I’m a big believer that when it comes to Bourbon, there’s no need to add water “to open it up.” That’s because usually the distillery already did add water to bring it down to the proof they wanted to bottle it. But my belief gets challenged by barrel proof whiskey. I spent a long time trying to get my hands on Elijah Craig Barrel Proof simply because the regular release is one of my favorite regular pours.
This particular bottle came from batch B524 and is 11 years and 2 months old. They bottled it at 65.3% alcohol by volume…or 130.6 proof. It may need some water.
It’s a spectacular dark amber color in the bottle and glass, and has an amazing aroma of vanilla overlaid with tons of oak. Taking a sip, I was surprised by how thick and viscous it seemed, almost like a liqueur. It was sweet and rich with honey and molasses notes, backed up by a great deal of vanilla and not nearly as much oak as you might expect after 11 years. And the burn! Yes, it needs water!
Adding about 10-15% water to the mix brings the burn down to a manageable level while keeping the flavor top notch. After water there is a little more floral note in the mix, but it’s still dominated by molasses and vanilla. Better than any Weller you can think of at the $100 mark? Yep…at least I think so…and mine is the only opinion that counts here. If you don’t agree, buy your own damn bottle of something else! 😜
