Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B522

Good not great, buy if you are fan of ECBP

DISTILLERY	Heaven Hill
REGION	Bardstown, KY
AGE	12 Years
STRENGTH	60.5% ABV (121 Proof)
MASHBILL	78% Corn, 12% Malted Barley, 10% Rye
MSRP	$60 (Found mostly at $69.99 – 80)

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GLANCE

Clear with high intensity and a dark mahogany color to it

NOSE

Toffee, deep brown sugar and caramel. Sweet oak with notes of clove and nutmeg

PALATE

On the palate its cinnamon and baking spice throughout with heavy oak and peanut dustings. Notes of caramel and vanilla come through the middle of the palate. Mouth-filling texture with some sweet syrupy heft. At times it didn’t feel well balanced and had the oak influence overpowering rest of the flavors. Notes of peppermint in the front of the palate.

FINISH

Long with complexity. Brown sugars, dried cherries, oak, nutmeg and leather.

CLOSING REMARKS

As an Elijah Craig fan boy, rarely I find a batch that I hate. Still whenever I get the newest batch in, I brace myself for utter disappointment (something to do with never meet your heroes?). ECBP B522 didn’t do that but it didn’t blow my socks off either. Great flavors and nice depth but in every other sip, the flavors would be unbalanced. Overall the heavy oak (tannin?) would interject shutting down the party. I believe this dram is best enjoyed with some dilution, keyword being some. In the end if you can find this at retail, its still one of the best deals in bourbon today. Especially when the bourbon consumer today is surrounded by tons and tons of limited releases that saturate the market with exorbitant prices. ECBP on most nights won’t let you down and B522 is no exception. That being said, I couldn’t help myself and got a backup! Cheers!

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