whisky review 156 - Elijah Craig 12yo Bourbon

[Chevydipper1500]

my wife just surprised me with this bourbon two days ago and i must say it is very nice

[YehItsMyCRF]

mr rogers?

[eroccube]

got a bottle of this and shared with a friend. absolutely delicious, fantastic whisky (bourbon)! :)

[MightyM1ke]

did you come across the wild turkey rare breed yet? i heard many good things about it, and seems reasonably priced too. cheers, keep up the good work

[ralfystuff]

@MightyM1ke

WT on the list !

[iland1973]

Ralfy, what did you think of the Elijah Craig 18 years old ?

[ralfystuff]

@iland1973

good, but not as good as the 12yo !

[adamg709]

After being a single malt man all my adult life I have discovered bourbons in the last couple of years and have not really gone back to 'Scotch'.

I must have tried around twenty bourbons and can honestly say that Elijah Craig 12 is by far the best [that I have tried] yet. However I would question using this as a baseline to measure others by as the 94 proof/ 47% alcohol gives it a far bigger kick than the 40-43% ones that are more common....and this tastes truly awesome too.

[boc234]

Elijah Craig is very nice, though I would prefer Evan Williams single barrel, at about the same price.

[UnbreakableAmerican]

Thats my name

[CrashMarket]

EVAN WILLIAMS ,LOL,aye, I have drinked quite a bit of that,..It is cheaper than Jack Daniels No 7..I thought you would hate Evans,but maybe my tatse is in good order..It will give you a bad head ache though,for real..

[BrianASoto]

I'm embarrassed to admit I live in the states and haven't tried this bourbon yet. In my defense, I'm a Philistine when it comes to American spirits. Wait, that's not a defense, is it?

[JezzaCliff]

I have never seen a UK whisky taster that isn't a nut case LSD tripper weirdo

[ralfystuff]

@JezzaCliff

neither have I

[arkee71]

ralfy..im from the southern usa...arkansas to be exact...and i will tell you what the common workin man drinks here....wild turkey evan williams and old charter are very popular

[arkee71]

one of the best reviewers on youtube...probably THE best

[busysignal2006]

who can possibly wait half an hour to drink after pouring a glass of bourbon???

[100percentNatural100]

My favourite spirits are bourbon and scotch whisky, what other spirits do you recommend? I have tried 80+ dollar tequila and to be honest doesn't seem to be worth the money. Im from Canada and ive tried lots of Canadian whiskeys but they seem lighter and better for mixing.

[ralfystuff]

@100percentNatural100

check out Rum, starting with Mount Gay extra old from Barbados ... good luck, rum has a lot to offer with wise selections.

[arkee71]

@ralfystuff it could be the best drink on earth...but id be very reluctant to drink anything called "mount gay"...lol

[fodera6]

@100percentNatural100 I'd have spent my money on mezcal. Most tequila is heavily blended. Mezcal is all about terroir and single barrel individuality. Del Maguey's Chichicapa or the Ilegal brand are excellent. Del Maguey makes several expressions but the Chichicapa is my favorite and is an unbelievable spirit.

[ralfystuff]

@fodera6

good pointer's here, .... tequila reviews at ralfy's soon.

[markquimby82]

You are good at this. I don't even like burbon and I've watchd like 5 of these reviews you've posted. You should have a spot on TV.

[shuboy05]

I've read that there was another reason distillers charred the barrels before filling. Back then the distillers needed to transport their whiskey up north via the rivers (such as the Mississippi), they discovered that the barrels they needed previously held fish. Hence the burning of the inside of the barrel to clean out those fish flavors and smells. They subsequently discovered their whiskey was improved in the barrel and the rest was history.

[primus3467]

I love this bourbon when I get a good bottle, but too many times I've had bottles of EC12 with a distinct metallic taste. But when its good, its one of my favorites, especially considering the price.

[Higgins2001]

I just noticed the Dalek :D

[Arundodonax]

Best bourbon for the money that I have found (so far).

[selgemm]

Have you reviewed speyburn 10yr single malt?

[ralfystuff]

@selgemm

... not yet, perhaps next year !

[unclebud99]

I really like this whiskey. I've been enjoying it lately alongside Buffalo Trace and Evan Williams Single Barrel Vintage. All very good stuff.

