Elijah Craig - the 'Father of Bourbon' (Elijah Craig 12 years old)

Member Name: hukerjohn1

Product:	Elijah Craig 12 years old
Date:	07/04/09 (475 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Old bottlings are near perfection

Disadvantages: New bottlings are nowhere near as good as the original ones

--Elijah Craig 12 Year Old Bourbon--

Elijah Craig was distilled at the Heaven Hill distillery in Bardstown, Nelson County for years however in 1996 this all changed - more on that at the end of the review. Elijah Craig 12yro has won several awards over the years including a double Gold medal at the San Francisco World Sprits Competition in 2001.

Elijah Craig is named after a Baptist Minister who is widely considered as the 'Father of Bourbon' as it was he who originally fired the oak casks to give the Bourbon its characteristic oak and caramel flavours. He founded a distillery in 1789 (though not in Bourbon county) alongside a paper mill, saw mill, rope works and cloth mill which was where he developed the technique of burning the inside of the barrels prior storing the Bourbon in them.

There are currently 2 products available in the Elijah Craig range;

Elijah Craig 12yro
Elijah Craig Single Barrel 18yro

Both of which are definitely worth a go, though unless you have fifty quid to blow on a bottle of bourbon then I'd probably stick with the 12yro.


-Bourbon-

Bourbon is an American spirit that can be distilled anywhere in the States but almost all of them are made in Kentucky. Bourbon is distilled and then aged in oak barrels. By law these oak barrels can only be used once before they are sold on to makers of Scottish Whiskys, vineyards and the like. These barrels are often re-fired before being used to age again. Often you will find premium "Single Barrel" bourbons that have been kept in the same barrel throughout maturation. By putting the spirit into a fresh cask it takes more of the flavours from the wood faster than it would if it were sitting in the same cask. Other spirits such as cognac tend to use casks that have been used at least five times previously to keep the oak flavours to a minimum.

Bourbon is named after Bourbon County (Which is a dry state!) and is a French word. The French were fighting over territories in the battle of independence with the British and Kentucky was divided up. The French were given an area of land which they called Bourbon. Bourbon is made form corn (by law it has to be at least 51% corn but is usually closer to 70%) and the rest is made from wheat or rye.


--Tasting Notes--

-Colour-

Elijah Craig has that classics Bourbon colour - Reddish Amber. When I swirl the glass I can tell that the Bourbon has a nice viscosity, leaving a trail of "legs" around the inside of the glass. When looking at the colour of a drink hold a white piece of paper behind the glass and have a light on in the background.

-Nose-

Most of the Bourbons that come from the Heaven Hill distillery have a wonderful citrussy, kumquat like character - and this is no different. I then get all manner of other delicate notes including a little bit of smoke, classic Boubon caramel, a little nutmeg and refreshing mint.

Overall: Caramel, Smoke, Kumquat, Nutmeg, Mint.

A good tip for when nosing drinks is to smell the back of your hand when changing between drinks. This action cleanses the palette ensuring that there is little residual smell from the previous spirit or otherwise in your nose. The ideal glass for the job is a snifter glass (tulip shaped) with a wine glass coming in second place for handiness!


-Taste-

Initially I get a malty/fruity flavour, like a malt loaf perhaps? Rich fruits such as fig and apricot. I get a little of the spiciness from the nutmeg and enjoy the classic flavours of sweet caramel and rich oak.

Overall: Oak, Malt, Fig, Caramel, Nutmeg.

It's always worth trying the spirit with a little water as you will find that it releases a whole different bouquet and often new set of flavours. This is because the water releases esters and aldehydes from the Whiskey.


-Finish-

The finish is excellent, long with subtle notes of liqorice and earthy flavours. The real star here is the balance, it is near perfection as all of the flavours come together perfectly and sit on your tongue wonderfully.


--Cocktails--

Classic

-Old Fashioned-

2 Measures Elijah Craig Bourbon
Gomme sugar
Angostura bitters

Put a few ice cubes in a rocks glass with a few drops of bitters, the first measure of Blanton's and some sugar syrup. Stir with a bar spoon. As you are stirring gradually add ice cubes, one after another, ensuring the glass stays cold and that the spirit is continually moving. Add the second measure of Bourbon, some more ice and, if needed, a little more sugar. Stir as before and when the glass is full of ice - providing you are happy with the flavour - spray over the oil of some orange rind and garnish with a sliver of orange rind.


-Manhattan (Perfect)-

2 Measures Elijah Craig Bourbon
½ Measure Sweet Vermouth
½ Measure Dry Vermouth
A couple of dashes of Bitters

It has to be said that Elijah makes a mean Manhattan - do it. Add the bourbon, bitters and vermouth to an ice filled shaker. Stir until cold. Double strain the drink into a Martini glass and garnish with a maraschino cherry and orange zest. Mmmmm... For a sweet Manhattan replace the dry vermouth with another ½ measure of sweet vermouth and a little maraschino syrup and for a dry Manhattan replace the sweet vermouth with dry vermouth. Easy.


-Whiskey Sour-

2 Measures Elijah Craig Bourbon
1 Measure lemon juice
1 Egg white
¾ Gomme sugar syrup

Put everything in a shaker with loads of ice, shake and pour into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with a lemon wedge and a maraschino cherry. If you are not too keen on the egg white idea you can add a small amount of pineapple juice. The egg white is just in there to give the drink some body and a creaminess.


Contemporary

-Raspberry Lynchburg-

2 Measures Elijah Craig Bourbon
1 Measure lemon juice
A handful of fresh Raspberries
¾ Gomme sugar syrup
Lemonade

Throw everything bar the lemonade into a shaker, shake hard and double strain into an ice-filled Collins glass. Top with the lemonade and garnish with a few raspberries and a lemon wedge.


-Bottle Design-

Elijah Craig has quite a smart bottle. Oval Shaped with a huge cork stopper and the Elijah Craig signature on the glass.


-Price-

A quick look online at the usual booze related websites (Drinkshop and the Whisky Exchange) tells me that it is available around the £25 mark. I have picked a few bottles up in the past from Oddbins for around £20 so it's worth keeping an eye out.


-News-

Unfortunately, since the change of distillery in 1996 Elijah Craig has taken a bit of a blow flavour wise. My bottling is from the original Heaven Hill distillery and is excellent - 96/100, however, new bottlings are nowhere near as good. There is a syrupy flavour that masks the wonderful complexity of the finish and balance leaving you somewhat disappointed as the original bottling really excelled here. The new bottling loses 10 marks - 86/100, which is the reason for giving Elijah Craig 4 out of 5 stars.


-Personal Opinion-

If you spot an old bottling (no idea how! - uberdusty perhaps?) or if you have a bottle kicking around the house that has been there for a couple of years then excellent. If you have bought a bottle recently then it's not going to blow you away but is still a very good bourbon. All bourbon drinkers should definitely give this a go as it's not outrageously expensive and is still a lovely tipple.

Thanks for reading!

John!

Summary: Give it a go! You don't know if you don't try...