Review #227: Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch A125

MASH BILL: 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley

AGE: 10 yr 7 mo

PROOF: 118.2

COST: $80 for 750mL bottle (South Carolina)

It’s January 2026, and that means a new batch of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof should be dropping soon! In considering that, I realized I never reviewed the January 2025 ECBP release, batch A125. So, let’s get to it!

Reviewed neat in a Glencairn.

APPEARANCE: Mahogany color (1.6), oily looking with slow, medium bodied legs.

NOSE: Sweet heat! Caramel and cherry sauce. Orange and vanilla extract add to the sweet scent but also add some proof heat. Underneath the sweetness are notes of toasted nuts, seasoned oak, and a touch of toasted grains adding a warm earthiness. Subtle baking spice adds some heat, but I’m not able to distinguish specific spice notes on the nose more than just “baking spice.” The nose gets darker the more I sip this.

PALATE: Moderately viscous mouthfeel. Classic ECBP profile of brown sugar, cherry, buttery pie crust, cinnamon, and charred oak. In this batch’s uniqueness, I get bright orange extract with a sprig of mint, green apple, and underripe raspberries. The cinnamon note shows up a little late and slowly overwhelms this brightness as we go towards the finish. The earthiness from the nose is not present on the palate other than the charred oak and vanillin notes. Overall, it’s sweet on the palate, with a short-lived brightness, and touches of spice.

FINISH: A long, tannic finish full of toasted notes. There is a touch of cherry early on, but soon replaced by notes of charred oak, burnt cinnamon sticks, toasted vanilla bean, and toasted walnuts. There’s a little caramel sweetness that comes back late in the finish, but it doesn’t stick around for long. A decent hug for the first half of the pour, but it mellows out after a while. That evaporative feeling from alcohol lingers at the back of the palate.

RATING: 7.3/10

OVERALL: There’s not a “bad” ECBP batch, just some that are better than others. This one falls about in the middle of ECBP batches for me. While some of the usual suspects of ECBP show up, this batch has a unique brightness to it that I’m not used to in ECBP. I would generically say ECBP has rich, dark notes, but the brightness on the palate of this batch bucks that generality with its strong orange extract, green apple, and tart raspberries. It really changed the experience right in the middle of the sip. I do wish the finish left me with more sweetness, and the proof heat showed through more in this batch than is normal for ECBP batches. Still a solid whiskey and I still stand by ECBP being one of the best “values” you can find: consistently great, consistently affordable, and consistently available.

 

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