[rhinonose]

i've found that mixing this stuff with some eagle rare 10yo single barrel makes my favorite whiskey even more exciting and interesting. wouldnta tried it without watching your vids. i've now got a group of friends and each time we get a new whiskey we try it together.

[ralfystuff]

@rhinonose

excellent ! ... happy blending.

[anthonyiodice]

Marzapan? Elijah Craig is probably saying I didn't put any if that shite in my Bourbon.

[dbocca07]

Great info!! I love this bourbon, one of my favorites!

[RushFugu]

Both you and Jason Pyle gave this bourbon a pretty good rating. I just recieved my package with it today and now have tried it with and without water.

It's very interesting! I get a lot of fresh leather and less barrel than I expected but a very delicious vanilla!

[Flowardnut]

greetings from kentucky! your reviews have convinced me to try a few peaty scotches ;) Elijah Craig is a good bourbon, but like any popular it has its naysayers.

You gotta come to the bourbon festival sometime!

[manbearpig707]

This is the first video of yours that I have seen and I have to say that you're doing God's work. You take your subject (alcohol!!!) seriously enough but still inject the proper amount of humor and enjoyment into your reviews. I literally know fuck-all about bourbon (other than I like it and that I like it way more than any other spirit), but I do know that your reviews give this spirit and its brethren the equal parts respect and irreverence they deserve. Cheers!

[insidethefall78]

This is the best value bourbon I've tried and it actually stands up to the big boys...very spicy and full bodied. The problem is that the taste varies from batch to batch, for example the last bottle I bought had a strong banana flavor..strange but luckily the quality is always very good.

[vcMalice]

I recently bought a 1.75L bottle in Pennsylvania for about $34 and it is fantastic, especially for the price for a full handle. It is delicious neat, or with a spoon of water. I love your suggestion, Ralfy, about letting the bourbon sit for about a half hour after you pour the water in. It's really made a difference to me and I'm excited to try that technique on future endeavors. This is my go-to bourbon, especially for the excellent taste-to-price ratio.

[tryp420247]

@vcMalice Whaaat? I just spend $29 on a 750ml bottle. :\

[BrothuhV84]

OK, so i just finished the bottle of Elijah Craig. Final Impressions: If you are bourbon/scotch drinker searching for something a little different and you see Eligah Craig in a store BUY IT! The quality was absolutely outstanding! At 22 bucks the 12 year old E.C. crushed many other bourbons well over twice the price. Talk about value for the money! The review was spot on Ralfy! Wonderful dram! I can't recommend this stuff enough! Cheers!! ;)

[j2ndcaptain]

what do you think of WT RYE whiskey (not a bourbon. Whiskey) to drink straight and slightly mix sometimes. It would have to be better then there cheapest wt straight mixer produc by very far. Does it make you feel Lively or just want to pass out. 

[j2ndcaptain]

I will just buy a charcoal filtered stated bourbon. I have no idea on your age comment and higher % as I drunk bookers and drinking EC12 no problem. Not as heavy as this charcoal filtered 7y one I had months ago.

[Futre4]

@j2ndcaptain There are many bourbons and many different tastes , just need to shop around. For me the best buys as bargain price are J beam and Evan. The next price bracket Buffalo Trace E Craig and Woodford. After that I have no idea as I refuse to pay more for a bottle of whiskey than I would for say a ps3 game.

[j2ndcaptain]

@Futre4 What's an old fashion EW? Is this EW black? Do recall any low price ones with a tobacco note or chew. Or anything that is sort of fatty or meaty. I still have no idea why bourbons are cheap but there using NEW WOOD. Surely those cheapest generic Kentucky GOLD label one did not use new oak.

[Futre4]

@j2ndcaptain I was under the impression that all have to use new American new oak. An old fashioned is a simple cocktail using bourbon , sugar, bitters and a cherry. Why not just buy bourbon tobacco? I have heard some people describe some of the older wild turkeys as a tobacco taste but I cant recall having one myself.

[j2ndcaptain]

JD single barrel its $85AU. I'm guessing is amazing and bottle would go quick. Shame every bottle is different. I notice an empty JD barrel select in someone cabinet while other bottles had reminding liquid.

