Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Y622

Heaven Hill provides a "You Do Bourbon Experience" tour at their distillery, where guests sample special barrel selections of Bernheim BP, Larceny BP, ECBP, and potentially a premium batch, if fortunate, exclusive to the tour, before choosing a batch to bottle themselves. This is my second visit, and I was lucky to try a premium 9-year-old single malt, but I found it somewhat sharp. The other three were richer and more polished, with the ECBP batch Y723, bottled at 64.5% ABV, being my preferred choice again. The aroma is robust and rich, beginning with a blend of cinnamon brown sugar coated churros, caramelized bananas, sautéed blackberries, and aged leather-bound books. This is followed by dark chocolate torte, salted pretzels, and a freshly lit cigar. Then come notes of apple streusel, strawberries, and mandarin orange, transitioning into spearmint, cloves, anise, and polished antique furniture, with a strong alcohol presence. The flavor presents a rich, oily texture, starting with a mix of dark chocolate mocha, butterscotch creme brûlée, banana fritters, blackberries, and aged leather-bound books. A mild spice then quickly gives way to burnt marshmallow and freshly lit cherry pipe tobacco. It continues with apple streusel, strawberries, and mandarin orange, transitioning to spearmint, cloves, anise, and polished antique furniture, also with a significant alcohol burn. The finish is lengthy, beginning with dark chocolate mocha and a freshly lit cigar, then light sweetness from apple streusel, banana fritters, and blackberry pie. It evolves into earthier notes with spices like cloves, spearmint, aged leather-bound books, and freshly lacquered antique furniture. Heaven Hill is excelling with these "You Do Bourbon" batches. This particular one surpasses my previous year's bottle, leaning towards earthier notes with creamy dark berries. The sweet and earthy elements are perfectly balanced, never becoming overly bitter or excessively sweet. My tour guide mentioned they select barrels from a single warehouse known for producing the best ones. While this might be just marketing, this bottle certainly supports that claim, and it's currently my favorite ECBP I've tasted. I hope my next bottle from a future tour will be even better. If you are near or traveling near Heaven Hill, I strongly recommend visiting first to sample their exclusive batches, which are far superior to most current allocated, hyped releases, and at a much lower price for a full bottle.

The final installment in my Elijah Craig series comes from their You Do Bourbon Experience, which offers tastings of special batches: Bernheim BP, Larceny BP, ECBP, and potentially a premium batch, if fortunate, exclusive to the tour. You then select which batch you'd like to bottle yourself. The day I visited, there was unfortunately no premium batch available. However, the three options presented were all quite enjoyable, with my preference going to the ECBP batch Y822, bottled at 64.6% ABV. The aroma is powerful and rich, starting with a blend of powdered sugar-dusted vanilla cream puffs, caramelized bananas, sautéed cherries, and aged leather-bound books, followed by dark chocolate ganache, salted pretzels, and cigar wrapper. Then comes apple pie, raspberries, and tangerine orange, transitioning to spearmint, cloves, anise, and polished antique furniture, with a strong ethanol presence. The taste presents a rich, oily mouthfeel, beginning with a mix of butterscotch crème brûlée, caramelized bananas, maraschino cherries, and aged leather-bound books. A mild spice quickly fades, giving way to a spicy mocha, toasted marshmallow, and fresh pipe tobacco notes. This is followed by apple streusel, raspberry jam, and tangerine orange, which then shifts to spearmint, cloves, anise, and polished antique furniture, with a significant ethanol burn. The finish is lengthy, featuring butterscotch pudding, spicy mocha, apple streusel, caramelized bananas, sautéed cherries, cloves, spearmint, aged leather-bound books, and newly lacquered antique furniture. This is a robust and decadent bourbon delight, evident from the outset. The nose is captivating, offering a perfect harmony of creamy sweetness, subtle tartness, mild rye spices, and aged oak. This carries through to the taste, with a viscous mouthfeel that briefly falters with a slight spice before quickly recovering. The spice recedes, allowing the rich, deep, traditional bourbon flavors to emerge. It finishes long with an ideal balance of rich creamy sweetness, mild spices, and well-aged oak that lingers for several minutes after each sip. This is unequivocally the finest ECBP I have ever encountered, and I believe it could easily contend with and surpass bourbons priced two to three times higher. At a cost of $40 for the tour and $80 to bottle my own ECBP, totaling $120, this experience was worth every penny and is a must-do recommendation for anyone traveling to Kentucky.