Last month, Elijah Craig released its second Barrel Proof Batch for the year, B524. This one is 11 years and two months old, and weighs in at a hefty 130.6 proof. The Price is slightly higher for these now at $75 to $80 most places. But, given the age and proof, these are still worth getting.

The color on this is a very dark amber bordering on mahogany. Nice oily film on the swirl with super thick legs. There is a lot of oak on the nose, along with baking spices and a hint of vanilla; very robust nose. The palate, like the nose, is very oak forward, but with English Pipe tobacco, graham cracker crust, vanilla and caramelized brown sugar, and baking spices. The problem is this drinks way hot (and it really takes something for me to say that – I regularly drink 110-120 proof bourbon). On the finish this bourbon continues to be very oak forward, and the baking spices tend more toward cloves, and the finish is extremely long. After letting the bottle sit for two days after opening, the burn has definitely mellowed, but it is still hot, especially on the finish.

This Elijah Craig barrel proof release is very bold in flavor, and thank God they pulled this when they did because it would have been undrinkable if the proof were any higher. This is what I call old school bruiser bourbon, but I have to admit I preferred the A124 to this release. You can tell this bourbon has good flavor but it is difficult to savor when you first open the bottle. Proof is not the sole driver of not being able to savor a whiskey, as we know from Jack Daniel’s Coy Hill release which is at higher proof than this. This is a good old school stout bourbon, but after the first dram or two, set it aside and let the oxygen introduced into the bottle mellow it out.