I just drink the cheaper JD because i feel I get an energy boost and its nice.

[shuboy05]

This is interesting. I just realized the date that Elijah Craig 18 year old was put into the cask (1992) is before the old Heaven Hill Distillery burned down meaning this bourbon came from the surviving stocks. However the younger 12 year old is most likely produced at the new distillery based on my math. I might hold off opening my bottle of 18 year old until the new distillery is producing EC 18 just to see how the old and the new compare.

[ralfystuff]

@shuboy05

... excellent anorak stuff !

[binyamj]

Excellent review as usual and based off of this review I went out tonight and picked up a bottle. I really enjoyed this bourbon, and I also really enjoyed the price. I've only tried one or two other bourbons before, but now I'll have to try a few others to compare, because this one was so good, thanks Ralfy.

[Zyworski]

My first impression of the EC 12yo was that it had picked up to much of the wood taste from 12 years in the bottle. After the opened bottle had sat around a few days the taste matured and it became a much better bourbon. This is the type of bourbon that I let sit around waiting for a friend to come over.

[ralfystuff]

@Zyworski

... good point made, at first taste, a spirit can be 'raw' natured but after the bottle is open a few days things settle down once the uncorking phase is passed.

[sonick808]

do you ever indulge with a pipe or cigar ? They marry so heavenly with the spirit, and are every bit as varied and complex. Just curious.....

[ralfystuff]

@sonick808

... check out WhiskyReviews 64 & 65 ... cigar-stuff !

[sonick808]

@ralfystuff well that answers that! If you ever come through AZ/US, I have a well-aged opus x lancero waiting for you

[j2ndcaptain]

Is this FEINTY? Oh and too firm too? I'm still trying to learn this but could anyone just tell me an americium whiskey/bourbon that has 'tobacco and leather' chew that is widely available/not to big price. lower then WT rare bread price. Buy the way I literately thought i was chewing real tobacco in a bottle a 50ml bottle i just finished. I've understood a lot more from endless replies + pages today. I'm tied! I think its the Age and the AMBER RED?

[Futre4]

Love Elijah Craig , that and Woodford reserve. My fave is still *gasp* Jim beam black as its so well balanced.

[boxant]

One of my favorites, great review.

[tacticalfairy]

On San Francisco...check out the drink menu from a revamped speak easy bar, Bourbon and Branch, its the real meal deal. Word, Whiskey Wiggers.

[EmperorCesar]

I purchased some of this today, and by far the best Bourbon I have ever tasted. The previous crown was held by Kentucky Vintage, but Elijah Craig blows it away.

[nevik9988]

Glad to see a review of my go-to bourbon for price and taste. Thanks ralfy!

[C5Rigzz]

I wonder if ground-height versus highest-building-height might be one of the ways they are trying to vie for the title? Lots of places like to put a large building with tall tower to secure a victory over a neighboring building's claim of "highest" so and so.

[SacredSobek]

No exploding fire bricks this time round, eh Ralfy?

Great review once again, my friend.

All the best

SacredSobek

[TheFrams]

Love the videos ralfy. :) i love watching your videos when sipping my chivas regal 12Yo Blended. :)

[JohnnieWalkerLabels]

Well ralphy if you like this kind of american/kentukey bourbon then i highly recommend that you try to get your hands on a bottle of Wild Turkey Rare Breed. I think you will be most satisfied with it.

[DrClaw78]

@JohnnieWalkerLabels

Rare Breed is an excellent bourbon. Pity it's so hard to get in the UK...

[anorak1977]

Ralfy: Don't forget to mention that by law, all "straight" kentucky bourbon is all natural color. e150a is an illegal additive here. Hoorah!

[Tantrum777]

@anorak1977 Great Point!!!

[Tantrum777]

Ralfy Heaven Hill is the only large bourbon maker that is privately owned Makers Mark is owned bye Jim Beam in case you wanted to know! A great start and A great review! I like 12 over 18 the 18 tends to be too much oak for me! 91/100 ya that is a very good mark for this one! I 100% agree! Great Job!

[shuboy05]

@Tantrum777

Even Heaven Hill has a Jim Beam connection. Every Master Distiller throughout Heaven Hill's history has been a member of the Beam family.

