Elijah Craig Private Barrel Bourbon [REVIEW]

One of my go-to bourbons that is generally hanging in my cupboard or at least in rotation of my favorites I pick up when I'm at the liquor store is Elijah Craig.

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The price point is great for what you get and if you like a Bourbon Old Fashioned, it's extremely solid for that.  Recently when I visited Belknap Liquor, I noticed a bottle of Elijah Craig I hadn't seen before.

Elijah Craig Private Barrel. It's aged 9 years, uncut straight from the barrel, and 122 proof, a bottle runs around ninety bucks.

You'll notice in my pictures it's on the rocks, drinking it like that would get me shunned from certain circles, but I did as always with new to me bourbons, I tried it neat on the first go around.

For my taste buds, the oak and pepper flavors bit a smidgen too hard for me to have it neat on its own.  I did however try it neat with a Robusto cigar and really enjoyed the sips in between the puffs.

Ultimately, for me, this bourbon was great after just a minute or so mellowing with the ice.  The flavors mentioned above were still profound, but the bit of water brought out more of a caramel and vanilla hint, and maybe a smidgen of orange.

The aging in a charred oak barrel for the 9 years really makes this special and the more I drank of it, the more I wanted more of that flavor.  If you're looking for a nice bourbon to add to the shelf for those special occasions, this one is worth checking out.