Review #236: Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Rye Batch A126

MASH BILL: 51% rye, 35% corn, 14% malted barley

AGE: 11 yr 11 mo

PROOF: 120.4

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

Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Rye is still a new kid on the block. With that comes a good bit of fawning over it and high demand for the bottles. So, I figured there was a narrow window to be able to snag a bottle of A126 when it became available locally, but after I started seeing a few of the reviews roll in for it, I figured I needed to act fast. I found out my favorite local liquor store in upstate South Carolina had a bottle of this for slightly over MSRP through a local Facebook Group. I went slightly out of my way the next day to go by that store on my way home from work and was able to snag this bottle of ECBPR Batch A126. And boy am I glad I did! Let’s dive in!

Reviewed neat in a Glencairn.

APPEARANCE: Dark sherry (1.9), extremely viscous how it clings to the glass and takes a good 30 seconds before the first legs start to run.

NOSE: Quite sweet on the nose for a rye whiskey. Vanilla custard, cherry syrup, and caramelized brown sugar create a very bourbon-like nose. Some of the rye spice starts to roll in along with deep charred oak and candied ginger. I get a piquant cocoa powder note towards the end of the nose as well. With a dash of water, an expressed orange peel note appears too.

PALATE: Full-bodied, warming mouthfeel. The sweet profile from the nose carries over to the palate very well. That cherry note has grown, vanillin rich oak, caramelized sugars and a touch of charred orange peel. The heavy rye spice really rolls in after five seconds or so along with cinnamon powder, nutmeg, and white pepper. As the sweetness fades, charred oak becomes more prevalent and dark chocolate starts to appear.

FINISH: Long, drying, spicy finish. You can certainly say, “Yup, it’s a rye whiskey” here in the finish. The sweetness is very mild with some caramelized sugars and a touch of orange peel. But cinnamon, nutmeg, and peppery spice linger for a long time. A little cocoa gives some impressions of a dark chocolate bar with chili powder on it. The vanilla custard note from the nose rises back up late in the finish helping provide some reprieve from the spice. If the barrel character wasn’t already clear, spicy oak and leather weave their way in to bring this to a close along with cinnamon and peppery heat.

RATING: 8.3/10

OVERALL: This is damn good whiskey right here! Between the initial ECBP Rye batch release of A925, the first ECBP Rye I tried at the distillery in batch Y725, and this batch, A126 takes the cake! I love, love, love, rye whiskies that lean towards the sweeter side but can still whelm the palate with spice. Between the three ECBPR batches I’ve tired, this is the only one that really did that. Batch A925 was more earthy and herbaceous, and batch Y725 was more florally. But this this batch A126 is the sweetest by far with decadent cherry and caramelized sugar notes, but the spice is still unmistakably “rye whiskey.” The only reason this didn’t come out in the 9-10 rating range for me was because I found that the spice and proof combined to make this overwhelming on the palate at times, so a little bit of water was needed to help cool things down for a longer session with it. But don’t let that scare you if you were on the fence. This is a damn good whiskey and what I hope all the future ECBPR batches try to emulate.

 

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

 

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