[barnes199]

I've passed this on the shelf several times. Cant wait to try it now. Thanks for going "State Side" for a while, Nice to have you

[anorak1977]

Ralfy- 91/100 is great! I have to agree. I get this for $20 a bottle here in the US, great stuff for the money.... so complex!

[shuboy05]

Unlike the whisky and whiskey produced in Scotland and Ireland respectively, it is rare to see bourbons aged for more than one decade since the weather in Kentucky leads to more evaporation (the Elijah Craig 18 year old loses more than half its volume due to the angel's share).

Also a little bit of trivia: after the fire at Heaven Hill, the company was largely kept afloat by Jim Beam since one of the founders of Heaven Hill (Joseph L. Beam) was a cousin to the Beam family.

[scpalmer138]

Ah, EC is one of my favorite bourbons of all time! Fairly priced and great quality. Evan Williams is my old standby these days. I prefer the white label, bottled in bond, 100 proof. The green is good, too. Black label is decent, but a bit overrated.

Being a Tennessee native: I hope you show a tasting the only two Tennessee Whiskies (NO, they are not Bourbon) in existence - Jack Daniels and George Dickel. IMHO - Jack is overrated, Dickel Ivory Label (No. 12) is KING!

[shuboy05]

@scpalmer138

Ralfy will be reviewing both Tennessee whiskies as seen in his previous video. But he's going with Gentleman Jack instead of the standard Old No. 7. I couldn't tell which George Dickel he's reviewing though since I'm not familiar with that brand.

[schmazly2]

A friend of mine and I visited Heaven Hill last summer and tasted EC 12 along with Evan Williams (10yrs). Even with time I found Evan Williams had a bit nicer aroma and taste.

While touring Kentucky I realized that it's actually possible for whiskey to be in barrels too long. The summers are HOT and winters COLD, which likely speeds the process quite a bit, and I found anything over 10 to be too influenced by the wood in the cask IMHO.

Please review Blanton's, which I think sets the standard!

[schmazly2]

BTW, there is a difference between the Evan Williams products - the SIngle Barrel Vintage (10 yr.) is the one I referred to. Great stuff! I paid $40.00 American, the 12 yr. EC was in the 50s I believe

[shuboy05]

@schmazly2

The Evan Williams Single Barrel is definitely great stuff for the price. Eagle Rare is my other favorite 10 year old single barrel and both are around the same price in stores.

[DavidUKesb]

Best not go into the woods wearing that Ralfy!!

[ralfystuff]

@DavidUKesb

... but I'm invited to the teddy-bear's picnic ! & the hunters are all drunk !!!

[j2ndcaptain]

Will all white OAK American charred-oak barrel give same flavors and leather texture if aged long.

You mention FIG. I got that in a 12y scotch pure oak small batch once. Anyone know if anything chewy in there like Tobacco in eE12 or its more fruit? Sound just what i want for the price.

[TheBritishLegions]

great stuff Ralfy!

Looking forward to this and Evan Williams Single barrel.

Jack Daniels and Evan Williams are Welsh related.. did you know?

[ralfystuff]

@TheBritishLegions

no I didn't know, ... thanks for that.

[DrClaw78]

@ralfystuff

Yep. Evan Williams was Welsh and Jack Daniel's grandpappy (as I understand Americans say!) was Welsh; his grandma was Scottish.

[Futre4]

@TheBritishLegions Yeh Evan Williams was a Welshman , then again he has got THE most Welsh name ever heh. Evan Williams is one of the most underate generally available bourbons imo!

[TheBritishLegions]

@Futre4

Evan William single barrel?

what a cracker! yum..

[Futre4]

@TheBritishLegions for sure. But even entry level bourbons the standard Evan Williams is better than JD etc.

[j2ndcaptain]

@Futre4 The EW black says charcoal filtered. Aged. Mellow. So Will this be a nice big filling bourbon?? I tried heaven hills Virgin 101 and although completely very dry and very tasteless and over priced it was very filling and left me pleasantly wasted.The bottle smell of big vanilis. I would like something similar just with some taste. I have had Bookers and EC12 and I'm not getting same effect. BEAM black no good for me either. Nor Markers Mark or standard WT.

