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Whiskey Review: Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B517

We review Elijah Craig Barrel Proof B517, a limited-edition barrel-proof release sure to appeal to bourbon nerds.

OVERALL RATING

8
$70.00
  • Katelyn Best, whisky writer & enthusiast.
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Tasting Notes

About:

12 years old, 124.2 proof, $70-100 Color: Warm copper, almost orange
Appearance:
Nose:
Vanilla and oak dominate, along with faint spice and candied orange peel. After adding some water, the spice notes sharpen. I still get a fair amount of vanilla, now accompanied by some caramel and burnt sugar notes, like the top of a creme brulée.
Palate:
Unsurprisingly, served neat, this whiskey is too hot to get much out of. I do get some back-palate spice, and some oak. With water added, vanilla, caramel, and syrupy black cocktail cherries come to the front. Warm spice remains on the back of the palate, and tobacco and oak on the finish. The texture is tacky but not drying.
Finish:
Comments:
This is an unsurprising but nonetheless enjoyable bourbon. It’s well-balanced, with strong vanilla and caramel giving way to fruit, wood, and tobacco. It’s also very well-structured in the mouth, with a nice level of tannins (Tannicness? Tannicity?). Together with the other bottlings in the barrel proof series, it’s also a fun tasting experiment, if you’re into that sort of thing.

Editor’s Note: This whiskey was either bought as a sample by The Whiskey Wash or provided to us as a review sample by the party behind it. Per our editorial policies, this in no way influenced the outcome of this review.

Katelyn Best

Katelyn Best, a freelance writer based in Portland, Oregon, is a regular contributor to The Whiskey Wash. She has a particular passion for exploring the unique and unconventional aspects of the whisky world.

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