-stated Small Batch, 12 y.o. age-stated Barrel Proof, and 20, 21, and 22 y.o. offerings that have since been discontinued. Despite the Small Batch losing its age statement in 2016, due to demand outstripping supply, the barrel-proof offering still retains an age statement, as do the older releases such as the 18 and 23 y.o

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As the first barrel-proof offering from Heaven Hill, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof was released in 2013 as an uncut, minimally-filtered, small batch, age-stated bottling of 12y.o. bourbon bottled straight from the barrel without chill filtration. Being a limited-release product, there are three releases each year in and around January, May, and September, with each batch bearing a batch number (since 2017) and its unique proof. This variance in proof between batches gives Elijah Craig fans a unique opportunity to explore the impact of the long ageing and resulting proof in a small batch of approximately 200 barrels. The first letter of the batch number indicates which of that year’s releases the bottle was a part of, starting with “A,” the second digit indicates the month of the year the bottle was released, and the third and fourth digits indicate the year.

In 2023, the news broke that the steadfast 12y.o. age statement was being discontinued, similar to its Small Batch offering. Instead, it was announced that starting with the B523 batch Elijah Craig Barrel Proof would now be barrelled in small batches with varying age statements. Despite this change, the brand assured drinkers that each batch would remain non-chill filtered and uncut, with a unique proof and profile. The key difference lay in the promise of a unique age statement that would preserve the whiskey’s renowned extra-aged character without being tied to a set age of 12 years old. Heaven Hill also justified the decision by stating that varying both the age and proof would allow bourbon enthusiasts to “experience the consistency in quality across the series whilst allowing for the unique intricacies of each batch to pull forward.” Additionally, it was revealed that each release’s front label would now include the age of the youngest barrel in the batch, down to the month, as required by law, regardless of the quantity of the lowest-aged barrels in the batch.

As expected, fan reaction to the news was mixed. For many, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof was the “last man standing” when it came to regularly released, high-quality, barrel-proof bourbon carrying a double-digit age statement and available at a reasonable price. For others, the fact that Elijah Craig barrel-proof single barrel picks and the special bottlings available in Heaven Hill’s Bourbon Experience have all been younger than 12y.o. and well-received, provided some welcome reassurance as well as the promise that some future batches would exceed the rigid 12 year age statement.

With this all in mind, batch B523 arrived to a guarded reception carrying an age statement of 11 years and 5 months, despite this, however, the quality of the whiskey quickly spoke for itself. It was robust, complex, deeply flavoured, and easily converted anxious doomsayers to the updated age statement format. Batch C923 followed soon after, and rewarded fans with the oldest release of Elijah Craig Barrel proof to date at a staggering 13 years and 7 months old. It was the kind of bourbon you rarely get to taste and left all who experienced its decadent profile in agreement of the virtues of variable age statements. Then came batch A124, and the trouble started. With information on batch A124 announced in very early January, the doomsayers returned in full force within the hour, despite A124 featuring all the usual Elijah Craig Barrel Proof trimmings of being age-stated, NCF, and bottled straight from the barrel. Being aged just 10 years and 9 months and bottled at 119 proof, attention was quickly called towards it having the lowest age statement yet, and a bottling proof that fell below the traditional minimum of 120 (60%). Heated debate developed amongst fans, off-the-hip hot takes were thrown into the ring, and the sky fell – all before anyone had tasted a drop.

Today, we’ll be tasting batch A124 to put the quality of the whiskey to the ultimate test. Not only will I be tasting it, but I’ll also be comparing it to previous, older batches to see how it holds up. Let’s go!

Vital Stats:

Name: Elijah Craig Small Batch Barrel Proof Bourbon (Batch A124)
Age: 10 years 9 months
Proof:  119 Proof (59.5% ABV)
Type: Kentucky straight bourbon
Mashbill: 78% Corn, 10% Rye, 12% Malted Barley
Producer: Heaven Hill Distillery, KY
Website:  https://elijahcraig.com/barrel-proof
Glassware: Glencairn

Review

Nose: The nose opens with soft red and black fruits stewed in rich dark caramels dusted in a mix of earthy and peppery spices. As you nose deeper, strong dark herbaceous and chocolate-forward charred oak notes develop alongside some heat from the ethanol. Once these settle, the caramel, fruit, and earthy spice notes continue expanding in complexity whilst mingling with the barrel notes.

