Elijah Craig barrel proof 2021 1010 Washington pick

Nose: Neat: Caramel and sawdust, pencil shavings. Something fruity I'm struggling to identify at first, then tootsie roll. Later, as it opened, peanuts. More caramel. Ethanol. Then a cherry dipped in crushed peanuts. A very enjoyable nose as it developed. Even later, I detected a salty funk. With Water: Loads of salted caramel. Completely different from the first pour. More caramel with some pencil shavings. Later, cherry. Oh wow... a Baby Ruth bar. Later, as it opened, a salted cherry cordial. Caramel dipped in cherry. So, overall, the nose was okay neat and great with water. Body: Full, both neat and with water. Palate: Neat: The spiciness is forward initially, providing a nice Kentucky hug. Later, oak and wood come forward, with sweetness emerging. With Water: Sweet, spicy caramel. So, with water, the palate is sweet spicy caramel. It's good, not great. The water reduces the woodiness. Interesting. Finish: Neat: Medium to long, but not smoky like I prefer. With Water: A long finish with smoke. Wow. The finish is great with water. Note: Barrel aged in the Bernheim warehouse, in cement. I'm excited about this. A reviewer noted it's off profile. Neat, this was good. Kind of a half step below the normal barrel proofs... similar but perhaps less coherent than a standard BP. With water: this opened up beautifully, like a big, strong flower. Initially, it's much better, more coherent, and delicious with water. Actually, really very good, it just needs time to open up and be tamed a bit.