Elijah Craig Single Barrel 18 years 750 ml

Eighteen years in charred oak is a long time for a bourbon, and Elijah Craig 18 Year Single Barrel wears every one of them. Heaven Hill bottles it one barrel at a time — no mingling — so each release carries the fingerprint of a single cask, all at a steady 90 proof. Long maturation pushes the wood forward: aged oak and spiced vanilla on the nose, with a cooling hint of mint and chocolate. The palate is nutty and semisweet, honey giving way to toasted wood and a pleasant char, before vanilla and black pepper stretch out the finish. One of the oldest age-stated single barrels coming out of Kentucky at this price. A contemplative neat pour for the drinker who wants the oak turned all the way up.

How to drink Elijah Craig 18 Year Single Barrel

Skip the ice — eighteen years of oak has already done plenty of work, and water dilutes the char and vanilla faster than it should. A splash at most, and only if the proof feels hot.

Bourbon90.0 proof · Mash bill: 78% corn, 10% rye, 12% malted barley (Heaven Hill bourbon mash) · New charred American oak · Kentucky