Palate: The palate opens incredibly viscous with tannic charred oak alongside rich caramels and rich fruits before a wave of peppery rye and ethanol spice wash over the mid-palate bringing heat, a tart fruit edge, and chocolate notes. As the spice fades, caramels, cloves, and chocolate notes remain with some fruit and fire-roasted almond notes lingering around the edges.

Finish: The finish opens with lingering heat, caramels, toasted almonds, faint fruits, dark chocolate, and baking spices. The aftertaste is long with notes of chocolate, oak, and lingering tannic heat coating the inside of the mouth.

Overall

At first glance, Batch A124 might not seem like a particularly remarkable release of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof with naysayers quick to highlight that it has the second lowest proof to date and the youngest age statement at 10 years and 9 months. Personally, the true magic of Batch A124 lies in its taste and I found that each sip delivers a robust and flavour-rich barrel-proof experience, with spices, caramels, fruits, and barrel notes all humming on your palate. By the third sip, any concerns or apprehensions have dissolved, washed away by its rich flavour complexity and a growing herbaceous character which serves as a reminder that 10 years and 9 months is the age of the youngest whiskey in the batch, not the oldest. 

As the last traces of this whiskey melt from my palate, I can confidently say that batch A124 hands down delivers the classic profile Elijah Craig fans expect. In fact, this batch is so good, that it feels like Heaven Hill have made a deliberate effort to continue showcasing the value of variable age statements by allowing fans to experience the consistency of quality across a wider range of ages, whilst still highlighting the unique features of each batch. By releasing their youngest batch yet at a ‘low’ proof, they also seem to be challenging the misconception that higher proof and age mean better whiskey. Instead, this whiskey defies those prejudices by delivering a bold barrel-proof bourbon profile and drinking experience that can stand against previous releases.

Another interesting aspect to note, and which hasn’t been talked about much, is the hidden reward included in this release’s age statement. Since the announcement of variable age statements, we’ve seen five releases of Elijah Craig barrel proof, aged from 10 to 13 years. Keen observers would also have noticed that if you’ve managed to get a bottle of each from A123 to A124, you now have four bottles with chronological age statements progressing from 10 to 13 years. This is extremely exciting for long-time Elijah Craig Barrel Proof fans such as myself, as it allows me to go on a unique tasting experience across four different ages and proofs in chronological order. In fact, when I did this tasting, I was shocked to find that A124 holds its own remarkably well against all three releases of last year, even the indomitable Batch C923. Whereas last year’s batches have varying degrees of maturity, fruit notes, barrel notes, and general Elijah Craig Barrel Proof character, what puts A124 on the same level is that it also has these key elements but wrapped up in a near syrup-like viscosity that coats the tongue in a blanket of flavour and spice. The other releases in contrast seem to have more tannic, tart fruit, or ethanol forward edges which are somewhat kept in check by their respective viscosities, but none come close to the depth of viscosity and subsequent flavour impact we get from batch A124.

So far, Heaven Hill has remained true to their promise when they announced Elijah Craig Barrel Proof‘s now variable age statements. Sure, at a consistent 12-years-old, previous batches of Elijah Craig acted as a rare safe haven for those seeking a good, well-aged bourbon that is easily accessible. However, if this change had to happen for a well-balanced, viscous, and flavoursome bourbon like batch A124 to become a reality, it has been worth it so far. Yes, who knows what the future holds for Elijah Craig Barrel Proof in terms of how low it may go in age, or whether we’ll ever see a 13-year-old+ release again, but so far Heaven Hill has not released a bad batch of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof and I’m willing to bet that they’re not about to start. Regardless of your experience with the brand or your lingering scepticism, if you like barrel-proof bourbon with rich and robust flavours bottled at a great proof and aged to a minimum of double digits, then I highly recommend you track down a bottle or two of this release.

Try or Buy?

With a suggested price of $75, you’ll have to hold me back if I find this bottle on the shelf. Another perk of this bourbon is people might dismiss it based on the age statement, meaning those who know are more likely to get hands on a bottle – maybe even a backup bottle!

As the youngest release of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof bourbon, Batch A124 has faced more scepticism than any previous batch. Does it deliver that classic Elijah Craig Barrel Proof experience we all love? Check out my review now to find out!