Elijah Craig Common Good x The Beer Cellar Private Selection Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon

VITALS:

- $35

- 94 Proof

- NAS

- Barrel No. 5578805

- Kentucky

In addition to my love for all things whiskey, I do enjoy yummy and delicious craft beer on a fairly regular basis. I don't write up reviews on it or anything, and in fact I don't even really post about beer on social media. But, I do somewhat have my finger on the pulse of greater Chicagoland craft beer community. as a result, I've come to love one of my local bottle shops, the Beer Cellar in Geneva, Illinois.

Not only does the Beer Cellar have one of the best craft beer selections around, not to mention many options to enjoy on tap, but although their whiskey selection is somewhat small, from time to time they get bottles in that I just need to bring home with me. This private barrel selected by the Beer Cellar and Common Good Cocktail House in Glen Ellyn, Illinois was one of those times. I've said it before, I know, but Elijah Craig private picks are always a no-brainer to grab off the shelf, as the value there is great.

On the nose I got a bit of an old fashioned note. I was getting bright orange peel along with a light cherry. There was even a bit of a cola note to the nose as well that I really liked.  It also had this sort of woody and crackery note to it, perhaps like a graham cracker but not really sweet.  I couldn't really place it, but it was something like that.

As to flavor, I was initially surprised at the oak note that I got right up front. I don't imagine this is a particularly well-aged bourbon, so I wasn't expecting much if any wood, but it was definitely there. Kind of coinciding with that was a cinnamon note, though lacking in cinnamon spice. It was more just that flavor, which really seemed to play off the wood notes.

I did get a decent amount of brown sugar sweetness as well, and it reminded me a lot of chocolate chip cookies, just without the chocolate chips. It also had a bit of that orange peel that I got from the nose as well, and this part I really enjoyed.

The finish provided some pastry notes, almost something yeasty. I also got some sweet cinnamon notes, but again, without the cinnamon spice. That graham cracker note that I was getting on the nose seemed to come through on the finish as well.

All in all, I wish this one had a bit more spice. I feel like that would have really provided for a nice balance between the sweet notes and the woody notes. That said, I thought this was still very delicious, and I look forward to more picks coming from these guys

Grade: B+