Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon Review

Elijah Craig Small Batch
Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
94 Proof
Age: 8-12 years according to Heaven Hill Distillery
MSRP: ~ $27-$30
Review

Please enjoy our Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon Review!

Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon is named after Elijah Craig, who is said to be the Father of Bourbon.

There’s A Lot Of Information On The Elijah Craig Small Batch Bottle

On the front of the Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon bottle is quite a bit of information. On one line it says: “Made in true small batches for balance and smoothness”. That is a valid description of the bourbon. There are also 2 statements about Elijah Craig, the bourbon’s namesake: “Elijah Craig, Father of Bourbon” and “First to Char Oak Barrels”. Lastly, there is the number “1789”, referring to the year in which Elijah Craig opened a distillery in Georgetown, KY, and purportedly, when he was the first person to age his whiskey in charred oak barrels.

While it is true that Elijah Craig did open a distillery in Georgetown, amongst other businesses, and help plan the town itself, it is not clear that he was the first to use charred oak barrels or did anything differently than other distillers at the time. However, it makes a nice story, and Heaven Hill has built the Elijah Craig bourbon brand around it.

Made Using Heaven Hill’s HH Reg Mash Bill

Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon is made using Heaven Hill’s standard bourbon mash bill (known internally as HH Reg), which consists of 78% corn, 10% rye & 12% malted barley. Small Batch for Heaven Hill means no more than 250 barrels were used.

Tasting Notes

Let’s taste it:

Rested for 15 minutes in a Glencairn

Nose: Cherry, light smoke, toffee, brown sugar, cedar & oak; relatively mild alcohol
Taste: Simple syrup sweetness, some sweet caramel, barrel char, oak & mild cherry
Finish: Cherry continues; moderate white pepper spice develops and lingers; barrel char and oak, remain a dominant note; fairly long finish; moderate burn

A Fairly Sweet And Oaky Bourbon

The nose is fairly sweet, with sweet cherry candy, brown sugar and simple sugar syrup, but also noticeable oak and light smoke. The bouquet is full, somewhat more so than might be expected for the proof. The flavors continue into the taste, with sweetness at the forefront. It’s a simple syrup sweetness, with both the sweetness and syrup components present. The oak and char remain noticeable throughout and last well into the finish. As the sweetness subsides a bit, white pepper spice grows. Elijah Craig Small Batch is a fairly full bodied bourbon for the proof.

I’ve Had Elijah Craig Small Batch Many Times Before

I have had this bourbon many times, but really have never sat down and thought about it until now. This is the first time I have really noticed how it does show signs of its age with the noticeable oak and char from start to finish. That certainly explains how the Elijah Craig 18 turns out to have so much oak after years of additional aging. I didn’t remember quite so much sugar syrupy in the taste, but yet here it is.

Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon is quite easy to drink. It’s a bourbon that many who are new to bourbon should enjoy. However, it really does not have much complexity. That’s a bit surprising, since the Elijah Craig store picks, as well as Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Bourbon (one of my all time favorites), have considerably more to them than the standard 94 proof bourbon.

In Summary

In summary, Elijah Craig Small Batch is a decent, if a bit underwhelming, bourbon. It is priced very fairly for its proof and age, and is an easy sipper. If you are looking for an easy drinking, fairly sweet and surprisingly oaky bourbon, then it’s one that you should try. Have you had Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon? What did you think Cheers!

We hope you have enjoyed our Elijah Craig Small Batch Bourbon Review! Next, you might be interested in reading our Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Review or our Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel Bourbon Review.

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