When Elijah Craig launched its Barrel Proof lineup in 2013, we had no expectation that it might proceed all these years and finally take a spot as one of the vital revered and anticipated bourbons to hit the market at a daily clip.
The whiskey started life as a 12 yr outdated expression, then modified to various age statements (virtually all the time youthful, naturally) in 2023. The core Elijah Craig Barrel Proof launch is bourbon, constructed from Heaven Hill’s basic mashbill of 755 corn, 13% rye, and 12% malted barley. An Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Rye (51% rye, 35% corn, and 14% malted barley) was launched in 2025.
At present, ECBP Bourbon, because it’s recognized, is launched thrice a yr, and maintaining monitor of them will be troublesome. With that in thoughts, we’re combining a decade-plus price of evaluations and digesting your entire lineup right here, together with all of the salient manufacturing particulars together with a capsule overview and ranking. We aren’t together with costs right here, as these range extensively (and get larger and better) the additional again you go.
We’ll replace this web page every time a brand new ECBP is launched, so be happy to bookmark it for posterity if the model is of tolerating curiosity.
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon Releases – Full Information
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Launch 1 – 2013, 134.2 proof, 12 years outdated. A fiery assault reveals darkish wooden, cocoa, and apple-caramel notes that mellow into cinnamon, applesauce, and a silky end when water is added. A-
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Launch 2 – 2013, 137.0 proof, 12 years outdated. Not reviewed.
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Launch 3 – 2014, 133.2 proof, 12 years outdated. Not reviewed.
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Launch 4 – 2014, 132.4 proof, 12 years outdated. Not reviewed.
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Launch 5 – 2014, 134.8 proof, 12 years outdated. Not reviewed.
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Launch 6 – 2014, 140.2 proof, 12 years outdated. The most well liked ECBP to this present day. Huge punches of wooden on the nostril with a little bit of mint; the physique is all oak, toffee, and pepper. Properly wintry, even after taking it down a notch with a splash of water. A-
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Launch 7 – 2015, 128.0 proof, 12 years outdated. A really fairly, elegant expression at a a lot decrease proof than #6. A number of vanilla sweetness balanced with some darkish fruit and oak, with a little bit of burnt char on the physique, ending with fruit and spice. B+
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Launch 8 – 2015, 139.8 proof, 12 years outdated. Not reviewed.
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Launch 9 – 2015, 135.6 proof, 12 years outdated. Not reviewed.
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Launch 10 – 2016, 138.8 proof, 12 years outdated. Not reviewed.
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Launch 11 – 2016, 139.4 proof, 12 years outdated. Not reviewed.
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Launch 12 – 2016, 136.0 proof, 12 years outdated. Not reviewed.
In January 2017, ECBP transitioned to its new nomenclature, which features a letter (order of releases all year long – A, B, or C), then three digits. The primary corresponds to the month of launch, the ultimate two the yr of launch. It’s an terrible, complicated naming system that ensures product names aren’t consecutive (Batch #171A can be so a lot better…), however we’re caught with it, I suppose. A brand new bottle design launched with this launch, too.
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch A117 – January 2017, 127.0 proof, 12 years outdated. A well-aged, copper-toned Elijah Craig delivers caramel corn and vanilla on the nostril, candy tea and cola on the palate, and a balanced, spicy end with cloves and oak. A-
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch B517 – Could 2017, 124.2 proof, 12 years outdated. A daring but lower-proof Elijah Craig Barrel Proof bursts with buttered popcorn, baking spice, and butterscotch, exhibiting bittersweet scorched wooden on the palate that softens fantastically with water into brown sugar, orange peel, and candy licorice sweet. A-
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch C917 – September 2017, 131.0 proof, 12 years outdated. Not reviewed.
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch A118 – January 2018, 130.6 proof, 12 years outdated. Not reviewed.
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch B518 – Could 2018, 133.4 proof, 12 years outdated. Not reviewed.
