Elijah Craig Small Batch Warehouse Liquors Single Barrel Select Kentucky Straight Bourbon

VITALS:

- $37

- 94 Proof

- NAS

- Barrel No. 6030677

- Kentucky

Elijah Craig store picks are just one of those bottles that I almost never pass up when I come across them. They are almost always reasonably priced--I've seen some get a little steep, but those are very few and far between.  And they're almost always delicious (of course there are exceptions to this rule as well, but generally speaking, it fits).

This one is certainly a bit on the higher side of what I've normally paid for Elijah Craig store picks. But, that tends to be the case at Warehouse Liquors, and honestly, I don't mind a small markup at an independent store. That little bit isn't going to drive me away, and I have no problem supporting stores like Warehouse Liquors over the big boxes, so long as it doesn't get into gouging or pricing bottles to the point it makes them museum pieces.

The nose on this was interesting, and I found myself sniffing my glass a lot! Not necessarily because I thought it was amazing (don't get me wrong, it did smell delicious), but more because it was kind of unique. I got a strong, roasty coffee quality to it, almost like espresso notes. That bitter coffee scent played well with the walnut and cherry cordial that I was also getting, along with a dark chocolate note. It was rich and had hints of sweetness, staying far away from cloying.

The flavor didn't necessarily match its nose. In fact, it was much sweeter than its aroma would have indicated. I got a lot of sweet, candied pecans and even honey roasted peanuts. It had that salty earthiness to go with a honey and brown sugar sweetness that really worked.

I also got a bright berry note to it, but it was at the same time not necessarily muted but rather accompanied by a sort of tanginess and certain level of heat. It was hard to describe, but it was almost like a strawberry liqueur where the alcohol tempers the sweet strawberry notes. It sounds weird, but it worked, particularly with the sweet pecan notes.

I also got a consistent crackery or bready note. It was almost like a mix between graham cracker and sweet honey wheat bread. I really noticed this note on the finish, which, while not a long finish, brought these notes of graham cracker as well as a light cinnamon note to bring just a touch of spice into the minx.

If I'm comparing this to regular Elijah Craig, this is a really good bottle. If I'm comparing this to other Elijah Craig store picks, this one is probably going to fall somewhere in the middle. That being said, though, this one had a lot of character and uniqueness that I haven't really seen before, and was one of the more "off brand" Elijah Craig picks I've had.

Grade: B+