(Amateur, straight -to-the-point) Review #7: Elijah Craig Private Barrel - Hawaii Whiskey Mafia #3
FYI intro (skip if you just want the review): Not an expert by any means. I use the reviews on here to choose whether or not to buy something, so I’m trying to return the favor. Only giving simple notes (no ‘Amazonian rain forest rock moss in October after a 2 inch rainfall’ or anything like that). No info that I don’t personally care for, like historical backstory or weird trivia on the bottle or company.
Stats: 135 proof. 9 years.
Prep: Poured in a glencairn neat, rested for 10 minutes. 50% through the bottle.
Nose: Deep oak, vanilla bean, caramel, crème brûlée, roasted nuts. I know the oak, vanilla, and caramel notes are basic, but I had to point out how deep those notes are in this bottle. Also worth noting that this had very little ethanol burn on the nose, especially considering its proof.
Visual: Old Oak (1.8). Medium legs.
Mouthfeel: perfect viscosity. Lathers your mouth without feeling like syrup.
Palate: Notes from the nose follow into the front and mid palate. Orange peel towards the end.
Finish: Medium-long. You feel this one down to your belly and up in the back of your nostrils. The finish was a little disorienting, feeling menthol-y which clashes with the deepness of the nose and palate.
T8ke: 7
Value: 4/5 (would pay up to ~125% MSRP)(bought for $85, which is MSRP)
Conclusion (skip if you don’t care about personal input):
I picked up this bottle a few months ago. Went in looking for ECBP C924. They unfortunately didn’t get their shipment of it yet, but saw this in their section of store picks. The generous age statement and near-hazmat proof made me go home with this bottle as a nice consolation prize.
I revisited this bottle after asking for recs on what bottle to get next after a Knob Creek Single Barrel I recently had. I was surprised that a lot of people recommended ECBP, as I didn’t recall them having that much of a similar profile as Beam. I have a B524 in my bar, but this single barrel was in front of it, so I decided to pour this instead. I’ve been trying to stretch this bottle out for as long as I can because it really punches far above its price point. The deep notes of it make it taste like it’s been aged for far longer than 9 years. This does have some nuttiness to it that hints towards the Beam profile, but it takes it on a different level. I think of Beam nutty as more of a boiled peanut while this tasted closer to roasted nuts.
This is a great bottle to take the edge off. I’ve quit smoking, but I’d imagine this would go great with a cigar.
FYI intro (skip if you just want the review): Not an expert by any means. I use the reviews on here to choose whether or not to buy something, so I’m trying to return the favor. Only giving simple notes (no ‘Amazonian rain forest rock moss in October after a 2 inch rainfall’ or anything like that). No info that I don’t personally care for, like historical backstory or weird trivia on the bottle or company.
Stats: 135 proof. 9 years.
Prep: Poured in a glencairn neat, rested for 10 minutes. 50% through the bottle.
Nose: Deep oak, vanilla bean, caramel, crème brûlée, roasted nuts. I know the oak, vanilla, and caramel notes are basic, but I had to point out how deep those notes are in this bottle. Also worth noting that this had very little ethanol burn on the nose, especially considering its proof.
Visual: Old Oak (1.8). Medium legs.
Mouthfeel: perfect viscosity. Lathers your mouth without feeling like syrup.
Palate: Notes from the nose follow into the front and mid palate. Orange peel towards the end.
Finish: Medium-long. You feel this one down to your belly and up in the back of your nostrils. The finish was a little disorienting, feeling menthol-y which clashes with the deepness of the nose and palate.
T8ke: 7
Value: 4/5 (would pay up to ~125% MSRP)(bought for $85, which is MSRP)
Conclusion (skip if you don’t care about personal input):
I picked up this bottle a few months ago. Went in looking for ECBP C924. They unfortunately didn’t get their shipment of it yet, but saw this in their section of store picks. The generous age statement and near-hazmat proof made me go home with this bottle as a nice consolation prize.
I revisited this bottle after asking for recs on what bottle to get next after a Knob Creek Single Barrel I recently had. I was surprised that a lot of people recommended ECBP, as I didn’t recall them having that much of a similar profile as Beam. I have a B524 in my bar, but this single barrel was in front of it, so I decided to pour this instead. I’ve been trying to stretch this bottle out for as long as I can because it really punches far above its price point. The deep notes of it make it taste like it’s been aged for far longer than 9 years. This does have some nuttiness to it that hints towards the Beam profile, but it takes it on a different level. I think of Beam nutty as more of a boiled peanut while this tasted closer to roasted nuts.
This is a great bottle to take the edge off. I’ve quit smoking, but I’d imagine this would go great with a cigar.