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch C918 – September 2018, 131.4 proof, 12 years outdated. A high-proof, smoky ECBP launch erupts with barrel char, bacon, and caramel, evolving into savory campfire embers and roasted notes that water softens solely barely, making it a daring, unconventional bourbon removed from the basic Kentucky profile. A-
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch A119 – January 2019, 135.2 proof, 12 years outdated. An enormous, wood-driven whiskey with leathery, peppery depth that reveals vanilla, caramel, chocolate, and refined fruit solely after cautious dilution, finally rewarding persistence with a energetic, partaking expertise. A-
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch B519 – Could 2019, 122.2 proof, 12 years outdated. A gentler 61% launch that balances smoky barrel char and leather-based with shocking sweetness of brown butter, butterscotch, and cinnamon, ending in milk chocolate, vanilla, and menthol notes that make it a captivating outlier among the many collection. A-
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch C919 – September 2019, 136.8 proof, 12 years outdated. An unusually candy and fruit-forward launch, bursting with butterscotch, banana, apples, pears, and spice, that softens with water into notes of vanilla frosting, mint, and caramel corn, making it one of the vital distinctive expressions within the lineup. A-
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch A120 – January 2020, 136.6 proof, 12 years outdated. This one blazes with lumber, spearmint, cherry pits, and smoky coal hearth, but balances fantastically with butterscotch, pink pepper, raspberry, and spice, revealing milk chocolate and fruit with only a contact of water. The standout launch of the collection as much as this time limit, and ECBP’s first look on our high 10 whiskeys of the yr listing. A
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch B520 – Could 2020, 127.2 proof, 12 years outdated. A launch that delivers rickhouse aromas of chocolate, char, and barbecue smoke with a spiced palate of cloves, nutmeg, and burnt caramel, however regardless of water unlocking butterscotch, pink pepper, and even peanut butter notes, its gritty end and lack of stability maintain it from standing out. B+
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch C920 – September 2020, 132.8 proof, 12 years outdated. A scorching, char-heavy bourbon layered with darkish fruit, toffee, and maple syrup, whose beefy, tannic edge softens with water into chocolate-covered cherries and butter notes, although it finally feels previous its prime. B+
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch A121 – January 2021, 123.6 proof, 12 years outdated. A121 delivers a rickhouse nostril of wooden, scorched earth, honey, and blackberries, resulting in a blazing but balanced palate of Mexican chocolate spice, brown butter, and baking notes, ending lengthy and seductive with pink and black fruit. One other top-tier expression within the collection and the second high 10 listing inductee. A
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch B521 – Could 2021, 118.2 proof, 12 years outdated. New label design rolled out, however no different modifications. The bottom abv launch within the collection hits the nostril with fiery pepper, butterscotch, vanilla frosting, and floral notes, whereas the palate leans closely into maple syrup, milk chocolate, cinnamon buns, and pink berries, finally skewing overly candy. B+
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch C921 – September 2021, 120.2 proof, 12 years outdated. A scorching but fruit-forward bourbon, balancing cherries, spiced strawberry, orange peel, and chocolate towards barrel char and clove, delivering a basic profile that followers will discover a sturdy companion to the standout A121 launch. A
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch A122 – January 2022, 120.8 proof, 12 years outdated. A scorching but approachable launch, opening with nutmeg, cloves, char, marshmallow, and darkish chocolate, then unfolding into pink apple, currants, raisin, fruitcake, caramel apple, and pink pepper, ending mildly dry however total energetic and well-balanced. A-
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch B522 – Could 2022, 121.0 proof, 12 years outdated. Leans barrel-forward with pepper, cloves, and dill on the nostril, delivering a savory palate of charred wooden, stewed fruit, and pink wine, ending with mint and spice in a warming however finally modest expression. B+
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch C922 – September 2022, 124.8 proof, 12 years outdated. A high shelf launch, opening with dessert-like aromas of caramel, butterscotch, vanilla, and bittersweet chocolate, then unfolding into cherry, spearmint, coconut, banana, and pink pepper, ending as a harmonious mix of chocolate, fruit, vanilla, caramel, and cinnamon that recollects a banana break up in a glass. A
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch A123 – January 2023, 125.6 proof, 12 years outdated. Begins with a beefy, peppery nostril with raspberry, thyme, and sage that evolves into chocolate, cinnamon, and a banana split-like mixture of caramel and nuts, whereas the palate balances char, black fruit, burnt caramel, and vanilla, ending with cinnamon pink hots, Bit-O-Honey sweetness, and minted butterscotch. A flexible entry within the collection.
