The Narrative:
Heaven Hill Distillery has a storied history in the bourbon world. The distillery was founded shortly after the repeal of Prohibition originally as Old Heavenhill Springs Distillery. Joseph L. Beam was an early investor and Master Distiller. In fact all of the Master Distillers since the distillery’s founding have been members of the Beam family. Heaven Hill is currently the seventh-largest alcohol supplier in the United States. They are the second largest holder of bourbon whiskey in the world, and the largest family owned and operated producer and marketer of distilled spirits in the United States by the Shapira family.
This expression is named after a preacher by the same name. He is said to have been the Father of Bourbon as we know it. These expressions bearing his name are said to embody the spirit of bourbon in a glass.
The original expressions of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof (ECBP) were released as distillery exclusives. After some time there was a first nationwide limited release of ECBP. Since that time there have been 17 nationwide releases of this expression. All with varying proofs as listed below. The most recent releases have been given specific numbers whereas the prior releases needed further research to find when they were released. The new system is actually really nice. The current bottle in the review is Batch No. C917. That tells you it was bottled in September of 2017. The more information a distillery can give you as to when a whiskey was barreled or bottled is a fun thing to reference and compare when sharing with friends.
UPDATE: The old releases have actually been re-categorized with the new system for reference to the release month/year of those as well.
Original Releases:
Batch #1(A313) – 67.1%/134.2 Proof
Batch #2(B713) – 68.5%/137 Proof
Batch #3(C913) – 66.6 %/ 133.2 Proof “The Devil’s Bottling”
Batch #4(A314) – 66.2%/132.4 Proof
Batch #5(B514) – 67.4%/134.8 Proof
Batch #6(C914) – 70.1%/140.2 Proof “Hazmat Bottling”
Batch #7(A215) – 64.0%/ 128 Proof
Batch #8(B515) – 69.9%/ 139.8 Proof
Batch #9(C915) – 67.8%/ 135.6 Proof
Batch #10(A116) – 69.4%/ 138.8 Proof
Batch #11(B516) – 69.7%/ 139.4 Proof
Batch #12(C916) – 68.0%/ 136 Proof
New Bottling Batches:
Batch # A117 – 63.5%/ 127.0 Proof
Batch # B317 – 62.1%/ 124.2 Proof
Batch # C917 – 65.5%/ 131 Proof
Batch # A118 – 65.3%/ 130.6 Proof
Batch # B518 – 66.7%/ 133.4 Proof
Elijah Craig Small Batch Barrel Proof C917
Origin: Bardstown, Kentucky
Distiller: Distilled and Bottled by Heaven Hill Distillery
Mashbill: 75% Corn, 13% Rye, and 12% Malted Barley
Cask: New charred oak
Age: 12 Year
ABV: Varies by Batch (No. C917 – 65.5%/ 131 Proof)
Price: Varies by Region (Picked up locally for $75.00)
Additionally: Non-chill filtered, Uncut and Straight from the barrel. The Batch No. signifies this release was third for the year 2017 and bottled in September.
Mashbill
"It's one of those barrel proof bottlings that I have a hard time not just nosing for an hour before sipping."
Elijah Craig Small Batch Barrel Proof C917 Review
Color: Dark Amber
Nose/Aroma: A delicious nose on this one! The nose on these expressions have always drawn me in to them. It’s one of those barrel proof bottlings that I have a hard time not just nosing for an hour before sipping. As with all previous releases there are a handful of dominant flavors that stand out in the nose and palette. They are big, and bold aromas throughout including caramel, vanilla, oak brown sugar. Secondary notes of fruit/apple/orange peel, cinnamon and cereal.
Palate/Body: Whoa! Just a big bold whiskey for your palette. Lots of alcohol but delicious notes of tobacco, pepper, cinnamon, oak, caramel and fruit. Not a whole lot to say on this whiskey. It’s just hits all the right flavors with what I want in a bourbon.
Finish: Long dry lingering finish with notes of cocoa/chocolate, cinnamon, brown sugar, wintergreen, and nutmeg.
Overall: I have not had ECBP for some time. And the last bottle I poured from was one of the older bottlings. I have been curious how these newer expressions would stack up. I can’t explain the color difference from the older squat bottles. The original ECBP releases were the darkest whiskey around. I mean some really dark delicious whiskey from those. I am happy these newer bottles are just as tasty even with the color difference. I think Heaven Hill puts out some really quality whiskey especially for the price if you can get it for around retail. Even for a slight premium above retail it would still be worth it. I have never been disappointed from any ECBP batch I have been able to try. These bottling’s pack a lot of aroma and flavors in each bottle. This whiskey hits you hard but you can’t help but keep coming back to enjoy what it has to offer. They are not necessarily for the uninitiated in whiskey as they carry the full weight of what bourbon truly is. But even so I think a newcomer taking small sips can quickly learn to enjoy what this bottle and the whole line of Elijah Craig Barrel Proof’s have to offer. Truly a great experience every time!
Also, I have been able to acquire the Whisky of the Year B517 release and the newest B518 release that I hope to compare to this expression at a later date!
Have you tried this particular release? What did you think? Leave a comment below!
Or have you had one or more of the ECBP releases? Mention in the comments below your favorite release so far!
Drink well friends! 