[Futre4]

@j2ndcaptain In my opinion it depends on what you want & how much you spend. I find when bourbon gets to 8 year old it can go either way. Wild turkey in my opinion has more burn than taste. JB black for me is a fine balance of taste and is more mellow than the average aged bourbon. Most aged bourbon can be too 'woody' or indeed can be abrasive. I find that Evan Williams standard ( the black one not the very young green one), has careful character, brown sugars and a good bite but isnt too young.

[j2ndcaptain]

@Futre4 Your 100% Right with WT. I drink JD7 + JD gentleman because its the youngest corn whiskey in store -no moonshine etc. Seems to give me energy boost. Do Kentucky Bourbons generally make you tied? . Why do the generic looking ones say 100% charcoal filtered for that old mellow old fashion feeling. Are these different to say markers,EC12,bookers,beam,b trace? I do not want to spend much and preferred the generic char ones . What is WT RYE like?What are generic bourbons with no web info.

[Futre4]

@j2ndcaptain I like the aged JD and Gentleman. Id say Gent Jack is comparable to the 'unfashionable' E Williams. Charcoal bourbons tend to be much darker and dont lean on wood for taste as much as older boubons. I find the charcoal gives it a smoother more mellow taste but cant always hide the age (like jd). 8-12 year old bourbons are often harder to drink tho as they have absorbed more wood and are higher in %. Rye is spicier but it also rewarding. I recmd : E williams/Jim beam green/Jb Rye/

[fatalegg]

that is a bear sweater

[ralfystuff]

@fatalegg

... yes it is, and I raid trash bins at night ! grrrrr

[avat0n]

m8 the info & comments around the nosing and tasting r gr8, leave them big and long - we already know anyway, that since you review it, at least it's worth trying it out!

[EmperorCesar]

Sounds great Ralfy, I just looked up the price of this at my local Liquor store, $25 American. This will be my next purchase.

[retrohippie]

Great review, Ralfy!

I noticed your mentioning of Evan Williams and, in my opinion, it's the best bourbon you can buy for it's "bottom shelf" price. Great if you want to mix it in cocktails or cook with it. It's not bad at all to drink straight, bit of water or on the rocks either! As for Elijah Craig, it's one of the bourbons I still haven't gotten around to buying yet. Thanks for the review!

[ralfystuff]

... I'm listening guys, ... more time with the nosing and tasting it is !

[Coutionor]

@ralfystuff I like the anecdotes and the other info/stuff besides nose and taste. I hope you know that Youtube allows 15min videos nowadays :)

[Burrisant]

@ralfystuff Thanks ralfy. I should point out that I'm nitpicking. I'm a huge fan of your reviews and really appreciate all the effort and expense you go to.

[McSteul]

@ralfystuff

Yes please, don't rush through it, and information about distillery and owners, like you did in the older vids. You concentrated on the whisky more than. I loved to watch these, in the newer ones sometimes you seen distracted (like your jumper or fire), and it shows in the videos. I liked the old Ralfy sitting at a table thing, you talked more directly to the viewer and you had it eaier to show your point sometimes (like colouring in Highland Park). Anyway, please keep producing.

[Futre4]

@ralfystuff Yeh Ralfy your so good at what you do , but in this episode you got to the important part ....the taste , and proceeded to read through it at the speed of light , barely mentioning the finish ! It sounded like you were reading a report reluctantly at school.

[valuewhale]

Good stuff ralfy, thanks!

[11lightyear]

I've been waiting for this review. Just several hours ago I bought a bottle of Elijah Craig 12 and Evan Williams Black Label. So happy i got Elijah Craig just for roughly 12 pounds a bottle.

I just wish Ralfy had explained about the term "Small Batch". If Elijah Craig 12 is bottled from the best casks only, chosen by master distiller, what does the distilery do with the rest of the EC whiskey casks then ?

[shuboy05]

@11lightyear

Heaven Hill makes A LOT of different brands of bourbon including one with the distillery name. Most likely the bourbon that doesn't make the cut goes to those other brands.

[Mekkes82]

I agree. I would also prefer more nosing and tasting!

[Burrisant]

More time for the nosing and tasting please! 90 seconds isn't enough!