Variable age statements started in Could 2023 with the discharge of ECBP B523. Bottle labels replicate the change.
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch B523 – Could 2023, 124.2 proof, 11 years 5 months outdated. B523 leans savory and spice-driven, with espresso, cocoa, tobacco, pepper, and beefy notes dominating, whereas water teases out spearmint, pastry dough, and brown butter—however the lack of fruit and a leathery, inexperienced end maintain it from attaining the vibrancy of stronger releases within the collection. B
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch C923 – September 2023, 133.0 proof, 13 years 7 months outdated. Opens with cinnamon, mint, restrained fruit, and lumberyard char, then delivers a scorching palate of brewed tea, baking spice, darkish chocolate, and bay leaf. Whereas water amplifies cinnamon and tea on the expense of fruit and sweetness, the end stays drying and over-charred, making this a palatable however one-note launch that proves age doesn’t all the time equal high quality. B+
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch A124 – January 2024, 119.0 proof, 10 years 9 months outdated. Rugged and difficult, with a nostril of roasted meat, leather-based, camphor, and faint blackberry, resulting in a palate dominated by black pepper, inexperienced onion, barrel char, and beef jerky. Natural thyme, caramel, and drying oak emerge with time, providing rustic allure however leaving a sandpaper-like end that solely partially softens with a thread of sweetness. B
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch B524 – Could 2024, 130.6 proof, 11 years 2 months outdated. Opens with savory aromatics of espresso, leather-based, burnt ends, and campfire smoke, however shifts dramatically on the palate right into a sweeter, fruit-forward profile of banana, brown sugar, caramel custard, maraschino cherry, and walnuts. The end stays heat and spicy, but the “banana break up” character makes it unusually approachable and versatile. A-
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch C924 – September 2024, 129.0 proof, 11 years outdated. Restrained and wood-forward with beefy undertones. The palate leans closely on tannic oak, hazelnuts, and extra anise, progressively opening to caramel and vanilla, earlier than ending with a shocking raspberry notice pitted towards black pepper. B
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch A125 – January 2025, 118.2 proof, 10 years 7 months outdated. Proof that decrease abv doesn’t imply lesser high quality, this bourbon opens with leathery oak, brown butter, sesame oil, and blood orange peel earlier than shifting right into a palate dominated by bittersweet chocolate, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla syrup, and char. A baked apple pie notice lingers by means of the lengthy end, making this a standout launch worthy of a everlasting spot in your bar. One other high whiskeys of the yr winner.
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch B525 – Could 2025, 126.2 proof, 11 years 6 months outdated. Woody and austere with a nostril of leather-based, tobacco, and menthol, it shifts right into a palate layered with applesauce, spiced cider, marzipan, sesame, and baking spice. The end dries into rosemary, sage, cloves, and anise; whereas not essentially the most complicated, it stands out as a well-rounded and charming installment within the collection. A-
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Batch C925 – September 2025, 129.0 proof, 9 years 1 month outdated. Fairly younger but additionally barrel-driven, with a savory, beefy nostril accented by greenery, earth, black pepper, and rosemary. The palate is scorching and wood-heavy, layered with cinnamon, cloves, dried banana chips, dried apples, darkish chocolate, and creosote. It’s fascinating in flashes, however finally too one-note in comparison with extra balanced entries within the collection. B
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Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Rye Releases – Full Information
Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Rye Batch A925 – September 2025, 108 proof, 12 years 3 months outdated. An atypical rye that leans bourbon-like, with a brisk, chocolatey nostril accented by cinnamon, allspice, butterscotch, and a creamy corn-driven physique. The palate layers cinnamon-dusted peanuts, milk chocolate, brown sugar, baked apples, and orange oil. Regardless of its barrel power, it drinks silky and approachable, a rye that bourbon followers will discover irresistibly drinkable. Straight out of the gate, it’s additionally a high 20 whiskey of the yr. A
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